Goaltender Lars Kaliel made 37 saves in the losing effort (Photo Credit: EverythingGP staff)

By Shane Clausing

GP Storm

Storm drop game one in heartbreaking fashion to Saints

Mar 2, 2020 | 10:46 AM

The Grande Prairie Storm kicked off postseason play Sunday in Spruce Grove, falling 3-2 in overtime to the Saints.

After a first that saw the Storm be outshot 10-3, the Storm would bend but not break.

The Storm took three minor penalties in the period, but the penalty kill would hold, and Lars Kaliel would turn away all ten shots in the frame to keep the game scoreless after 20 minutes.

Grande Prairie rebounded in the second. The Storm outshot the Saints 13-9 in the period and their hard work would eventually pay off, as Brett Meerman scored 14:47 into the second to give themselves a 1-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

Spruce Grove then turned up the pressure in the third.

After Nathan Morgan and Max Giangualano both took minor penalties early in the third, the Saints would head to their fifth and sixth powerplays, and eventually, make the Storm pay.

University of Denver commit Jordan Biro would get the Saints on the board with a powerplay marker 8:26 into the frame to tie the game up at one.

The tie game wouldn’t last for long, as less than two minutes later, Austin Schelllenberg would score to give the Storm a 2-1 lead.

With 1:58 remaining in the third period, Schellenberg would get called for a Rouging After The Whistle penalty, sending the Saints to their seventh powerplay of the game.

With the clock ticking down and a six on four powerplay chance, the Saints would turn up the offensive pressure and squeak away with a perceived missed offside call with 8.5 seconds to go.

A controversal non-call in the final seconds of Game 1 between the Grande Prairie Storm and Spruce Grove Saints. (Photo Credit: Spruce Grove Saints / twitter.com/BouRaad1)

After the missed call, the Saints would head into the Storm end and Nick Leyer would score with 2.1 seconds remaining for the Saints, to tie the game and send the game into overtime.

In overtime, Sam Popowich would be the overtime hero for the Saints, as he scored 4:58 into the frame to steal game one from the hands of the Storm.

The Storm don’t have long to think about Sunday’s result, as game two goes Monday night at 7:00 p.m. from the Grant Fuhr Arena in Spruce Grove. The best-of-seven series will then shift up to Grande Prairie for games three and four on Wednesday and Thursday.