It took over five periods of hockey, but game three finally finished, with the Bonnyville Jr. A Pontiacs on top.
The Pontiacs have taken a 2-1 lead in the best of seven series against the Fort McMurray Oil Barons, after Pontiacs defenceman Blake Leask fired a shot from the point at 2:23 of the third overtime period that somehow found its way through the crowd, ending game three.
Leask said he was shocked when he saw the puck in the back of the net, ending the marathon match at 2-1.
“We're all fatigued, but we're all overwhelmed with excitement … you can't really explain it,” said Leask after scoring the overtime winner.
The Pontiacs were back on their heels a bit in the third period and into the first overtime, said head coach Chad Mercier. But goalie Julien Laplante stood on his head, stopping 53 of 54 shots and the team started to pick it up as the game wore on.
“You get that second wind,” said Leask. “You just want to win so bad. I'm sure we'll feel it in the next 20 minutes. But right now we're pumped and ready to go for (Thursday's game).”
Mercier said after a game like that, you just take your win, forget about it and move on to the next one.
The Pontiacs head coach speaks from experience, as he was involved in a four-overtime game as a player in the Western Hockey League.
“The biggest thing to understand is that it just counts as one win and there is a lot of hockey left to play,” said Mercier.
“I expect the hockey to be exactly like this the rest of the way.”
For the fans that can withstand the drama, that's a good thing.
Over 1,000 fans packed into the R.J. Lalonde Arena for Wednesday's game. At times the fans were raucous, but for the most part, the crowd appeared subdued, that is, until the final goal.
The R.J. promises to be packed again tonight, as game four goes at 7 p.m. A win by the Pontiacs would move them to within one game of winning the series and a place in the AJHL North Division final series for the first time in the hockey club's history.
Check out the Nouvelle's website for all your Pontiacs coverage.
