After falling behind with just 56 seconds remaining, Charlie Dodero tied it and got at least a table point when he scored 3 seconds from close, but Coly Ully secured a Clan win with the overtime decider less than 2 minutes into the 3 on 3 extra set to deliver a 5-4 defeat to the visiting Flames.
The only goal of the 1st came from Daniel Tedesco at 5:32 and they carried that slim edge into the middle frame.
Ethan Strang opened a 2 goal gap shortly after re-start, but a pair of Clan replies from Felix Pare in the 26th minute, and Ully at the halfway point levelled it at a pair each. On the tying goal, a major penalty and game misconduct to Brett Welychka for Butt Ending put Clan on a 5 minute powerplay they made good use of to take a lead when Deven Sideroff put them in front for the first time, and they retained that advantage through 40 minutes.
Strang scored his 2nd at the start of a 46th minute powerplay to square it. Shortly thereafter, it was Flames turn at a major penalty when Rylan Schwartz was ejected for boarding, but the 5 minute stretch was cleared with the score remaining knotted at 3. The last minute Sideroff strike looked like it would send Flames away empty handed, but Dodero’s last gasp reply guaranteed a table point despite defeat that eventually followed.
Eamon McAdam made the start for Flames and made 28 saves on 33 shots against Landon Bow who stsopped 25 of 29.
“We had an excellent start with a very good first period not just getting a lead but we spent a lot of time in Clan’s zone,” explained Head Coach Paul Dixon.
“We scored again right away in the 2nd, but for the bulk of that period, they took it to us, and then we found penalty trouble to make it worse for ourselves and from a 2 goal lead we were playing from behind to start the 3rd which maybe was a position we didn’t have to be in.”
“We didn’t take advantage of our own long powerplay in the 3rd but we did get one with the man advantage and, although we lost, we are very happy that we were able to at least tie it last second after they looked like they may have had the winner inside the last minute. It’s not a win but a point’s a point and we will turn our attention now to next up.”
