Pickering falls to Toronto Patriots in overtime, 2-1 (OT)
(pictured - Toronto Patriots netminder Emanuel Vella stymied the Pickering Panthers with a 37 save performance en route to a 2-1 victory in double-overtime - photo credit: Shawn Muir/OJHL Images)
Beau Browning gave the Toronto Patriots Patriots a 2-1 (OT) victory over the Pickering Panthers when he scored 43 seconds into the extra period.
Pickering was stymied by Toronto Patriots' netminder Emanuel Vella, who stopped 37 shots during the victory. Vella managed to improve on his goals against average, which stood at 3.04 prior to the game.
The Panthers' power play was ineffective against the Patriots' penalty kill, which allowed zero goals while shorthanded.
Toronto Patriots put up an impenetrable defensive front on the penalty kill, and did not allow Pickering to score on any of its seven power plays. The Patriots' offense rang up 40 shots on the Panthers' net.
Brett Markham also scored for Toronto Patriots. Other players who recorded assists for Toronto Patriots were Marco Bozzo, who had one.
Pickering could not produce up to its normal offensive output. The Panthers average 3.9 goals per game. Pickering's offense rang up 38 shots on Toronto Patriots' net.
The Panthers were led by Nicholas Lepone, who scored the team's only goal. Lepone scored 19:34 into the third period to make the score 1-1. Joseph Mitchell assisted on the tally.
The Patriots incurred 12 minutes in penalty time with six minors. Toronto Patriots ran into serious disciplinary problems during the contest, and Marcus Rose was ejected from the game. Jordan Cartney made 38 saves for Pickering on 40 shots. The Panthers incurred six minutes in penalty time with three minors.
