FORT McMURRAY, AB (March 6, 2015) – Mitchell Vanderlaan (Hanwell, NB) scored a shorthanded goal, and Zach Fortin (St. Jérome, PQ) picked up the shutout, as the Fort McMurray Oil Barons beat Sherwood Park 2-0 to tie the best of 5 series 1-1.
For the second straight night, the first period ended in a scoreless tie.
Early on, Tyler Maltby looked like he may have chopped a rebound past Fortin, but the officials ruled the net had been knocked off before the puck crossed the line.
In the second period, Jackson McKinstry (Calgary, AB) was called for a slash, sending the Crusaders to the powerplay.
But off a defensive zone faceoff, Brett McNeil (Halifax, NS) chipped the puck up to Austin Holmes (Calgary, AB) who lead a 2-on-1 rush up the ice, feeding Vanderlaan who one-timed it past Zac Klassen for the 1-0 lead.
In the third period, the Barons shut down the Crusaders' offence, holding Sherwood Park to only six shots against, and controlled much of the play.
With the Sherwood net empty and less than a minute to play, Jetlan Houcher (Paradise Valley, AB) took a feed from Trent Lofthouse (Surrey, BC) and sealed the 2-0 win for the MOB.
Klassen made 28 saves in the Sherwood Park net, while Fortin recorded a 32-save effort for his second shutout in the last four games, dating back to the 3-0 win over Lloydminster on February 27.
The win ties the series up at 1 game each, with the series heading back down to Sherwood Park for Games 3 and 4 on Sunday and Monday nights.
Both games start at 7:30 – you can catch the pregame show at 7:15 on KAOS 91.1.
KAOS 91.1 3 Stars:
3. Zac Klassen (28sv/30sh)
2. Austin Holmes (1A)
1. Zach Fortin (32 save SO)