Game 3 - Mooretown 3 Petrolia 5
The Storm looked to close out the series on the road on Friday night but a lacklustre effort combined with a determined and opportunistic Petrolia squad resulted in a 5-3 loss.
The Storm were expecting the Oilers to bring all they had in the early going and got just that. For the first few minutes of the game Petrolia kept the Storm hemmed in their own zone with some strong work along the boards and down low. Five minutes in Petrolia's relentless pressure resulted in a goal off a scramble in the crease. The Oilers would up their lead before the end of the period as the Storm failed on a few chances to clear the zone leaving Cody Hitchcock high and dry.
In the 2nd the Storm still had difficulty matching the Oilers' compete level and couldn't get anything going offensively. Finally, ten minutes in Greg Hay made a strong move out of the corner to beat the Petrolia netminder under the crossbar. Cole Clements and Dillon Timperley drew assists on what was the Storm's first really hardworking shift. A lost faceoff and some poor positioning in the Storm zone allowed the Oilers to answer back only 20 seconds later to keep in control heading into the 3rd.
The 3rd Period, which the Storm had dominated so far in the series, again saw Petrolia with the advantage in intensity. Petrolia again scored off a down low play as a screened shot found the net behind Kaymond Turner who came on in relief. The Storm started to realize that they needed to change their style and began to create chances off the forecheck and get the Oilers scrambling. With a tripping call putting the Storm on their first powerplay they didn't waste much time in getting back in the game. After a few close chances Hayden MacDonald finally blasted in a slapshot from the blue line off a set up from Hay and Nolan Farr. The Storm continued to press and just missed some point blank chances to get within 1. With the Storm gambling now the Oilers managed to put in another converting a late odd man break. Mooretown wasn't giving up and some great puck pursuit by Cole Clements allowed Blake Howard to get a loose puck and direct it on goal. Logan Gardner was there to swoop in and put the rebound up top to keep the Storm's chances alive. For the final two minutes the Storm swarmed the Oilers end but couldn't complete the comeback.
It was a well earned win for the Oilers who played like they had no tomorrow. The Storm will have another chance to close out the series, this time at home, on Sunday.
1st Period
05:10 - Petrolia
02:22 - Petrolia
2nd Period
05:56 - Hay (Clements, Timperley)
05:36 - Petrolia
3rd Period
10:25 - Petrolia
07:37 – MacDonald (Farr, Hay) PP
03:55 - Petrolia
02:44 – Gardner (Clements, Howard)
Goaltender - Hitchcock/Turner