Blackfalds Bulldogs Bonnyville Pontiacs Brooks Bandits Calgary Canucks Camrose Kodiaks Canmore Eagles Drayton Valley Thunder Drumheller Dragons Fort McMurray Oil Barons Grande Prairie Storm Lloydminster Bobcats Okotoks Oilers Olds Grizzlys Sherwood Park Crusaders Spruce Grove Saints Whitecourt Wolverines

Fraser delivers Game 2 in 2-1 nailbiter (AUDIO)

WHITECOURT, AB (March 5, 2013) — Justin Fraser (Hussar, AB) scored the game-winner in the dying minutes of the 3rd period, as the Fort McMurray Oil Barons evened their opening round series with the Whitecourt Wolverines at 1 game a piece after a 2-1 road win on Tuesday night.

The Barons bounced back from a 4-2 loss in Game 1 the previous night thanks in large part to a 33-save performance from goaltender Tanner Jaillet.

The scoring was opened on another Barons powerplay at the 10:47 mark of the first period when Adam Durkee (Lafayette, CO) tipped in a centring pass from rookie forward Erik Pedersen (Calgary, AB) for the first junior A playoff point for both players.

It was part of a first period dominated by the MOB, who outshot the Wolverines 15-8 in the frame, after mustering only 4 shots in the first period of Game 1.

But the Wolverines took advantage of a MOB miscue on a later powerplay, when Jerome Raymond was given the puck on a defensive zone turnover from the Barons, and tossed a backdoor pass to league-leading scorer Mathieu Guertin for a one-time shorthanded goal, his second shorthanded marker of the series, to knot the game up 1-1.

But the final goal would come from Fraser off of a fortunate deflection from a Matt Purmal (Merrill, WI) dump-in, which deflected off a skate to the MOB forward in the Whitecourt slot. His high wrist shot beat goaltender Tanner Kovacs for the game-winner, as the Barons withstood heavy late pressure from the Wolverines, including a 6-on-4 power-play and empty net advantage for the home side in the final minute of the game.

The series now switches settings to Fort McMurray for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Saturday night at the Casman Centre.

Puck drop both nights is 8 o'clock with pre-game coverage starting at 7:45 on Country 93.3.

Country 93.3 3 stars:
3. Tanner Kovacs (32 saves/34 shots)
2. Tanner Jaillet (34 saves/35 shots)
1. Justin Fraser (1 game-winning goal)