Estevan, SK – The Ottawa Jr. Senators suffered a heartbreaking loss last night, blowing a 2-1 lead late in the game and eventually falling to the Flin Flon Bombers 3-2 in overtime.
The Jr. Senators got off to a terrific start for the second consecutive game and were rewarded with a power-play just 1:06 into the first period. Massimo Gentile scored off a one-timer from the blue line for the game’s opening goal.
Simon Isabelle took Ottawa’s first penalty of the game, and Flin Flon quickly took advantage of the situation. Xavier Lapointe’s slap shot from the point was blocked, but Jaeden Mercier poked the rebound past William Desmarais’ five-hole to tie the game up.
Throughout the first and second periods, the Jr. Senators dominated five-on-five but were not able to take the lead. The score remained tied at one after two periods.
Just 13 seconds into the third period, Massimo Gentile scored his second of the night by taking a snapshot bar down on Bombers netminder Cal Schell. A few minutes afterwards, Jake Code would get thrown out for a check from behind but the Bombers didn’t capitalize on the power play. Already missing Thomas Freel, Max Bush, and Anthony Provost, the Jr. Senators had to finish the game with only 10 forwards.
The Flin Flon Bombers would not go away without a fight. With under seven minutes left in the third, Matt Raymond scored on a wrap around to tie the game at two. This game would need 3-on-3 overtime to decide a winner. The overtime period didn’t last long as Lapointe took advantage of an Ottawa’s defensive zone breakdown to win it for his team.
“It’s obviously not the result we were expecting, said associate coach Jamie Mayo. We were much better today, but at the same time, we know we’ll need more from certain players in order to advance to the playoffs. All season long, we’ve found different ways to win hockey games; we just have to do it again.”
The Jr. Senators do pick up a point but have lost the first two games at the Centennial Cup, while Flin Flon goes to 2-0 and have now five points in two games.
Ottawa outshot Flin Flon 33-27 in this game while both teams went 1-for-5 on the power play. William Desmarais made 24 saves while Cal Schell had 32.
Ottawa will be back in action today when they take on the NOJHL champions Soo Thunderbirds with puck drop scheduled for 2pm EST / 12pm MDT. You can catch all the action on the Jr. Senators broadcast network at mixlr.com/ojsradio.
