The Buzzers were full value for their victory, edging the Panthers 3-2 in an entertaining, back-and-forth contest. After a scoreless first period, Pickering broke through midway through the second when Peter Smith (16th) deflected a Marco Costante point shot on the power play at 7:47.
St. Michael’s answered with a power-play goal later in the period to send the teams into the second intermission tied 1-1. The Buzzers capitalized on a Pickering miscue at the blue line early in the third to take a 2-1 lead, but Michael Lavigne responded just over a minute later with his first OJHL goal to knot the game once again.
Despite pushing hard for the equalizer, Pickering could not find a way past the St. Michael’s goaltender. The Panthers outshot the Buzzers 52-39 overall, including a 21-8 advantage in the third period. Daniel Giusti took the loss in goal, making 36 saves.
