Article content The Owen Sound Attack picked up their first preseason win on home ice Wednesday night, 4-2 over the Barrie Colts. Neither team brought a full complement of players with NHL camps underway, but Owen Sound’s young guns played with gumption, and goaltender Matthew Koprowski looked solid in net, making 30 saves for the win. The games don’t count yet, but neither team seemed to care as flying fists and post-whistle jibber jabbering played a key role in the contest.
“They’re a cocky — we’ll say confident — bunch over there,” new head coach Scott Wray said of the Barrie Colts, who he got to know quite well as a longtime assistant with the North Bay Battalion. “We don’t want people coming in here and pushing us around.” New Attack’ers Easton Mikus and Ty Therrien made it quite clear they wouldn’t be bullied.
Both forwards were ejected from the contest in the third period along with fighting card partners Cole Dubowsky and Michael Derbidge. As for the hockey, Wray said he was impressed by the effort, especially from the younger players stepping up into bigger roles with some of the marquee talent away with their professional clubs. “When those guys are moving the older guys, it’s like ‘uh-oh’ we better get going too,” Wray said of the push by the rookies.
An all-rookie line of Pierce Mbuyi, Ethan Kindree and Trent Gates wreaked havoc on the opposition most of the night. Meanwhile, Braedyn Rogers, who is still just 17 years old enteri.