It was another
stellar effort –
but ultimately
another
heart-breaking
result – for the
Sarnia Sting, in
OHL playoff
action, Tuesday
night at RBC
Centre.
Just 48 hours
after Erie
superstar Connor
McDavid scored
the winning
goal, midway
through the
third period in
the Otters’ 6-5
Game 3 win,
Erie’s next best
prospect Dylan
Strome, had the
gamewinner –
this time in
overtime – in a
4-3 decision in
Tuesday’s Game
4.
Erie now leads
the
best-of-seven,
first round
playoff series,
3-games-to-1.
Once again, the
Sting started
strong, this
time jumping out
to a 3-0 first
period lead.
And, once again,
Erie goalie
Devin Williams
looked shaky.
The score was
2-0 before the
game was three
minutes old as
Hayden Hodgson
opened the score
at the 42 second
mark, then Sting
defenceman Kevin
Spinozzi
finished off a
shorthanded
three-on-one by
burying the puck
behind Williams
from a sharp
angle.
When Jordan
Kyrou made it
3-0 at 12:58,
Williams got the
hook and was
replaced by
rookie Daniel
Dekoning.
The Otters got
one goal back in
the second
period and,
while they
finished the
middle stanza
with a 22-14
edge in shots,
Erie continued
to play with the
same noticeable
lack of urgency
that has
characterized
their effort
throughout much
of the series.
They can be
explosive though
and they
demonstrated
that when the
third period
began.
First defenceman
Travis Dermott,
who was probably
Erie’s best
player on
Tuesday night,
scored on a
near-end-to-end
rush at the 46
second mark.
Then, 25 seconds
later, Taylor
Raddysh tied the
game and it
appeared the
momentum was
clearly in
Erie’s favour.
The Otters
racked up the
shots on goal in
the third,
outshooting the
home team 16-3,
but the Sting
and goalie
Taylor Dupuis
were able to
keep the score
knotted at 3-3.
Late in the
third, the
Otters got a
power play
opportunity on a
very unpopular
interference
penalty call
against Sarnia’s
Troy Lajeunesse.
However the
Sting killed off
the two minute
minor which
extended past
the end of the
third period and
into overtime.
Both teams had
some good
chances to score
in OT, with
Dekoning
actually having
to make some
good stops –
after being
largely inactive
for much of the
game – most
notably on Pavel
Zacha and
Anthony
Salinitri.
Dupuis stopped
Strome on a
breakaway, then
blocked
McDavid’s nifty
toe-drag attempt
a short time
later.
But Strome got
another chance a
short time after
that when he
found himself
alone in front
of the Sting
goal, and, at
10:35 of the
fourth period,
he buried the
puck in the back
of the Sting
goal.
Another huge
crowd – 4,522 –
watched what
might be the
final Sting game
of the 2014-15
season.
The Sting will
try to stave off
elimination when
they play Game 5
in Erie on
Friday night.
