Colts lose to Mississauga in OT

March 16, 2012 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Mississauga St. Michael's Majors News Release


Don't let anybody even suggest that the last few games of the Ontario Hockey League regular season don't mean anything.

Jamie Wise's goal with 11 seconds left in regulation tied the game, and then Stuart Percy's goal with 47 seconds left in overtime won it, giving the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors a thrilling 4-3 win over the Barrie Colts at the Hershey Centre on Friday night.

The dramatic win kept the Majors (71 points) in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of both the Oshawa Generals and Belleville Bulls, as the final weekend of the regular season winds down.

With two games left in the season, the Majors need one more win to secure sixth spot and a first round playoff match-up against the Colts. Mississauga could still finish seventh or eighth as well though, making Friday's win a huge one in terms of the fight for playoff positioning.

Barrie led 3-1 in the third period but goals by Kristoff Kontos at 14:48 and Wise with his second of the game at 19:49 sent the game into overtime, setting the stage for Percy's heroics.

Anthony Camera with two and Erik Bradford scored for the Colts, who rested several of their star players as they've clinched the East's third seed.

Percy made it clear after the game that the Majors want to win every time out.

"We battled hard and we never quit," Percy said. "It's going to be a huge game tomorrow night in Oshawa. We have to play 60 minutes and keep it simple, just like we did tonight."

Percy said he was at the end of a shift when the chance to score the overtime winner came.

"It was a 3-on-2 and I was really gassed but I had to stay out there," Percy said. "Luckily I got the pass and I just shot, and luckily it went in."

General Manager/Coach James Boyd was pleased his team battled back and showed a lot of heart.

"It was a great win, we found a way," Boyd said. "We had some real opportunistic plays by our guys, and we're very happy to see them battle hard to keep winning games.

"It's not a question of finishing higher in the standings for us, but continuing to get better. We got the win but we still have some areas of concern with our play. But we'll take the two points and get right back at it in Oshawa tomorrow night."

Despite having several regulars out the Colts played a strong defensive game, with Camara scoring the lone goal of the opening period at 16:34. They made it 2-0 at 2:14 of the second period on Bradford's goal and that lead held up until the third period.

Wise scored his 30th goal of the season at 4:11, but Camara's power play goal restored Barrie's two-goal lead three minutes later. The Majors then mounted their comeback, much to the delight of the 2,779 fans on hand, as Kontos tallied before Wise scored with an extra attacker on the ice, setting the stage for Percy's winner in the final minute of overtime.

Barrie went 1-for-3 on the power play while the Majors were 0-for-5. Barrie out-shot Mississauga 28-27, with Brandon Maxwell making 25 saves and Alex Fotinos stopping 23 shots for Barrie.

The Majors play in Oshawa against the Generals Saturday night and return to the Hershey Centre for their final regular season game Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Niagara IceDogs. It's Fan Appreciation Day and there will be lots of great prizes for fans. Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.ca or the Hershey Centre Box Office during regular business hours.



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 16, 2012


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