AMHERST, N.S. — Luke Strickland made sure history did not repeat itself.
Strickland, who had two goals and an assist, scored 1:24 into overtime to give the Summerside D. Alex MacDonald Ford Western Capitals a 6-5 win over the Amherst Ramblers Friday night.
Strickland's overtime magic came after the Ramblers erased a 5-3 deficit with two goals in the final 1:06 of regulation time, including Max Boudreau’s short-handed equalizer with nine seconds remaining.
It marked the second time this season the Ramblers rallied from a two-goal deficit in the third period against the Capitals, who have won four straight games. In Summerside on Feb. 4, the Ramblers scored at 11:59 and 16:57 before pulling out a 5-4 win in overtime.
Before 155 fans at the Amherst Stadium, Josh MacDonald and Cole Edwards assisted on the game-winning goal. Edwards, Justin Ertel, Colby MacArthur and Riley MacDougall also scored for the Capitals, who improved to 13-5-2 (won-lost-overtime losses). Ryan Miley, Cam Roberts, Cole Galata and Theo Citrullo picked up helpers.
Stephen Fox (1-2), Marko Jakovljevic (1-1), Tim Gould (1-1) and Samuel Michaud replied for the Ramblers (17-10-1), who won the first three regular-season meetings against the Capitals. Alex Wynter, Brock Forsythe and Ben Williams assisted.
The Ramblers led 2-1 after the first period, and the teams entered the second intermission tied 3-3.
The Capitals outshot the Ramblers 49-29, including 18-9 and 16-9 advantages in the second and third periods. Nathan Torchia picked up the goaltending win over Tyler Caseley of Kensington.
The Capitals went 2-for-5 on the power play, and the Ramblers had a 1-for-2 summary.
Referees Travis Parrell and Josh Deyoung called three minor penalties, one 10-minute misconduct, one boarding major and one game misconduct against the Ramblers. The Caps received two minor infractions.
The game’s three stars were:
1. Luke Strickland (Capitals), 2. Cole Edwards (Capitals), 3. Stephen Fox (Ramblers).
The Capitals are back in action on Tuesday in Truro, N.S., against the Bearcats (17-10-1). The Caps will then begin a nine-game homestand to close out the regular season on Thursday against the Pictou County Crushers (13-15-1). The Ramblers make a return visit to Summerside on Friday. Both games will start at 7 p.m.
