Elimination Looming: Spirited Saad Stings Sarnia

Game five is in the books and for the first time in three games a winner was declared without needing an overtime period.  Sarnia’s RBC Centre welcomed over 4,100 hockey fans Friday night eager to witness a hard fought battle between the fourth and fifth placed Western Conference teams.  The Sting and Spirit series has been an emotional rollercoaster as the teams struggle to find consistency in their game – particularly the Sarnia Sting. 

As the puck dropped to begin the first period, it took the Saginaw Spirit a mere fifty seconds to find the back of the net as defenseman Dalton Young fired the puck past netminder JP Anderson on the game’s first shot.  The opening jitters continued for the home team as Michael Fine added to the lead putting the Spirit up 2-0 before the game was three minutes old on assists from Strong and the man-beast Brandon Saad.  In the four previous game, Brandon Saad displayed why he started the 2011-12 NHL season as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks after being drafted 43^rd overall in last year’s NHL Entry Draft.  The Spirit’s captain has been dominant through the first five games of this series often singlehandedly winning games.  Friday night’s game five was no different as Brandon Saad continued to steamroll the Sarnia Sting with Sarnia having no effective solution for stopping the 6’2” Pennsylvania native.  Sarnia’s Domenic Alberga was assigned the task of shadowing Saad but at the 15:35 mark of the opening frame Saad broke loose and burrowed past Sting defenseman Adrian Robertson before beating JP Anderson one-on-one to extend the Saginaw lead to three goals.  After two mediocre playoff attendance records in games one and three, the good showing of Sarnia fans for game five were left deflated after a lacklustre first period.

In much the same way as the first period, Saginaw jumped on Sarnia early in the second period and once again Dalton Young was the recipient of the first goal of the period as Spirit fans in attendance applauded their teams’ fourth goal.  Defenseman Steven Strong added his third assist of the contest on Young’s goal while Saad earned his second helper and third point.  Feeling the embarrassment of their team’s poor start, Sting captain Nathan Chiarlitti attempted to revive Sarnia by dropping the mitts with agitator Garret Ross giving the home team fans a reason to cheer.  The fight appeared to work as Sarnia had several key scoring chances on Spirit goaltender Jake Paterson but could not solve him.  Overage forward Brett Thompson eventually broke through as he sent a Rensfeldt rebound through the legs of Paterson to put the Sting on the board and head to the second intermission with a little hope.

The Sarnia Sting have been a good third period team all season long and it was certainly the best of the bunch on this night.  Alex Galchenyuk was very noticeable all game long as he continues to return to game shape improving in each game he plays.  Scouts and fans were treated to several dazzling individual rushes by Galchenyuk that left fans on their edge of their seats, however, Paterson robbed him of several goals on Friday night with his spectacular play. Galchenyuk’s work did not go unnoticed by coach Beaulieu as the big centre was often double shifted in the latter moments of the game as Sarnia came with a late surge. As the third period ticked away, Nickolas Latta, on a rare shift, was dumped at the Sting blue line by Saginaw’s Amestoy sending Sarnia to their fourth powerplay of the night. Sarnia capitalized fourteen seconds into the man advantage as Connor Murphy wrapped the puck around the boards to Ryan Spooner who creatively sent a pass out to Brett Thompson standing alone in front.  Thompson quickly sent the puck into the Spirit’s net for his second of the game pulling Sarnia within two goals.  As time the frame neared a close, the Sting played with desperation and grit - that has been absent from their game in this post-season - and came close to making it a one-goal game on several scoring chances.  In the end, Sarnia’s comeback was a little too late and with 1:06 minutes remaining Brandon Saad, fittingly, sent the puck into the empty net clinching game five for the Spirit. 

