Robert Strachan’s power play goal at 4:04 of overtime lifted the Collingwood Blues to a 2-1 win over the Steinbach Pistons during opening day of the 2023 Centennial Cup in Portage la Prairie, Man.
Mark McIntosh had given the Ontario Junior Hockey League champions a 1-0 lead in the second period only to have the Manitoba champs from Steinbach tie it up less than three minutes later.
Noah Pak, the MVP of the OJHL playoffs, earned the win for Collingwood who outshot Steinbach 29-27.
Collingwood’s next game at the 10-team national junior A championships comes Saturday at 12: 30 EDT against the Battlefords North Stars. The Saskatchewan league champs also won their opening-day game, 4-1,over the Kam River Fighting Walleye from Northwestern Ontario.
In the other game played Thursday, the defending champion Brooks (Alberta) Bandits won 7-2 over Nova Scotia’s Yarmouth Mariners.
Photo credit: Ice Wave Media
