Sudbury Wolves sophomore Quinton Byfield netted the first hat-trick of his OHL career Sunday at the Sudbury Arena, in an action-packed game against the Mississauga Steelheads.
Hit with a flurry of shots in the first period, the Wolves battled from behind to finish with a 5-4 win in overtime.
Slated as a top prospect heading into the 2020 NHL Draft, Byfield now sits fourth in OHL scoring, and fifth in both goals and assists.
The hat-trick earned Byfield first star of the game, followed by teammate Owen Robinson.
Byfield opened up the scoring in the game with his 18th goal of the season at 7:42 of the first period with assists from Robinson and Blake Murray.
The Steelheads took control of the ice shortly thereafter, with Mississauga's Calvin Martin, Aidan Prueter and Cole Schwindt delivering goals in just over seven minites on Wolves' netminder Christian Purboo.
Shane Bultika answered back for the Pack just 10 seconds after the Steelheads went up 3-1 to narrow the margin to just one goal. Mississauga would retake their two-goal advantage less than two minutes later however, with Prueter scoring his second goal of the period.
Mississauga headed into the second period up two, outshooting their hosts 16-11 in the first 20 minutes.
Both teams struggled to make a move on the scoreboard in the second period, with Purboo and Mississauga's Joe Ranger tightening their grip on the posts. Just as it seemed the period would end in a stalemate, Wolves' Liam Ross delivered his second goal of the season with an assist from Nolan Hutcheson with a little more than three minutes in play.
Sudbury trailed by one heading into the final frame, despite outshooting their southern rivals 18-6 in the period.
Byfield evened the scoreboard in the third period, setting off a flurry of shots from either side of the ice.
Unable to break the tie, the two teams headed into overtime knotted a 4-4, where Byfield completed his hat-trick 35 seconds into the extra frame, securing a 5-4 final for Sudbury.
Sudbury outshot their visitors 13-11 in the third period and 43-33 overall.
The Pack returns to the Sudbury Arena Dec. 6 to take on the Flint Firebirds for the last of the two meetings between the teams this season.
