Hockey / Cougars launch epic comeback, force Game 7

Cougars launch epic comeback, force Game 7

Date:  Source: OJHL Burlington Cougars


Entering Game 6 between the Burlington Cougars and Buffalo Jr. Sabres on Sunday afternoon the home team had won every game in the series, leading to a 3-2 series advantage for the visiting Sabres. That streak looked to be in doubt after 40 minutes on Sunday, as the Cougars found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-2 game with time winding down.

The Cougars - led by some late game heroics from their defensive corps - were determined to keep their season alive, with hard-hitting defenseman Michael Greco tying the game with under 5 minutes to play in regulation.



In overtime, Burlington went ahead on an early powerplay and made the most of the man advantage. With the game on his stick, defenseman Jack Harper walked in from the point and roofed a perfect shot past the Sabres goaltender to send Appleby Ice Centre into a frenzy. With the 5-4 victory the Cougars will head south of the border for Game 7 on Wednesday night.

“I kind of blacked out. I just shot and closed my eyes it went in; it’s a good feeling,” Harper said following his monumental moment. “We knew that if we worked hard, good things would come. [Dunsmoor] stood on his head and was able to keep us in the game.”

Burlington was in some hot water early, trailing 3-1 after the opening frame which included starting goaltender Daniel Davidson being relieved of his duties by Matthew Dunsmoor. While the early Buffalo strikes were chalked up more to unlucky bounces than insufficient goaltending, the Cougars - as they have all season long - continued to battle, with players up and down the lineup contributing.

The Jr. Sabres took a seemingly insurmountable 4-1 lead midway through the 2nd period, taking the life out of the building and the Cougars backs’ up against the wall. With just 7 seconds remaining on the clock though, Burlington forward Mitchell Morrison placed a perfect shot top-shelf to cut the lead heading into the final frame.

In the 3rd period, forward Matthew Steen continued his strong playoff push with a goal to put the Cougars within one. The home team then tied the game on Greco’s point shot with time winding down, ahead of Harper’s heroic goal in extra time.

Looking ahead, the Cougars will travel to Buffalo for Game 7 on Wednesday night at Harborcenter. While the team is excited with Sunday’s comeback victory, they know there is more work to be done if they hope to advance to face the Oakville Blades in the OJHL West Division Finals.

“It’s do-or-die just like this one was. We need to have a good start if we’re going to see the result we want,” Harper said. “We’re going to need to stay out of the box. We’re going to have to stay focussed on the game and not let the extra-curricular stuff get the best of us.”

Puck drop for the decisive Game 7 will be at 7:00pm on Wednesday night. Follow along with us @OJHLCougars on social media for game updates as we look to punch our ticket to the next round.

- Written by Pat Shields