With a tough schedule ahead, the Sarnia Sting dropped what should have been a winnable home game, 6-3 to the Mississauga Steelheads Sunday afternoon.
Sarnia trailed throughout, 2-0 after 1 and 5-1 after two periods.
Down 4-0, the Sting finally got on the board nearly 13 minutes into the second when overage forward Stephen Pierog put a loose puck past Cameron Zanussi in the Mississauga goal. Nikita Korostelev and Jeff King assisted.
Any momentum the Sting was looking to build heading toward the final period, however, was dashed when the Steelheads scored on the power play with nine seconds left to restore their four goal lead.
Russia's Sam Babintsev led the Mississauga attack with two goals and an assist while former Saginaw Spirit Jimmy Lodge had two goals.
Anthony Salinitri and Jordan Kyrou both scored in the third with King recording another assist. King was named the game's third star. Lodge was second star and Babintsev first star.
The Sting outshot the Steelheads 41-28 with Taylor Dupuis taking the loss in goal.
Sarnia (24-21-4-2) has slipped to seventh place in the OHL Western Conference, a point behind Owen Sound and five ahead of Saginaw and has a stretch of tough games ahead.
The Sting travels to Sault Ste. Marie Wednesday to battle Anthony DeAngelo and the conference leading Greyhounds and is in Guelph Friday.
The club returns home to host Niagara Saturday and plays the Greyhounds again at the RBC Centre in a Family Day matinee Sunday February 16.
Listen to all the action on 103.9 FM, 1070 AM, CHOK.
Sunday's game supported the Do It For Daron campaign for youth mental health.