Feb 15, 2025 | Winterhawks News | 534 views
Jones Provides OT Heroics for Winterhawks
Chad Jones got just enough on it to send Winterhawks fans home happy.
Jones scored the overtime winner to give the Winterhawks a 4-3 win over the Tavistock Royals in Game 3 of their Ontario Elite Hockey League quarterfinal series.
It was a chess match to begin the night, both teams doing their best to limit chances, though both goalies were called on early to make big saves.
As has been the case in this series, the Winterhawks were called on early to kill off a pair of penalties, and did so effectively to keep the score 0-0 after the first period.
The tight checking affair continued in the second period, with Clayton Fritsch still making big saves in the Winterhawks net.
Andy Mitchell finally broke the goose eggs at 12:43 of the second, following up a Winterhawks rush by going to the net and getting rewarded with a net-front goal to give the Winterhawks a 1-0 lead. Curtis Johnston assisted on the goal.
A double-minor for high-sticking sent the Winterhawks onto a long penalty kill late in the period, and they nearly killed it off, but Tavistock evened the score with 20-seconds left in the penalty to make it a 1-1 game.
A defensive breakdown in the final seconds of the period on a delayed penalty gave Tavistock a 2-1 lead after two periods.
Luke Pither took over in the third period, scoring two tying goals.
Pither made it a 2-2 game 1:07 into the third when Winterhawks pressure paid off and Pither put a rebound past Tavistock goalie Zach Shomphe.
The Royals got it back at 11:51 when the Winterhawks couldn't hold the zone, sending the Royals on a four-on-one rush the other way for the goal to give Tavistock a 3-2 lead.
It got down to the final seconds when Pither did it again, this time Theo Peckham sent a pass up to Mitchell, who dropped it to Pither just inside the Royals line.
Pither got close enough to the net to fire a quick shot into the top corner to tie the game at 3-3 with 1:20 left in regulation, sending the game to overtime.
In overtime, it was Jones providing the heroics off a draw won by Mitchell in the Tavistock zone. Jones fired a slapshot at the net that Shomphe tried to smother between his blocker and his arm.
The puck squirted behind Shomphe and just barely trickled over the line to give the Winterhawks the 4-3 overtime win.
The Winterhawks now lead the best-of-seven series 2-1, with Game 4 tonight [Saturday] in Tavistock at 7:30 p.m.
Fans can watch the game at the Three Sheets Tap Room on Highway 21 at the north end of Port Elgin.