The top dogs continue to perform well for the Guelph Storm, now they need some of the young pups to step up.
Sasha Pastujov and Danny Zhilkin continue to score for the Storm, each notching a power play goal in the third period Friday at the Sleeman Centre, but no one else seemed much of a danger as the Storm fell 3-2 in a game decided in a shootout.
"Right now it feels to me as if we're looking to one or two guys to take care of our scoring, and that wasn't how we've been successful," said Storm coach George Burnett.
"We've been getting some scoring from all three lines. It doesn't have to be a lot, but it has to be more than we've been seeing over these last two games."
With the loss Guelph drops to 9-6-1-1 on the season. Owen Sound is now 7-6-1-1.
Guelph sits third in the conference, two points ahead of the Kitchener Rangers.
Pastujov now has 16 goals in 17 games on the season. Next after him is Braeden Bowman, with eight goals, and Bowman is out of the lineup with a lower body injury. Zhilkin and Matt Papais have seven apiece.
Guelph led 2-1 late in the third before Owen Sound tied it up with 57 seconds left in regulation and goaltender Nick Chenard on the bench in favour of the extra attacker.
In the shootout Chenard stopped Pastujov, Zhilkin and Valentin Zhugin. Attack defenceman Sam Sedley was the lone shooter to score on Jacob Oster at the other end.
Chenard, solidified as the Attack's number one goalie earlier in the day when a trade was finalized that sent overage goaltender Mack Guzda to the Barrie Colts, was solid all night, including a couple of stops in close during overtime on Matt Poitras.
Chenard made 32 saves on the night, Oster 24.
"Without making a lot of excuses, we looked like we were playing under the weather. I thought we played tired tonight," Burnett said.
"That's been couple of times when we've not been able to play the right way and make the good choices with under a minute to go. It's tough to give up a point or two here tonight."
Newcomer Cameron Supryka made his Storm debut Friday, pairing with Jack Harper and playing a lot. Supryka, an overager, was acquired from the Sarnia Sting earlier this week.
He gets to face his old team Saturday when the Sting visits the Sleeman Centre for a rare 4 p.m. start.
