Music: {allcanada} OHL MAJORS QUIET ATTACK 6-2 TO TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD

Thursday, May 5, 2011

{allcanada} OHL MAJORS QUIET ATTACK 6-2 TO TAKE 2-0 SERIES LEAD

OWEN SOUND, Ont. - Justin Shugg and Jordan Mayer powered the Mississauga St Michael's Majors to a 6-2 victory and a 2-0 series lead over the Owen Sound Attack on Thursday in the Ontario Hockey League's J. Ross Robertson Cup final.

Shugg and Mayer scored two goals apiece for the Majors. Captain Casey Cizikas and Chris DeSousa also scored as Mississauga took advantage of a penalty-filled game, scoring four of their goals with the man advantage.

"We were lucky tonight to get four power-play goals," said Majors head coach Dave Cameron after the game. "We recognize that we're not going to get four every night."

Shugg opened the scoring at 1:25 of the first period, courtesy of a Blacker turnover on the power play. Blacker fanned on a clearing attempt that left Shugg all alone, beating Scott Stajcer for his sixth of the playoffs.

Mayer increased the lead for the Majors, scoring his seventh of the playoffs on a two-man advantage at 7:56.

"You're not going to win late in the year against good teams unless your special teams are good," said Cameron.

The Attack's Matt Petgrave responded by sending Mignardi in on a breakaway. Mignardi's high shot on the Majors' JP Anderson cut the lead to 2-1 at 9:21.

Owen Sound completed the first-period comeback on just its third shot of the game. Blacker, making up for his earlier gaffe, blasted a shot from the point at 9:45 for a power-play goal of his own.

"The refereeing might have been a little off," said Mayer. "But, I thought our special teams were very good tonight and kept us in the game."

After the Attack capitalized on the power-play in the first Mayer felt that his team's discipline improved as the game went on.

"At the start of the game we may have taken a few dumb ones....You don't want to be fishing for pucks or getting your stick in their feet," he said.

There were a total of 30 penalties called, 18 of which went to the Attack. There were only 13 penalties called in Game 1 of the series.

"The bottom line is we didn't have enough personal discipline and it cost us," said Attack head coach Mark Reeds. "We have to find a way to get back on track."

The Majors re-established their lead just 42 seconds into the second period. Stajcer stopped Devante Smith-Pelly's shot but kicked the rebound out to a wide-open Shugg who had the entire net to score his second of the game.

A scramble in front of the Attack goal left a sprawling Stajcer with no chance of stopping Mayer and his second power-play goal of the night at 6:49 of the second.

Cizikas would add a power-play goal of his own at 9:41 of the third banking a shot off Owen Sound defenceman Geoffery Schemitsch past Stajcer.

DeSousa would score his fourth of the playoffs on an empty net.

After allowing two goals on his first three shots Anderson shut the door the rest of the way stopping the next 23 shots he faced. Stajcer stopped 32 of 37 for the Attack.

Mignardi extended his point streak to seven games. He has six goals and four assists in that stretch.

Game 3 will be in Mississauga, Ont., on Friday night.