Brandon Caetano scored the winner in overtime as the Wheatley Omstead Sharks beat the Wallaceburg Lakers at home 7-6.
Wallaceburg produced its best offensive game of the season so far and with the overtime loss, its first point of the year. The Sharks are in fifth place in the PJHL Stobbs Division with ten points.
The Sharks' first three goals all came within the first six minutes of the first period. Ernie Godden put the first goal on the scoreboard at 3:14. Cole Butler doubled the Wheatley lead just 47 seconds later and Mason Gow's goal at 5:28 put Wheatley up 3-0 by the end of the frame.
The Lakers climbed back into the game in the middle period. Ryan Nicholson scored on the power play, then Austin Bentley scored his first goal of the game to narrow the Wheatley lead to 3-2. The Sharks got one of those goals back when Alixe Saliba found the net at 15:47, but Bentley responded soon after with his second goal, and Wallaceburg trailed by only 4-3 after two periods.
Godden scored his second goal of the game for the Sharks a little past the halfway point of the third period, but Wallaceburg fought back with three unanswered goals. Zander Wright, Myles Fraser and Brian Gavaert all scored in order to give the Lakers a 6-5 lead with less than four minutes left in regulation. But Saliba scored with 35 seconds left to force overtime and give the Lakers their first season point.
Caetano's overtime winner came at 1:57 in the extra period.
Wheatley outshot Wallaceburg 44-36 in the game. Tristan Edmonson took the win for Wheatley with 30 saves. For the Lakers, Travis Moore had 37 saves in goal.
The Sharks travel to Essex Tuesday night and the Lakers host the 73s Wednesday night.
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The Mooretown Flags hung on to beat the Blenheim Blades 3-2 at home.
The Flags are in a tie for fifth place in the Stobbs Division with Wheatley, with ten points. Blenheim is in seventh place with five points.
Mooretown scored twice in the first period. Cameron Rombouts lit the lamp at 2:55, then Daniel Wellington doubled the Mooretown lead with an unassisted goal.
The Blades got on the board in the middle stanza with a goal by Malcolm Campbell. Brock Perry put the Flags up again in the third period, and the defence was able to hold off Blenheim, despite a power play goal by Dede Cato to cut the Mooretown lead to one goal.
Jake Wilkins got the win in net for the Flags, with 34 saves out of 36 tries. Chris DeWulf stopped 40 shots for the Blades.
Both teams are back at it Sunday night. Mooretown will visit Amherstburg while Blenheim hosts Dresden.
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Three players scored twice for the Strathroy Rockets in their 9-5 home win over the Sarnia Legionnaires.
The Rockets are now tied for eighth place in the GOJHL Western Conference with six points. Sarnia is tied for second with 13 points.
The Legionnaires opened the contest with two back-to-back goals. Isaac McLean scored on a short-handed goal at 2:58, and Nolan DeGurse followed suit less than two minutes later. T.J. Harris put the Rockets on the board with a late goal of his own, and Sarnia led 2-1 at the first intermission.
At 3:48 in the second period, the Rockets tied the score with a goal by Emmet Pierce, but the Legionnaires soon regained the lead when DeGurse scored a power play goal, his second goal of the evening. Strathroy then tied the game on Harris' second lamplighter of the night, then took the lead on a power play goal by Brendan Mairs. Sarnia's Greg Hay knotted the game at 4-4 before the middle frame ended.
Strathroy scored four straight goals in the third period to put the game out of reach. Zachary Berriault, Pierce, Michael Wood and Mairs were the scorers in order. Sarnia managed a goal from Jon Sanderson late in the frame but Max Ewart scored an empty-netter for the Rockets.
Vince Michelizzi had 26 saves in goal for Strathroy. Nolan DeKoning knocked away 28 shots for Sarnia.
The Legionnaires head to Leamington Sunday afternoon while the Rockets travel to LaSalle Wednesday night.