By Brady Ratzlaff

Storm fall in OT to open the 2018-19 season

Sep 15, 2018 | 8:32 AM

The Grande Prairie Storm started the 2018-2019 hockey season with a nail-biting 3-2 OT defeat at the hands of the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.

The Oil Barons opened the scoring midway through the first frame, but the lead was short lived as not even a minute later Bryce Osepchuk found twine off a pass from Ethan Strang. The teams headed into the first intermission deadlocked at ones.

The even play continued in the second period, but it would the home side who light the lamp nearly four minutes in to take a 2-1 lead. However, the Storm used a power play to their advantage and evened the score at the 10:37 mark, thanks to the stick of Cruz Cote. Zach Webb had the lone assist. Score after 40 minutes of play even at 2-2.

The Storm took it to the Oil Barons in the final stanza outshooting them 16 to 5, but couldn’t find the go-ahead marker. Extra time was needed to decide the winner.

In the end, it was the Oil Barons who scored the game-winning goal at the 1:56 mark of the overtime frame.

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Both teams scored one tally with the man advantage.

Storm goaltender Ethan Slobodzian made 32 of 35 saves in the loss.

The two teams hit the ice again tonight at the Casman Centre in Fort McMurray. Puck drop is at 7:30 p.m.