The series returns to Saginaw Saturday night in what becomes a do-or-die game six for the visiting Sarnia Sting.  Can the Sarnia Sting stop the freight train that is Brandon Saad?  Saad currently sits third in playoff scoring with six goals and 12 points in 5 playoff games and continues to be the best player on the ice, both offensively and defensive, for either team.  Can the Sarnia Sting play a more consistent game from puck drop to the final buzzer? The Sting have struggled mightily to play consistently over a three period stretch and it has been their Achilles heel through the first five playoff games.  Sarnia Sting fans are hoping that their team can build off their strong third period play on Friday night and earn a game six win in Saginaw forcing a game seven on Monday night.  Filled with loads of talent, Sarnia desperately needs to win for the diehard Sting fans excited to extend this season. More importantly, the Sarnia Sting players need to win for each other and pull together as a group to show the city, its fans and the entire Ontario Hockey League that their capable of playing better hockey. 

Was Friday night the last time Yakupov, Spooner, Thompson, Robertson and JP Anderson play on home ice?  The Sting certainly hope not.

Game Facts:

-        Brandon Saad finished with 2 goals, 2 assists and plus-4

-        Defensemen Dalton Young (2 goals) and Steven Strong (3 assists) factored in offensively in a big way tonight for Saginaw.

-        Brett Thompson, Nail Yakupov,

-        Powerplays:  Saginaw 0/4, Sarnia 1/5

-        Shots on Goal:  Saginaw 39, Sarnia 38

-        3 Stars: 1. Steven Strong (SAG), 2. Dalton Young (SAG), 3. Brett Thompson (SAR)

Game 6:  Sarnia @ Saginaw – Saturday, March 31^st @ 7:11

Game 7: Saginaw @ Sarnia – Monday, April 2^nd @ 7:00 *if necessary

Game 1 Recap: Saginaw Spirit 5 @ Sarnia Sting 1

 Written By:  Brendan Ross

The Saginaw Spirit and their fans arrived in Sarnia on a warm beautiful afternoon and were ready for the puck drop.  Sarnia was playing in their first playoff game in almost three years and there were plenty of scouts and NHL brass in attendance to catch Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk playing together for the first time this season.  The Toronto Maple Leafs’ General Manager Brian Burke made the trip to Sarnia and Scott Howson of the Columbus Blue Jackets was spotted once again at the RBC Centre.  The Sarnia Sting had eight skaters playing in their first career OHL playoff game including Nail Yakupov, Alex Galchenyuk, Reid Boucher, Ludvig Rensfeldt, Craig Hottot, Nick Latta, Connor Murphy, and Anthony DeAngelo.  Scratched for the Sarnia Sting in game one was Justice Dundas and defenseman Jack Kuzmyk while Saginaw had Grant Webermin, Sam Povorozniouk and Vadim Khlopotov sitting out.



Metcalfe Photography

The first period was a series of back and forth rushes and both teams showed a bit of tentativeness in their game.  Alex Galchenyuk was sent out with Nail Yakupov and Bruins’ prospect Ryan Spooner forming a very dynamic offensive line for the scouts to watch.  At the 18:27 minute mark of the first period, Saginaw rookie Nick Moutrey took a checking to the head penalty that would send Sarnia to their third powerplay of the opening frame.  Coach Beaulieu called on Yakupov, Galchenyuk, and Brett Thompson up-front to start the powerplay while Connor Murphy and forward Ryan Spooner manned the points.   Fifty-seconds into the powerplay Alex Galchenyuk, while on his knees to the right of the Saginaw net, picked the puck up and fired it over goaltender Jake Paterson to give the Sting a 1-0 lead.  The goal would be Alex Galchenyuk’s first of the season and also his first career playoff goal and point.  Nail Yakupov picked up his first career playoff assist on the Galchenyuk goal and overager Brett Thompson grabbed the other assist.  Sarnia fans went into a frenzy upon hearing that Galchenyuk scored his long-awaited first goal and the vibe in the RBC Centre was positive going into the first period intermission.

Neither Yakupov or Galchenyuk looked to be suffering from their recent injuries as both were skating well and were actively engaging themselves in the play.  It appeared that Sarnia is being cautious with Galchenyuk's recent shoulder injury as they had Yakupov taking faceoffs in place of him for most of the game.

