It was 15 minutes of hockey that made you think that the Guelph Storm is finally getting on track.
Trailing 3-2 heading into the third period, the Storm completely dominated for the opening 15 minutes of the final frame, maintaining puck possession, making smart decisions and for the most part setting up camp in the Owen Sound Attack's zone.
It finally paid off when Cooper Walker's wrist shot beat a screened Nick Chenard in the Attack net, tying the game with seven minutes on the clock.
Guelph would eventually win it in a shootout, with Max Namestnikov the lone shooter of six to score and rookie netminder Brayden Gillespie making three big saves in the Storm net.
"There's a lot of skill in there and there's a lot of will to win. I think everybody's just starting to put things together now," said Walker.
The work-harder-and-smarter display of the third period wasn't lost on the Storm captain.
"The third period was a lot better than the first two," said Walker. "That's the way we want to play, hem them in, keep working in their zone and eventually they tire out and you have chances to score. That's our game and that's the way we want to play."
Guelph held Owen Sound to just four shots in that third period.
"You have to make the right decisions at the right times in the game. Our team's starting to figure that out," Walker said.
The win also lifted the Storm out of the Western Conference basement, where the Kitchener Rangers now reside.
Valentin Zhugin and Namestnikov scored for Guelph in regulation.
Gillespie made 21 saves in total in earning his third straight win since being signed by the team.
The only dark spot on the night was a power play that went one-for-seven, including a man advantage in overtime.
"All the things that we wanted to do to start the game," Storm coach Chad Wiseman said of the strong third period.
"We challenged them between the second and third periods and said 'hey, this is how we want to play the game' and they came out and played the game the right way. A great third period. We deserved the result."
Cedricson Okitundu and Ryan McGuire returned to the lineup from injury Friday. Braeden Bowman and Niko Minkkinen remain out.
Guelph plays in Owen Sound Saturday night and in London Tuesday. Next home game is Friday against Erie.
