Jett Morningstar scored the shootout winner in the Sarnia Legionnaires' 6-5 victory over the visiting Komoka Kings Thursday night.
Ryder Nienhuis also scored in the shootout, Wes Brooks added a goal and two assists and goaltender Ethan Everaert turned away 34 shots in the win.
"We practiced the shootout a few times and we had a scripted lineup based on the performance of practice and it paid off," said Legionnaires head coach Derek DiMuzio. "I was really happy for Jett -- he had the same opportunity down in LaSalle and tried the same move and unfortunately it was stopped, but tonight it went it in."
Komoka was up 2-0 less than eight minutes into the first period on goals from Easton Cowan and Ethan Mathews. Jaxon Priddle got Sarnia on the board on the powerplay at 15:42, cutting the King's lead to 2-1 after 20 minutes.
The two teams would combine to score five times in the middle frame and just once at even strength. Brooks and Matthew Balloch each converted on the powerplay for Sarnia -- Ody Stylianou scored 5 on 5. Mathews scored a shorthanded goal for the Kings, his second of the game, and Adam Zuckerman added a powerplay goal late in the period, tying things at 4-4 heading into the third.
"I didn't think we played a very good first period," said DiMuzio. "Then we came out in the second and started to be first to pucks and get in foot races and be hard to play against. That's the way we have to play if we're going to have success."
Cameron Barlass put Sarnia back in front at 2:21 of the third period. Komoka's Kaeden Johnston tied things at 5-5 with a powerplay goal at 17:50.
The Legionnaires outshot the Kings 5-2 and killed off a minor penalty in the scoreless 10-minute overtime period. Sarnia then converted on two of its three shootout attempts, and Everaert stopped two Komoka skaters, to cap-off the 6-5 win.
The Legionnaires improved to 9-20-0-1 on the season and are two points back of Strathroy for the final playoff spot in the GOJHL's Western Conference.
Sarnia is back in action Friday night in St. Marys.
With files from Josh Boyce