Unfortunately, as the puck dropped for the second period Sarnia fans witnessed what has become somewhat common for the Sting this year as the team struggled in the second period.  Saginaw stepped onto the ice in the second period with an extra jump in their stride and within the first seven minutes they were able to tally two goals by Chicago Blackhawks prospect Brandon Saad and small centreman Carlos Amestoy giving the Spirit a 2-1 lead.  Brandon Saad continued to buzz around the ice displaying his size and strength and eventually fought his way to the front of the net where he batted a high rebound past Sting netminder JP Anderson.  The official on the play waved off the goal indicating Saad scored on with a highstick. Upon a lengthy review, officials deemed Saad’s goal legal sending Saginaw up 3-1 on Sarnia halfway through the game.  The reviewed goal appeared to be the turning point of the game as Saginaw dominated the Sarnia Sting in the second period who appeared to be playing timidly.  Brandon Archibald fired a point shot past Anderson at the 19:44 mark of the second period on the powerplay knocking the life out of Sarnia. 

Sarnia’s passive game continued in the third period as Saginaw added another goal at the 1:53 mark of the third period as Garrett Ross jumped into the slot and fired home a pass from Florida Panthers’ prospect Vincent Trocheck.  The last Ross goal was a good display of how Saginaw was successful in game one as the Spirit dominated the play in both the offensive and defensive slots.  Throughout the game, Saginaw relentlessly entered the slot and created a lot of scoring chances in that area.  At the other end of the rink, Saginaw’s success revolved around keeping Sarnia out of the scoring area in the slot forcing them to play a perimeter game.

The game wrapped up with a few misconducts handed out to both teams as the officials did a good job at some housecleaning to prevent chaos in the final few minutes.   As the horn sounded to end the third period, most of the 3,214 fans in attendance for game one had already filed out.  Despite being void of the playoffs for the past few seasons, Sarnia fans failed to draw a sold out crowd which was slightly disappointing especially given that the team has finally returned to full health.

Brandon Saad earned first star honours with his strong game as he chipped in two goals for the visiting Spirit.  Saginaw forwards Carlos Amestoy (1 goal and 1 assist) and Josh Shalla (2 assists) earned second and third stars, respectively.  Jake Paterson had a strong game stopping 26 of 27 Sting shots in his first career OHL game.  Playing in his first OHL Playoff Game since leading the Mississauga Majors to the Memorial Cup last season, JP Anderson finished the game with 28 saves on 33 Spirit shots.

Sarnia travels to Saginaw Saturday night (March 24^th) for Game 2 in a 7:11pm puck drop.  The Sting are hoping to end their three game winless drought versus the Spirit in which the team has been outscored 18-4.  Sarnia has a fan bus headed to the game and is hoping to energize the team with their black and yellow attire.  Now that the playoff jitters are gone look for Sarnia to bring a revitalized game to Saginaw’s Dow Event Centre in hopes of returning home with a big win.

Saginaw 5, Sarnia 1

Saginaw leads series 1-0

Be sure to follow @RossyYoungblood for all your OHL and Sarnia Sting news

Playoff Preview: Sarnia Sting (4) vs. Saginaw Spirit (5)

Preview by Brendan Ross

2011-2012 Regular Season Series

Sarnia Sting (4-2-0) vs. Saginaw Spirit (2-4-0) 

