It didn’t take long for Colby Barlow to find his stride.
The Attack captain scored a pair of goals in his season debut as Owen Sound clipped the Kitchener Rangers 5-2 in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Jake Crawford scored his first career OHL goal, while Deni Goure and Servac Petrovsky also found the net for the Attack.
Matthew Sop and Hunter Brzustewicz tallied for the Rangers.
Owen Sound (2-1-0-0) made it back-to-back wins, handing Kitchener (3-1-0-0) its first loss of the season.
The Attack never trailed in the game. Crawford – Owen Sound’s second-round, 33rd overall pick in the 2023 OHL Priority Selection — staked the Attack to a 1-0 lead 3:26 after puck drop. Jackson Stewart rushed the puck down the right-wing and jammed it towards the net as he cut in, and Crawford was waiting a couple of steps outside the crease and found the loose puck. The Attack rookie quickly fired it low past Jackson Parsons for his first career OHL goal.
Kitchener got into some penalty trouble later in the first period. Carson Rehkopf was sent off for cross-checking at 14:53 after catching Madden Steen up high in the neutral zone. Then 58 seconds later when the Attack were already on the power play, Twent Swick nipped Colby Barlow with a high stick.
Lengthy 5-on-3 opportunity for the Attack. They capitalized. Barlow was on the end of some perimeter passing and ripped a one-time shot from a familiar position around the face-off dot on the right side of the ice, placing it perfectly over Parsons’ glove and under the crossbar.
Barlow’s first goal in his debut after returning from NHL training camp with the Winnipeg Jets gave the Attack a 2-0 lead.
It was 3-0 early in the second period. Goure forced a turnover just outside the Kitchener blue line and broke in alone on Parsons, moving the puck backhand to forehand and firing a shot into the net glove side.
The Rangers got on the board just over five minutes later. Sop picked up a rebound off a Carson Campbell point shot and found a hole short-side on Carter George, sneaking a wrist shot past his blocker. 3-1, the Rangers cut the Attack lead.
Owen Sound restored its three-goal advantage just past the midway mark of the third period. Barlow found Guindon streaking down the right-wing, and the Montreal Canadiens prospect slipped a cross-crease backhand pass to Petrovsky, who was left open in front and quickly put it into an open net. Parsons had no chance to make a save.
Just 59 seconds later the Rangers were back within two. Brzustewicz took the puck himself from the left-point in the offensive zone to the top of the circle near the right board, then put a shot towards the net that squeaked under Carter George’s shoulder on the blocker side and into the goal.
George was busy in the Attack crease. The Rangers outshot Owen Sound 27-11 over the final 40 minutes. But the young goaltender held the line, making one of his many key saves as the Rangers pressed 6-on-5 late. Sop threw the puck towards the crease area, and Mitchell Martin tried a few whacks to get it past George. But the Attack netminder found the puck in the chaos near the blue paint, trapping it under his chest.
Barlow iced the game with 58 seconds left. Taos Jordan forced a turnover on the Rangers’ zone entry and the puck ended up on Barlow’s stick near the red line. He hit the empty net to make it 5-2.
George made 34 saves in the win, while Parsons stopped 18 taking the loss. The Rangers outshot Owen Sound 36-23 while going 0 for 1 on the power play; the Attack finished 1 for 3.
The Attack are right back in action Saturday night with a home game against the Erie Otters (0-3-0-0). Game time is 7 p.m., at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
The Otters were smacked 8-0 by the Guelph Storm (3-0-0-0) Friday night.
GOURE KEEPS IT ROLLING
Deni Goure is on a three-game point streak to start the season. The 20-year-old forward had a goal and an assist in Friday’s win over Kitchener. He had four goals and one assist through three games to lead the Attack.
THREE IN FOUR FOR TURKEY WEEKEND
The Attack have a busy few days. In addition to Saturday’s home game against the Erie Otters, Owen Sound will play another road game over the long weekend. The Attack will close out a stretch of three games in four days in North Bay on the holiday Monday. That’s a mid-afternoon game, starting at 2 p.m. You can catch it live on 560 CFOS or 560cfos.ca, on Kia of Owen Sound-Terry’s Trailer Service Bear Radio.
KITCHENER’S WORST NIGHTMARE
Friday night was Attack goaltender Carter George’s second career start at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium. He’s won both, stopping a combined 82 of 86 shots in those two games. You may recall his first start in Kitchener last season. George helped the Attack to a 3-2 win in overtime on Feb. 24, 2023, making 50 saves. That appearance was his first career OHL road start.
