Lukas Bernasiewicz
Oakville escaped disaster by the skin of its teeth on Thursday; the Buzz faced off against the Whitby Warriors at home and entered the second period with a 4-1 lead.
Just under five minutes into the second period Oakville added another goal by Riley Ford to extend the lead to 5-1.
Everything seemed to be going Oakville's way. They were dominating, playing well defensively, and their goaltender was showing up when called upon.
All of that ended shortly after the 5-1 goal was scored.
Just under 10 seconds after Oakville scored their fifth goal, Whitby scored to make the game 5-2.
That goal started a Whitby run that saw the Warriors score five unanswered goals making the score 6-5 and taking their first lead.
Although Oakville was definitely deflated by the fact that they gave up a four-goal lead, they did not let that disappointment ruin their night.
The Buzz desperately tried to get a goal before the end of the period so that they could enter the third period, even with the Warriors.
Oakville's efforts were rewarded as they put a goal past the Warriors' netminder to tie the game 6-6 and exit the second period on even terms.
Oakville opened the scoring in the third period, but Whitby answered back seconds later.
The Buzz broke the tie again with a goal by Tyler Ford, but Whitby scored again to tie the game.
It seemed like whichever team disrupted the pattern would win the game.
Unfortunately, Whitby disrupted the pattern and scored with eight minutes left to take the lead 9-8.
Oakville saw the seconds tick down and needed a goal to bring the game back to a deadlock.
Luckily, the Buzz have Will Sheehan, who scored with just under three and a half minutes left to make the score 9-9.
With a game this tight, with the seconds ticking down, it's inevitable that this game would go to overtime.
But a Whitby penalty near the end of the game gave Oakville a powerplay and a chance to win the game in regulation.
Oakville drew up a play during a whistle and tried to execute it to the best of their ability.
The Buzz did just that as Will Sheehan scored with under two minutes left to give Oakville the lead.
The Buzz killed off the last minute of the game and secured their 10th win of the season.
"Coach drew up a great powerplay play," said Sheehan about his game-winning goal. "I got a great pass from [Owen] Orpana and a great pick from Brian [Jackman], and there it is - goal."
Oakville now improves to 10-5 on the year and second in the entire OJLL as they trail the undefeated Orangeville Northmen.
Oakville's next game will be Wednesday, June 28th, at the Toronto Rock Athletic Center against the Peterborough Lakers.