Mar 14, 2012: Saginaw 7 @ Sarnia 1

Feb 18, 2012: Sarnia 2 @ Saginaw 6

Nov 19, 2011: Sarnia 6 @ Saginaw 3

Nov 18, 2011: Saginaw 3 @ Sarnia 6

Oct 29, 2011: Sarnia 3 @ Saginaw 2

Oct 14, 2011: Saginaw 2 @ Sarnia 7

The playoff drought in Sarnia has ended as the team enters postseason action for the first time in since the 2008-09 season.  The Sarnia Sting closed out the 2011-12 OHL regular season on a strong note as the team notched a 6-2 win over the West Division champions Plymouth Whalers.  The win marked their 34^th of the season and secured fourth place and more importantly home ice advantage in the Western Conference quarter-final playoff match.  Despite missing star forwards Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk, Sarnia was able to win convincingly in a strong team effort to gain momentum heading into playoff action.  Facing off on the other side of the ice will be Sarnia’s West Division rivals’ Saginaw Spirit after finishing the season as one of the OHL’s hottest team passing the Owen Sound Attack in the standings in their final game to clinch fifth place.

As a team that has battled injuries all season long, Sarnia is expected to have their full roster together for the first time this season as Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk return to action in Game one at the RBC Centre in Sarnia.  Both squads feature players with loads of offensive potential that could lead to an exhilarating series putting fans on the edge of the seats. 

Saginaw’s Josh Shalla (Nashville Predators) recently became the Spirit’s franchise leading goal scorer when he netted his 119^th career goal for the team.  Shalla joins Florida Panthers’ prospect Vincent Trocheck and Chicago Blackhawks’ prospect Brandon Saad as the offensive leaders for the Spirit and if Sarnia has any chance of defeating Saginaw these three will need to be held in check.  Pittsburgh native Vincent Trocheck led the Saginaw Spirit in scoring this season as he racked up an impressive 29 goals and 85 points placing him in a tie for tenth in league scoring.  However, it was Brandon Saad that led the OHL in points-per-game with 1.65 edging Nail Yakupov’s 1.64.  In addition to Trocheck, Saad and Shalla, look for Saginaw to lean heavily on fifth-year veteran Michael Fine as he has had great success versus the Sting this season tallying five goals and three assists. 

The Sarnia Sting have an overwhelming selection of offensive depth headed by 2012 NHL Draft top prospects Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk.  Given that Yakupov and Galchenyuk have combined to miss ninety-two games this season the Sting will need their star forwards to play a regular shift.  Sarnia were undefeated against Saginaw in regular season play when number ten suited up.  Sarnia’s depth of scoring is one reason the team was able to secure enough wins to gain home ice advantage even with missing over 230 games due to injury.  Guided by veteran leaders Brett Thompson and Ryan Spooner (Boston Bruins), the Sting have received secondary production from first year OHL players Reid Boucher (New Jersey Devils), Ludvig Rensfeldt (Chicago Blackhawks), and Connor Murphy (Phoenix Coyotes).  Sarnia’s leading scorer Charles Sarault (68GP-20G-87P) has been the Sting’s most consistent player and he will certainly be counted on offensively and defensively throughout this series. Sarault was ranked first in OHL assists with 67 this season improving on his 25 from last season and finishing eleven ahead of the next closest player (ironically, Vincent Trocheck of Saginaw).

Despite having a good blend of veteran and first year players, Sarnia lacks playoff experience on their roster.  Goaltender JP Anderson (41 playoff games) and former Spitfire defenseman Craig Duininck (37 playoff games) lead the Sarnia Sting in playoff games while trade acquisitions Tyler J. Brown and Adrian Robertson trail with 31 and 23 playoff games, respectively. Overall, Sarnia begins their 2011-12 OHL post-season run on the lighter side of experienced playoff veterans with only 191 combined playoff games played.  Brett Thompson and Ryan Spooner are hardened OHL veterans but surprisingly they have been limited to just 12 post-season games each in their lengthy major junior careers.  The Sting have eleven players that will be competing in their first playoff series including Nail Yakupov, Alex Galchenyuk, Craig Hottot, Ludvig Rensfeldt, Reid Boucher, Nick Latta, Justice Dundas, Connor Murphy, Jack Kuzmyk, Anthony DeAngelo and Brandon Hope. 

