For the second night in a row Thursday the Sarnia Legionnaires picked up a valuable point after a tough loss in extra time.
Coach Jeff Perry's Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League club was edged 3-2 by the Chatham Maroons in a shootout before 1,241 excited fans at the Brock Street Barn.
With the result, the Legionnaires have collected at least one point in six of their last seven games, including the last five in a row.
The clubs fought tooth-and-nail from the opening buzzer to the final whistle.
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Afterward, Sarnia Captain Tyler Cicchini agreed there was almost a playoff atmosphere. “You could feel it,” he said. “The league is so close, every game is big. We got a big point. We should have had two, but we're starting to turn it around. We're starting to jell, now that the guys are getting to know each other.”
Cicchini, who returned to action after missing seven games with a foot injury, said it took him about half the game to shake off the rust.
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Defenceman Tanner Ferguson also returned to action after missing 10 games due to injury, but was used sparingly.
All four goals came on powerplays and both teams finished 2-for-6 with the extra man.
Jesse Drydak scored the first Sarnia goal with a bullet drive from the middle of the face-off circle that knotted the score at 1-1 in the first period. Chase Clark and Shawn Waldie drew assists on the marker, which was Drydak's fifth of the year.
Dramatic ending
The Maroons grabbed a 2-1 lead before the first period was over, then hung on until the final minute of regulation time.
Just when it looked like the Legionnaires were about to go down to their first regulation loss since Oct. 1, defenceman Jeff Paulley tied the game with a slapshot from the point. The goal, which was his first of the season, came with goalie Kyle Washer on the bench for a sixth attacker. Waldie and Tanner Tomlinson got assists.
Overtime solved nothing, which lead to a shootout.
Brett Thompson scored on Sarnia's first shot but the Maroons got two of their own to win the game.
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Washer was named the first star for his 47-save performance. Sarnia had 32 shots on Chatham's cage. Tomlinson was named third star.
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The Legionnaires are off until next Thusday, when they host the first place LaSalle Vipers.
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Sarnia is now in a four-way tie for fourth place with London, St. Marys and Leamington. But all of those teams have games in hand on the Legionnaires.
