Timleck scores in OT for 5-4 win over Otters
Petes move back into a tie for first in OHL East and hold a game in hand over the Ottawa 67’s
It wasn’t pretty but it counts for two points.
Adam Timleck’s goal 4:08 into overtime lifted the Peterborough Petes past the Erie Otters 5-4 before 2,301 fans at the Memorial Centre on Thursday night.
The Petes move back atop the OHL’s East Division with a 6-2 record while the Otters suffered their fifth loss in six games.
Timleck took Austin Osmanski’s pass and used Chris Paquette as a decoy on a two-on-one break to blast a slapshot over goalie Daniel Murphy’s shoulder on his blocker side. It was the first lead of the game for the Petes but the only one they needed after playing catch-up most of the night.
The Petes are on the road Friday to face the Oshawa Generals at 7:30 p.m. They are back home at 7:05 p.m. Saturday to face defected first-round draft pick Will Cuylle and the Windsor Spitfires.
The Petes had the wind taken out of their sails in the opening minute when they watched their captain Zach Gallant helped off the ice with a suspected ankle injury. Gallant was checked by an Erie defender and fell to the ice sliding feet first into the boards at high speed.
Erie swarmed the Petes, and rookie goalie Tye Austin making his first OHL start, in the next few minutes to build an early 2-0 lead.
Chad Yetman drove the net hard to shovel Hayden Fowler’s rebound over Austin at 53 seconds. The next goal came on a power play as Alex Gritz jammed Petr Cajka’s rebound under Austin at 3:09.
It took almost half a period for the Petes to get going and they cut the lead in half before the period ended. Semyon Der-Arguchintsev carried the puck up ice dropped it to Declan Chisholm and Pavel Gogolev roofed his pass over Murphy. Murphy was the very last pick, 301st overall in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection.
The Petes tied it 5:21 into the second as Paquette drilled a shot off the rush that Murphy stopped and Brady Hinz jumped on the rebound.
The tie was short-lived as Kurtis Henry drilled a slapshot just underneath the crossbar 38 seconds later. It was confirmed as a goal after a lengthy video review to determine if the play was onside. Chisholm’s stretch pass sent Paquette on a breakaway with 8:38 left in the second and he rang the puck off the top of the goal post. Ninety seconds later, Adrien Beraldo sprung Cameron Butler on a breakaway and the rookie snapped a high shot home for his fourth goal in eight games.
Again Erie struck right back as Austin got caught coming out of his net and Gera Poddubny retrieved a dump-In that got behind the goalie and set up Kyle Maksimovich in front at 13:55.
The Petes tied it at 4-4 with their second power play goal at 15:35 when Paquette one-timed Chisholm’s cross-ice pass. It was the third Petes goal of the period on five shots and Paquette’s sixth in eight games.
Austin was pulled three minutes into the third when he was shaken up when an Erie player crashed into him after losing an edge. Hunter Jones had to stop two quick shots within seconds of taking over the goal.
Yetman drilled a shot off the goal post with 2:45 left in regulation.
NOTES: The three stars were 1. Chris Paquette (P); 2. Alex Gritz (E); 3. Adam Timleck (P)…. Hardest working Pete was
Tye Austin…. Petes scratches included Nick Robertson (wrist), John Parker-Jones (finger), Dustin Hutton (numbers) and Shawn Spearing (numbers).