The outcome of this series may be decided on special teams as both Saginaw and Sarnia excelled in these situations finishing near the top of the OHL ranks.  Greg Gilbert’s Spirit iced the fourth best powerplay in the Ontario Hockey League as the team scored on 21.9% of their attempts.  Across the St.Clair River, Jacques Beaulieu had his troops scoring at an impressive 21.5% of their powerplay attempts ranking just behind the Spirit in fifth place.  Saginaw and Sarnia were among the least penalized teams in the OHL this season spending 994 and 947 minutes, respectively, in the sin bin, ranking them 17^th and 19^th.  However, the coaching staffs should both be acknowledged for running efficient penalty kill units as Sarnia and Saginaw, once again, were amongst the OHL leaders.  Sarnia ranked fifth in the OHL with an 82.5% success rate while Saginaw killed off 81.7% (8^th) of their penalty kills. 

Series Outlook

The Saginaw-Sarnia matchup has all the makings of a long, competitive and entertaining fourth versus firth place series.  Sarnia enters the series sputtering slightly winning just four of their past ten but their opponent, Saginaw, is undefeated in four games boasting a 6-3-0-1 record over their last ten games. 

Sarnia’s success will depend largely on how quickly the team can find chemistry as key players return to the lineup.  In addition, the Sarnia Sting have struggled at times throughout the season defensively and the team will need a strong series from captain Nathan Chiarlitti, Craig Duininck, Adrian Robertson and Connor Murphy on the backend to provide stability. JP Anderson will need to carry the workload in between the pipes if Sarnia plans on making a long playoff run. 

Saginaw will rely heavily on their offensive players and superb powerplay to provide scoring but will also need to shutdown the dynamic Yakupov, Spooner and Galchenyuk if they want to proceed to the second round.  Spirit goaltenders Jake Paterson and Clint Windsor have not played in a single OHL playoff game and their inexperience will be tested by Sarnia as both netminders prepare to showcase their talents for the upcoming 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Uncertainties surround the Saginaw and Sarnia series.  Saginaw’s scoring depth and rookie goaltending will be tried by an extremely skilled Sarnia roster.  On the other hand, Sarnia’s inconsistency, injuries and defensive lapses have been their weaknesses to date.  Fans could be in for some high-scoring games with plenty of back and forth action as Sarnia looks to give their fans a long-awaited playoff run.

Playoff Series Schedule

				SARNIA vs. SAGINAW
Fri.,	March	23	at	Sarnia	7:00
Sat.,	March	24	at	Saginaw	7:11
Mon.,	March	26	at	Sarnia	7:00
Wed.,	March	28	at	Saginaw	7:11
Fri.,	March	30	at	Sarnia	7:00	*
Sat.,	March	31	at	Saginaw	7:11	*
Mon.,	April	2	at	Sarnia	7:00	*
				*if necessary

Sarnia Sting vs. Saginaw Spirit Head-to-Head Scoring Leaders

Sarnia Sting

1.      Reid Boucher 6GP-5G-5A-10P

2.      Charles Sarault 6GP-4G-6A-10P

3.      Nail Yakupov 4GP-4G-6A-10P

4.      Ryan Spooner 4GP-1G-8A-9P

5.      Ludvig Rensfeldt 6GP-3G-4A-7P

Saginaw Spirit

1.      Josh Shalla 4GP-5G-4A-9P

2.      Michael Fine 6GP-5G-3A-8P

3.      Brandon Saad 4GP-4G-4A-8P

4.      Vincent Trocheck 6GP-3G-5A-8P

5.      Garret Ross 6GP-1G-4A-5P

Sarnia Sting Players to Watch:

Offensive Leaders:  Nail Yakupov, Alex Galchenyuk, Ryan Spooner, Charles Sarault, Connor Murphy (D)

Defensive Leaders:  Nathan Chiarlitti (D), Craig Duininck (D), Craig Hottot, Domenic Alberga

Starting Goaltender: JP Anderson

2012 NHL Draft Eligible Players:  Nail Yakupov, Alex Galchenyuk, Nick Latta, Justice Dundas, Jack Kuzmyk, Brandon Hope, Alex Basso (2^nd year)

