By: Terry Martin
In the first period the Saints were on the penalty kill early and weathered the storm for the first half of the period. Goaltender Thomas Couture made some big saves early. Graham Gamache picked up a rebound in front of Fradette to take the first lead of the game for the Saints. Micheal Hodge then got on a small break behind the defence and went around Couture to tie the game 1-1. Shots were tied at 10 after 20 minutes of play.
The second period saw the Saints come out with the faster pace, outshooting the Oil Barons 6-2 in the first 8 minutes. However, the Oil Barons would quickly capitalize from the left circle to take the 2-1 lead with just over 10 minutes to go in the period. Hodge then came down the ice leading a 3-on-1 and scored to extend the lead for the Oil Barons. With less than 2 minutes left in the 2nd period, Matter scored for the Oil Barons, extending the lead even further making the score 4-1 at the end of the period. The final shots for the 2nd period were 22-22.
The Saints needed a big period to erase the deficit and Jayden Davis would be the first to score on a power play early in the 3rd. Jake Aston then scored on another power play to cut the Oil Barons lead to 1. The Saints then went on their third straight power play and capitalized once again where LaVelle tipped in a shot from Davis to tie the game at 4. Moments later, Hodge would be the one to score on the power play for the Oil Barons, giving them a 5-4 lead with less than 10 minutes to play in the game. Lamb then cemented the game for the Oil Barons, scoring on the empty net to make it a 6-4 final. The shots were tied at 34 to end the game.
The Saints and Oil Barons will play each other twice next weekend in Spruce Grove with the first game starting at 7pm on March 19 at the Grant Fuhr Arena.