How you react after a harmful event can be either fight or flight.
The Grande Prairie Storm, after losing 10-1 at home to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons last Friday, chose fight on Wednesday night.
They didn't get a win, but they did fight back for a point on the road in a 6-5 overtime loss to the Sherwood Park Crusaders.
And leading the battle was 19-year-old Landon Vollman.
The Spirit River native scored twice including a game-tying goal with 15 seconds remaining in the third period to force the overtime.
“The difference maker was Landon Vollman,” said Storm coach/general manager Matt Keillor. “The team fed off his energy all game. He was rewarded with a huge goal to send it to overtime.”
Vollman's first goal came at 12:44 of the second period to tie the game at 2-2. Jason Wenzel had given the Storm a 1-0 first period lead, but two goals by Ryan Rebelato – at 6:34 and 12:08 of the second – had given the Crusaders a 2-1 lead.
Parker Smyth gave the Storm their second lead of the game at 15:53 of the middle frame only to see the Crusaders tie it again at 16:13 on a goal by Cameron Reagan to finish up the five-goal period.
Storm scoring leader Michael Clarke put the Storm back out front for the third time when he scored just 1:18 into the third. This time the Crusaders responded with two of their own – first Brandon Stafford at 2:27 to tie it at 4-4 and then Gage Joel at 7:54 to put the Crusaders up 5-4 setting up Vollman's last second heroics to force the OT.
Tyler Maltby won it for the Crusaders at 2:02 of the extra frame on a breakaway.
“It was nice to see a good effort for 60 minutes,” said Keillor, who has four wins and three losses in his seven games behind the Storm bench since taking over in early December. “It was a good all-around team effort.”
Keillor, who saw call-up Eric Sorensen score on Friday, was impressed with the two Midget AAA Storm players in the lineup on Wednesday.
“Our APs, defenceman Tyrell Boucher and forward Landon Overton, did an excellent job on both sides of the puck,” said Keillor.
Xavier Burghardt tended the Storm cage facing 39 shots while the Storm fired 36 at Zac Klassen at the other end.
The Crusaders sit in fifth place, 17 points up on the Storm. Grande Prairie gained a point on the seventh place Drayton Valley Thunder (20 points) and eighth place Lloydminster Bobcats (18).
This weekend the Storm host a pair against the fourth place Spruce Grove Saints – Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m.