Sarnia Sting Players to Watch:

Offensive Leaders:  Vincent Trocheck, Brandon Saad, Josh Shalla, Michael Fine

Defensive Leaders:  Brad Walch (D), Brandon Archibald (D), Garret Ross,

Starting Goaltender: Jake Paterson

Notable 2012 NHL Draft Eligible Players:  Eric Locke, Terry Trafford, Justin Kea, Vadim Khlopotov, Jacob Ringuette, Grant Webermin, Jake Paterson, Clint Windsor

Saturday Night Buzz: Sarnia Wins but Loses Yakupov

Excitement surrounded the RBC Centre on Saturday night as the Owen Sound Attack came to town in a significant game between the fourth place Sarnia Sting and fifth place Attack.  The winner of Saturday’s game would become the outright fourth place team and temporarily hold the final home-ice advantage spot for the forthcoming playoffs.  In the previous three meetings, the home town were victorious in each game and the Owen Sound Attack held the advantage in the season series two games to one. 

Sarnia continues to play shorthanded with injuries to Alex Galchenyuk, Craig Hottot, Adrian Robertson and Alex Basso testing the depth of the Sting roster.  The black and yellow have struggled recently to get off to strong starts but the importance of tonight’s game must have really sparked the team as Sarnia came out of the gates strong attacking netminder Jordan Binnington early and often.  Sarnia outshot Owen Sound 11-3 in the first period and the visiting squad was certainly fortunate to be tied at the end of twenty. 

Sarnia opened the scoring as overage forward Brett Thompson buried his 29^th goal of the season giving the Sting the ever-so-important first goal and sending 3,709 fans into frenzy.  The fans’ excitement quickly turned to agony when Sarnia’s star forward, Nail Yakupov, cut into the middle of the ice only to be met by a charging Mike Halmo who knocked the Sting winger into next week.  Nail Yakupov would lay injured on the ice before attempting to skate to the bench.  Yakupov would eventually leave the ice on his own but appeared to be woozy in the process.  The early report is the Nail Yakupov received stitches to his face to treat a few cuts but there is no definite report on whether Nail experienced a concussion.  The star forward will be monitored closely over the next few days. 

The Owen Sound Attacks’ penalty minute leader, Mike Halmo, received a five-minute charging major accompanied with the usual game misconduct.  Mike Halmo currently sits fifth in OHL penalty minutes and is a repeat offender meaning David Branch and the league will take a very close look at this infraction.  The hit on Yakupov was crippling to the Sting who have struggled with injuries all season but the Attack also lost their leading scorer in Halmo leaving them with a huge hole in their lineup as well. 

The Sarnia bench rallied in the absence of Yakupov and Brett Thompson led the offensive charge scoring 36 seconds into the powerplay to extend the Sting lead to 2-0.  Thompson’s powerplay was his 30^th of the season giving him 137 goals in his OHL career.  Defensemen Connor Murphy and Anthony DeAngelo earned assists on Thompson’s two second period goals.  As the buzzer sounded, Sarnia found themselves leading their opponents on both the scoreboard and shot clock as Sarnia fired 15 shots to Owen Sounds 12 in the second. 

In the third period, Sarnia added goals from Ryan Spooner and Ludvig Rensfeldt on the powerplay to extend their lead to a comfortable 4-0.  Tempers continued to run high as Sarnia fans got a preview of what will likely be their first round opponents in the OHL playoffs.  The clock wound down and Sarnia congratulated their netminder JP Anderson on his shutout victory as he turned away all 23 shots the Owen Sound Attack threw at him.  Anderson’s shutout was his third of the season - all coming in a Sarnia Sting uniform.

Connor Murphy and Anthony DeAngelo continued their exceptional play in the month of March.  Murphy tallied a career high four assists tonight giving him 7 goals and 23 points in 31 games.  Rookie Anthony DeAngelo extended his point streak to five games as he picked up a pair of assists in the victory.

