The Owen Sound Attack return to action with two games this weekend after a gruelling three game road trip last week.
For the 1st time this season, the Attack will travel down Highway 21 to take on the Sarnia Sting on Friday night, before returning home to play the North Bay Battalion on Saturday.
Fans, Saturday night is the first Attack Hunger night. Investor's Group and the Attack have partnered again this season to raise food for our local food bank, with an ultimate goal of 12,000lbs. Representatives will be on hand prior to the game at entrances to collect food.
Owen Sound and North Bay have met once already this year, with the Attack winning a thrilling 3-2 overtime decision early in October.
Last weekend's three in three saw the Attack take a pair of 3-2 wins over Kingston and Belleville before falling by the same score to Oshawa on Sunday.
As he has done all season, Kyle Platzer continues to lead the Attack in scoring with 9 goals and 20 assists in 23 games. Zach Nastasiuk is also helping pace the offence for Owen Sound, having notched 12 goals and 14 assists already this year.
In roster news for the Attack, defenceman Damir Sharipzyanov is listed as day to day after being injured in Sunday's contest against the Oshawa Generals, but could play as early as Friday night. Forward Holden Cook is still out with an upper body injury and there is no timeline set for his return, although steady progress is being made.
Friday's contest against will see Owen Sound taking on a depleted Sting squad, with Pavel Zacha - the 1st overall pick in the 2014 CHL Import draft - serving game two of a six game suspension.
Sarnia, who is coming off of a 3-1 victory over Saginaw on Wednesday night, is led into the game by 2nd year forward Nikita Korostelev. Korostelev has 13 goals and 14 assists in 23 games this year, while last year's OHL leading defensive scorer Anthony DeAngelo has 24 points in 19 games this year.
The Sting are experiencing a turnaround season and sit in 2nd place in the Western Division with a 10-11-1-1 record, good for 22 points. Puck drop on Friday at the RBC Centre is scheduled for 7:05 pm.
When the Attack return home on Saturday night for they will be taking on the Central Division's 1st place team in the Battalion. North Bay has put together a 12-5-3-1record on the year which has them at 28 points on the year.
The team, powered by leading scorer Nick Paul (16 goals, 10 assists in 21 games) will put their record to the test on Thursday night in Guelph against the Storm before travelling to Owen Sound for Saturday's game.
Friday's contest in Sarnia can be watched live on Rogers Local 53 or listened to live on Terry's Trailer Service Bear Radio on 560 CFOS with Fred Wallace.
Tickets for Saturday night's games can be purchased at the DJ's Furniture Attack Box Office, online at www.attackhockey.com, or by calling 519-371-7452.
This season of Attack Hockey is brought to you by Caframo.
KEYS TO VICTORY
Sarnia - The Sarnia Sting may be on pace for a better season than last year, but they are still a wildcard team that brings a different look every night. While extremely talented offensively, they have a vulnerable and young defensive corps that can be taken advantage of with a hard forecheck and puck possession. The Attack will look to clog up the neutral zone to prevent Sarnia's high powered offence from getting moving.
North Bay - The North Bay Battalion aren't your typical Eastern Conference team. A strong, physical squad, they play more like teams in the Western Conference and aren't afraid to mix it up with bigger players. In order to beat the Battalion for the 2nd time this year, the Attack will need to stay as disciplined as possible and avoid taking any unnecessary penalties.
Source - Owen Sound Attack
