The final score in Saturday night’s Cranbrook Bucks win looked more like a low scoring CFL game, with the Kootenay club taking a 7-6 overtime victory over the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
The shots were coming in heavy in the first period, with the Crusaders outshooting Cranbrook 21-13 through the first twenty minutes. Both clubs earned two goals, Sam Belanger and Pat Murphy scored for the Bucks while Sherwood Park got offense from Jeremy Loranger and Poul Anderson. The game was deadlocked at 2-2 at intermission.
The second period played out similar to the first. Each team tallied twice. Cranbrook got another goal from Murphy and one from Sam Lyne while Sherwood Park’s pair came from Anderson and Connor Gengle. An offensive chess match was shaping up for the third period with the teams tied at 4-4 after forty minutes.
The Crusaders earned a pair of goals to give themselves a two goal lead by 7:03 of the third period thanks to efforts from Joel Purdum and Masun Fleece, forcing the Bucks to mount a comeback from a 6-4 deficit. The road team was up to the task. A second goal from Belanger put the Bucks within striking distance at 9:49, and Rasmus Svartstrom knotted the tying goal with less than five minutes left in regulation. The game was tied 6-6 after sixty minutes, prompting overtime.
The Bucks didn’t wait long to call “game” in the extra frame. Cranbrook captain Bryce Sookro netted the game-winner with a blast from inside the point at the twenty-nine second mark to give the Bucks a hard-fought 7-6 win over the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
Saturday’s win lifts Cranbrook’s record to 23-15-2, the Bucks are on a three game winning streak. The Crusaders outshot the Bucks 35-32 Saturday night. On special teams, Cranbrook went 1/7 on the power play and 4/5 on the penalty kill.
The Bucks are back on the road Friday night versus the West Kelowna Warriors.
Buck Tracks:
- 2 goals for Sam Belenger, Pat Murphy.
- 4 assists for Jacob Fletcher.