Sarnia travels to Windsor tomorrow afternoon for a 2:05pm start time and will likely be forced to play with just nine forwards after Yakupov’s injury Saturday night.

StingFacts

-          Craig Duininck has just returned from a foot injury but he was seen limping after taking blocking a shot late in the first so his status will be one to watch.

-          Sarnia has one home game remaining on Wednesday versus the Saginaw Spirit and will wrap up their 2011-12 regular season on the road in London and Plymouth next weekend.

-          The Sting (73) now hold a 2-point lead over Owen Sound (71) and currently sit in 4^th place all alone with one game in hand on the Attack.

-          Sarnia and Owen Sound split the season series 2-2 with the home team winning every game.

Friday Night Buzz: Sarnia Sting Clinch Playoff Berth

The Sarnia Sting entered their final home stand of the season looking for a single point to clinch their first playoff berth in three years.  Last week, Sarnia failed to record the single point in all three of their games and with three games in two-and-a-half days this weekend, the Sting were looking to get the win early.  On Friday night, the Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds rolled into town looking for wins and points of their own as they sit 9^th in the Western Conference standings, one spot out of a playoff position.  The Hounds’ visit to the RBC Centre marked the eighth and final regular season game between the Sting and Greyhounds and Sarnia carried the advantage winning four of the previous seven meetings.



Metcalfe Photography



In typical Sarnia Sting fashion, the team came out flat in front of a good home crowd of 4055 spectators and while there was no scoring in the first period the Hounds outshoot the Sting 15-7 in an extremely quick first period. After an opening period with few stoppages that took just over twenty minutes to complete it appeared the Greyhounds and Sting wanted to get this game over with as quickly as possible. 

The Greyhounds came out of the first intermission with energy and at the 6:35 mark of the middle frame, Detroit Red Wings’ prospect defenseman Ryan Sproul let a howitzer go beating Sting netminder JP Anderson over the shoulder to open the scoring. Sarnia was once again behind and it became worse as the Sting spotted the visiting Greyhounds a 3-0 lead giving up the next two goals to towering Swede Michael Schumacher (Los Angeles Kings) and David Broll, a Maple Leafs’ prospect. Broll’s goal came in the opening seconds of a four minute Greyhounds powerplay, awarded after Alberga hit pesky forward Nick Cousins from behind.  Two Soo powerplay goals later and a 3-0 deficit to overcome it appeared Sarnia’s playoff hopes would be delayed for the fourth straight game after another slow start.  However, late in the second period, Ludvig Rensfeldt welcomed his parents to Canada (visiting from Sweden) and gave the Sting a bit of life when he knocked in a goal to cut the lead to 3-1.

The RBC Centre came to life as the puck dropped for the third period and the chants began echoing through the arena taunting Greyhounds’ agitating forward and leading scorer Nick Cousins after many fans felt he embellished Alberga’s hit from behind in the second period.  Dominic Alberga continued his verbal battle with Cousins (Flyers’ 2011 3^rd round selection) but his best jab was when he was able to bury his 17^th of the season passed netminder Jack Campbell on DeAngelo’s centering pass to pull the Sting within one goal.  At the 4:22 mark of the third, former Sting defenseman Joe Rogalski was sent to the sin bin for delay of game after clearing the puck over the glass.  Seven seconds later, Greyhounds’ defenseman Mike Schwindt fired his clearing shot into the crowd to put the visiting team on a 5-on-3 penalty kill.  Sarnia capitalized early on the man advantage as former Greyhound and Sault Ste. Marie native Brett Thompson tied the game for the Sting.  The fury of goals in the third period continued as Reid Boucher and Ludvig Rensfeldt scored 56 seconds apart to put Sarnia up 5-3 as the Sting scored five unanswered goals.

The Soo Greyhounds pushed back late in the third period as Nick Cousins fired a wrist shot into the back of Sarnia’s net with the goaltender pulled.  The Sting fended off the late attack and won the game 5-4 despite being outshot 48-25 on the shot clock.  Sting goaltender JP Anderson played strong and made several key saves to keep Sarnia in the game. 

