Thunder come from behind to win in OT
Article content
Tillsonburg Thunder closed the gap on WOAA South Division leaders Tavistock Royals Saturday night at the Kinsmen Memorial Arena.
Tillsonburg won the senior men's hockey game 7-6 in overtime on a Chad Barclay breakaway with 2:15 left in the sudden death period. It was Barclay's second breakaway goal of the game – the 26-year-old TMHI grad had scored at 6:13 of the third, just 17 seconds after Tavistock had gone up 6-4, with a low shot to beat goalie Eric Peicheff.
"Shane (Balcomb) made a nice play up the wall and I picked it up, had a step on the D, kind of cut around in front and slid it on net and found a hole."
In OT Barclay, who broke past the Tavistock defenceman at the blue line, went top shelf to win it.
"The second one I was just fortunate to chip it by him (defenceman), get a step on him, and was able to get it over his glove. Nothing fancy."
Perhaps proving Barclay, a minor and junior hockey scoring sensation, has 'still got it.'
"Yeah, yeah, here and there," Barclay laughed. "It's been a couple years since I played, so it took a couple games to adjust. I last played junior (Norwich Merchants Jr C) probably five years ago, then went away for school and worked a couple years. I haven't done anything (hockey-wise) since I was in Norwich."
It wasn't because the Thunder didn't want him. They did, and asked several times over the years.
"They did," Barclay nodded. "But you get to a certain age and you have other commitments, other priorities. It's always in the back of your mind, and you want to play, especially when you have a team in your home town, but... this year was the year I could finally make some games and make a lot of the practices. So that made a difference. I always wanted to play, but if I was going to play for a team, I wanted to commit to it, make sure I could make it as much as I could."
Conditioning-wise, Barclay, with deceptive speed, wasn't too far behind the curve.
"Once I get couple strides in, I can get going pretty good."
His timing, however, wasn't quite there.
"It's been a bit of battle timing-wise. Playing men's league (NBC) for four-five years, you get used to the pace of play. Then you come out here and everything's quicker. You've got to make decisions that much quicker as guys are bearing down on you. It comes with time playing. Even still, I'll make a pass that gets picked off – in men's league, it's an easy play, here guys are that much quicker and read the play better. It's just a matter of adjusting, adapting to the pace."
So far, it's been a productive season in a six-team South Division that has four teams separated by only two points.
"We've got a good room, we've got a lot of guys I knew and played hockey with, growing up and in junior. It's been a lot of fun, I'm enjoying it. We've got a good staff here, coaches and trainers, everything's been great."
"This year we have quite a few more weapons," said Thunder assistant captain Shane Balcomb. "More skill set, more goal scorers. In other years, you kind of count on two or three guys, whereas this year we have three or four lines that can all score. So we're throwing wave after wave at them."
The visitors had the advantage in shots in the first period, but Tillsonburg outshot Tavistock 17-10 in the second, and they were tied 3-3 after two complete.
"It wasn't that bad," said Balcomb. "As soon as we got down two, we got one back right away."
Tavistock took the lead four times and each time Tillsonburg battled back.
"As long as you can get one back in the next shift or two... but if they can hold you for four or five shifts, then it makes it tough. Tonight we got them back right away, so it kept us motivated.
"We just have to clean it up in our own zone, be a bit better defensively. That's what's going to win you games."
Particularly in the first few minutes – they gave up a goal 2:01 into Saturday's game.
"It seems like every game we're down a goal," Balcomb smiled. "A couple shifts, bam, down one. It'd be nice to get through a first period without giving up any."
Tillsonburg 7, Tavistock 6 OT
FIRST PERIOD
17:59 Tavistock, Sean Keinapple (Wes Kropf, Chad Swartzentruber)
SECOND PERIOD
13:09 Tillsonburg, Kevin Galerno (Brad Martin, Nathan Peacock)
10:59 Tavistock, Brayden Fehr (Chad Swartzentruber, Craig Thomson)
4:44 Tavistock, Brendan Woods (Kyle Wilhelm, Spencer MacCormack)
4:05 Tillsonburg, Tony Rizzi (Ryan Gaertner)
THIRD PERIOD
17:00 Tavistock, Greg Virgo (Brendan Woods, Calvin Thomson)
16:19 Tavistock PP, Greg Virgo (Spencer MacCormack, Geoff Killing)
7:56 Tillsonburg, Ryan Stephenson (Pat Ouellet, Shane Balcomb)
6:30 Tavistock, Brendan Woods (Spencer MacCormack)
6:13 Tillsonburg, Chad Barclay (Pat Ouellet, Shane Balcomb)
3:49 Tillsonburg, Ryan Stephenson (Josh VanDyk, Ryan Gaertner)
OVERTIME
2:15 Tillsonburg, Chad Barclay (Josh VanDyk, Sean McLeod).