Brampton, ON – The Trout secured a point in this afternoon’s matchup against the Spirit, but they were ultimately defeated in overtime. The future of hockey was on full display this afternoon as both top prospects dazzled.
The Steelheads did not have many opportunities in the first period, but the chances they did have were dangerous. Carson Rehkopf had the first good chance of the game when he danced around the Spirit defenders before being stopped by Andrew Oke.
The Spirit received an early powerplay after a hit from Angus MacDonell, but it was Brampton who looked more dangerous. First, Luke Misa stripped Zayne Parekh to break in on Oke, but he could not beat Oke upstairs. Then Mason Zebeski intercepted the drop pass to speed in on Oke, but Oke came up big yet again, stopping Zebeski and pouncing on the rebound before Jack Van Volsen could whack it home.
Just after the power play, Michael Misa opened the scoring for the Spirit. Misa waited patiently behind the Steelheads’ defence while Kristian Epperson battled for the puck. Epperson won the battle and hit Misa, who made no mistake, wiring one blocker side on Jacob Gibbons.
In the final minute of the frame, the Steelheads answered back to tie the game. Finn Harding swung a pass to Carson Rehkopf, who fired a one-timer on goal. Oke got a piece, but the puck fell behind him in the crease. Porter Martone crashed the net and deposited the loose puck. Both NHL top draft prospects shined in the first period, scoring both of their teams’ only goals.
The Steelheads brought the momentum into the second period, scoring just three minutes in for their first lead of the game. Zayne Parekh looked to push the puck up the ice, but it was intercepted by MacDonell. Martone joined the rush and took the feed from MacDonell. The Captain cut back to his backhand and jammed it by Oke to give the Trout the lead.
The Steelheads had a golden opportunity to extend their lead, as they found themselves with back-to-back power plays. It was the Spirit, however, who answered back to tie the game. Epperson stripped Spencer Sova before being taken down by Sova. Michael Misa picked up the puck and raced down on Gibbons. The top prospect showed off his excellent release, wiring it by Gibbons for his second goal of the afternoon.
The Steelheads looked to break the tie at the end of the second frame when Martone found Rehkopf in the slot. Yet, again, Andrew Oke came up big to keep the game tied.
There was some extra ice early in the third period as the Trout and Spirit took matching penalties for the third time of the afternoon. With the extra space, Jakub Fibigr forced a turnover, which Lucas Karmiris collected, but he was stopped by Oke.
The Steelheads pressed towards the end of the period. First, it was Luke Misa who danced around PJ Forgione before firing a shot on Oke. The Misa, Karmiris, and Martin Vaculik line built up the pressure as they continued to hound the Spirit in their zone, but nothing came of it.
For the second straight game, 60 minutes was not enough to decide a victor. Kristian Epperson did not waste any time in the extra frame, scoring just five seconds in to secure the Spirit win.
The Trout are back in action next Friday as they host the Barrie Colts for their first Halloween game. You can secure your tickets here.
With Steelheads match report
