The Sarnia Sting are back in a playoff spot following a 5-4 win in Erie Thursday night.
Theo Hill scored the game-winner just over 12 minutes into the third period, his second goal of the game, and Ty Voit also scored twice to help the Sting snap their seven-game losing streak.
The Otters opened the scoring at 2:47 of the first period on a power play goal from Christian Kyrou, the brother of former Sting Jordan Kyrou. Hill tied the game with a shorthanded goal at 5:35. Nolan DeGurse scored at 15:50 and Voit made it 3-1 just 17 seconds later to give Sarnia a two-goal lead heading into the second period.
Erie's Artyom Kulakov scored his first OHL goal just over a minute into the middle frame, the lone goal of the period. Sarnia led 3-2 after 40 minutes.
Voit restored the Sting's two-goal lead at 1:11 of the third period, his 23rd goal of the season. Erie responded with two goals, at 2:13 and 5:36, to tie things at four. With under eight minutes to play, Sarnia's Nolan Burke grabbed a loose puck in his own end, streaked up the ice on a 2-on-1 before setting up Hill for the game winning goal at 12:21. Sting netminder Ben Gaudreau had to make just one more save the rest of the way to preserve the 5-4 victory.
With the win, Sarnia is now eighth in the OHL's Western Conference, a point ahead of Erie for the final playoff -- both teams have five games remaining in the regular season.
Sarnia is back in action Friday night in Kitchener -- coverage on CHOK (103.9 FM/1070 AM) gets going at 7 p.m. The Rangers are two points ahead of Sarnia for seventh in the west with a game in hand.