#StingFacts

-           Ludvig Rensfeldt (Chicago Blackhawks) scored his 19^th and 20^th goals of the season and continues to play his best hockey of the season.  Rensfeldt has 20 goals, 41 points in 52 games in his first year in the Ontario Hockey League.  The big Swede has 10 goals and 9 assists for 19 points in his last 21 games.

-          Connor Murphy, Sarnia’s 15^th round selection in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection Draft, has been simply amazing in his first OHL season after returning from injury in December.  The lanky Murphy has shown tremendous upside at both the defensive and offensive ends of the rink.  Connor added an assist and was plus-3 in last night’s win.

-          Sixteen year old rookie defenseman, Anthony DeAngelo, continues his strong play recording another assist last night extending his point streak to four games.  DeAngelo has two goals and eight points over his last eight games and sits third in Sting defenseman scoring (20 points) trailing injured rearguards Adrian Robertson (37) and Alex Basso (34).  DeAngelo is a treat to watch and is going to be a fun player to watch develop as he earns more ice time in the OHL.

-          Sarnia has five players in the 20-goal club including Nail Yakupov (31), Ryan Spooner (28), Brett Thompson (28), Reid Boucher (26) and Ludvig Rensfeldt (20).  Tyler J. Brown (19) is still searching for his first goal as a member of the Sarnia Sting.  Charlie Sarault (18), Craig Hottot (18) and Dominic Alberga (17) are within grasps of reaching the 20-goal milestone as well.

-          Sarnia continues to play with a shortened roster as Coach Jacque Beaulieu is forced to dress only ten forwards and six defensemen last night and does not expect any of the injured players to return this weekend.   Alex Galchenyuk, Craig Hottot, Alex Basso and Adrian Robertson are all still on the mend.

-          Sarnia’s win Friday night over the Greyhounds gives the team 71 points tying Owen Sound.  The Sting currently have one game in hand over the Attack to seed them in the 4^th spot in the Western Conference.  Sarnia welcomes Owen Sound to the RBC Centre tonight (Saturday, March 10^th) in a huge game that will likely determine who finishes 4^th and receives home ice advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.

 http://youtu.be/frsa0JMvank

Sarnia/Sault Ste Marie Season Series Recap (5-3-0)

October 20^th – SSM 5, SAR 2

October 26^th – SAR 5, SSM 1

December 4^th – SSM 2, SAR 5

December 28^th – SAR 3, SSM 6

January 19^th – SSM 4, SAR 6

February 12^th – SAR 7, SSM 6

February 29^th- SAR 2, SSM 8

March 7^th- SSM 4, SAR 5

Game Day Preview:  Owen Sound @ Sarnia, 7 pm

-          The Western Conference 4^th seed and home ice advantage is up for grabs tonight.

-       It's expected that there will be a strong presence of NHL scouts to take in the 2012 NHL draft-eligible players specifically Nail Yakupov (Sarnia), Gemel Smith (OS) and Artur Gavrus (OS).

-          Tonight’s game is the fourth and final meeting between the Sting and Attack.

-          Previous Games:

o   Sarnia 3 @ Owen Sound 4 (OT)

o   Owen Sound 3 @ Sarnia 5

o   Sarnia 2 @ Owen Sound 5

-          The home team has won all three games to date.

-          Sting Scorers vs. Owen Sound Attack:

o   Charlie Sarault (1G, 4A)

o   Brett Thompson (2G, 2A)

o   Reid Boucher (2G, 1A)

o   Nail Yakupov (2G, 1A)

o   Ludvig Rensfeldt (1G)

o   Ryan Spooner (1G)

o   Jack Kuzmyk (1A)

o   Anthony DeAngelo (1A)

o   Dominic Alberga (1A)

o   Alex Basso (1A)

o   Craig Hottot (1A)