Goaltender Josh McCormick and Powell River U18 Kings came within one minute and 13 seconds of shutting out their opponents from Comox on Sunday, October 23, but the visitors rallied late to salvage a tie.
After a scoreless first period at Hap Parker Arena, Kings’ forward Ben Belyea picked up the puck at his own blue line and beat a defender wide before snapping a shot past the Comox goalie to open the scoring with six minutes left in the second period.
Braedyn Louie’s shot from the slot doubled the lead with eight minutes remaining in the third period, drawing a loud cheer from the crowd.
McCormick, who made 52 saves in the game, continued to thwart opposition attempts to get on the scoreboard through most of the final frame, but with just 1:13 left on the clock, a deflected shot from the point found its way into the net, setting the stage for a frantic final minute of play.
After several faceoffs in the Powell River zone and with an empty net at the other end of the ice, another Comox shot went through a maze of players and past McCormick, this time with less than a second left on the clock.
Comox outshot Powell River 54-29.
U18 Kings are back in action next weekend on the road in Tri-Port.
