The Winterhawks battled tooth-and-nail with the Ontario Elite Hockey League's first-place team.
A back-and-forth battle eventually saw the Seaforth Centenaires prevail 4-3 in overtime in front of yet another solid crowd at The Plex on Friday night.
For the second-consecutive game, a Winterhawks veteran came out of retirement to help the club, as James McHaig returned to the short-staffed blue line, joining Trevor Smith, who returned Nov. 9th.
For his part, Smith received an enthusiastic greeting from The Plex crowd when he was announced as part of the starting lineup.
The Winterhawks stepped up and greeted the visitors from Seaforth with a solid effort from the start of the game.
It was a defensive display early on from both teams, limiting chances in an opening frame that saw relatively few whistles.
Winterhawks goalie Clayton Fritsch and Alex Hutcheson in the Seaforth crease kept the game scoreless through 20 minutes.
It didn't stay that way for long, as Seaforth opened the scoring just 33-seconds into the second period.
The Winterhawks answered back 7:08 on the power play when Luke Pither got loose in the Seaforth zone and fired a wrist shot into the top corner to even the score at 1-1. Justin Donnelly and Brent MacDermid assisted on the goal.
A mortal weakness of the Winterhawks this season has been giving up a goal right after scoring one of their own, and it reared its ugly head again on Friday, as Seaforth went back ahead 2-1 just 19 seconds after Pither's goal.
The Winterhawks didn't let it get them down, as they immediately returned a volley of their own, when Chad Jones unleashed a slapshot that was tipped in the slot by Andy Mitchell, evening the score at 2-2. Mike Fiegehen also assisted on the goal that capped off a wild three-goal outburst in a span of 38-seconds.
That play returned to the physical grind it had been prior to the flurry of goals, and the 2-2 score held through two periods.
It was a tight checking start to the third period, as the game had a next-goal-wins feel, though it turned out not to be the case.
Pither put the Winterhawks ahead 3-2 at 6:57 when he corralled a loose puck in front and snuck a backhander through Hutcheson's arm to give the Winterhawks the lead, with MacDermid and Andy Fracz assisting.
That habit of giving up a goal immediately after scoring bit the Winterhawks again, as Seaforth evened the score just over one minute later when a point shot was deflected in front of Fritsch to make it a 3-3 tie.
The Winterhawks had a good chance to win the game in the final seconds of regulation, but couldn't convert and the game went to overtime.
Puck control is vital in a three-on-three overtime format, and the Winterhawks managed to win the faceoff to start OT, but Seaforth quickly stole the puck back just inside their own blue line.
A two-on-rush ensued the other way and Seaforth's Carter Collinson got just enough of a centering pass to direct the puck past Fritsch, 38 seconds into the extra frame.
Pither was named The Wismer House Player of the Game with two goals.
The overtime loss gained the Winterhawks a valuable point as they look to start digging out of a slow start to the season, but the schedule doesn't get any friendlier.
The OEHL's defending champion Minto 81's visit The Plex next Friday night, November 29th, for an 8:30 p.m. start.
Mike Jackman, of game sponsor Allenford Auto Service, had help from Saugeen Shores Special Olympics Athlete Curtis during the ceremonial opening face off