PARMA — It would have been appropriate if the winning goal had been scored on a power play.

It wasn’t. Casey Jones scored 59 seconds into overtime to give North Olmsted a 5-4 victory over Elyria Catholic and the championship of the Normandy Thanksgiving Tournament at Ries Park on Monday night.

It was Jones’ third goal of the night, coming off a pass from Sean McBride, and capped a comeback from a 4-2 deficit early in the third period. The victory kept North Olmsted undefeated through five games while EC dropped to 2-2-1.

“I never would have thought it,” North Olmsted coach Tim Murphy said of winning all five games of the tournament. “Some people have stepped up and surprised me with how well they’ve played.”

McBride, who had a goal and a pair of assists Monday, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.

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“I’m most proud of us not losing our cool two nights in a row,” Murphy said, referring to Monday’s win and a 3-2 squeaker over Brecksville on Sunday to get into the championship game. “We didn’t get out of our game. The seniors were leaders. Some would say we played with patience. I would call it maturity.”

“We hung together, talked it out and gave it a 100-percent effort,” McBride said. “It was all of us, not just one line. That was what was most satisfying for me.”

Penalties figured in the outcome in a big way. North Olmsted’s two goals in the third period to tie the score were both on power plays, with the Eagles needing only a combined 49 seconds to score the two goals.

“I told (the EC players), ‘If we see North Olmsted’s power play it won’t be pretty,’” EC coach Dave Phiel said. “We needed to be careful, because things happen very quickly. We needed to stay away from the penalty box, but we didn’t.”

On the other side, some breakdowns in discipline by North Olmsted allowed the Panthers to take a 3-2 lead in the second period after going behind 1-0 after one period. All three of EC’s goals in the second period were on power plays, including two when the Panthers had a 5-on-3 advantage.

“They weren’t bad calls,” Murphy said. “Two of the penalties were just a loss of discipline.”

North Olmsted went ahead on McBride’s goal with 7:56 left in the opening period. The Eagles took a 2-0 lead when Ryan Sutton scored a short-handed goal with 6:14 elapsed in the second.

Kevin Andrews scored twice with EC holding a 5-3 edge in skaters. The first came 24 seconds into a penalty that gave the Panthers the two-man advantage. The second happened 22 seconds after EC gained another 5-3 power play.

Justin Saunders made it 3-2 just 19 seconds after the tying goal. Saunders put the Panthers ahead 4-2 on a slapshot following passes from Andrews and Cody Toboz.

“Even though there were nine goals, it could have been more,” Murphy said. “Both goalies made a few great saves. You had two offensive-minded teams playing clean, physical hockey.”

North Olmsted goalie Dan McBride had a brilliant glove save on a point-blank shot by Saunders. EC’s Andrew Field did the same to McBride on what could have given the Eagles a 3-0 edge. But Field couldn’t corral Jones’ overtime shot.

“I don’t think Andrew even saw it,” Phiel said. “It was a tough one to lose, although I was happy with our power play tonight and the tournament overall.”

EC beat Massillon Jackson and Normandy on Sunday to earn a spot in the championship game.

“To come back after a loss and a tie to play in this game was a real character builder,” Phiel added.

Summary

Elyria Catholic – 0-3-1-0—4

North Olmsted – 1-1-2-1—5

FIRST PERIOD: 1. NO, Sean McBride (Casey Jones, Mike Minch), 7:04. Penalties – NO, Casey Jones (tripping, 7:38; EC, Paul case (tripping), 10:38.

SECOND PERIOD: 2. NO, Ryan Sutton (Chad Cullinan), 6:14; 1. EC, Kevin Andrews (Pat DeSouza, Justin Saunders), 6:49; 2. EC, Kevin Andrews (Pat DeSouza, Justin Saunders), 8:14; 3. EC, Justin Saunders (Brad Oravets, Pat DeSouza), 8:33. Penalties – NO, Tom Mooney (hooking), 4:51; NO, Sean McBride (roughing), 6:25; NO, Casey Jones (head contact), 7:51.

THIRD PERIOD: 4. EC, Justin Saunders (Kevin Andrews, Cody Toboz), 1:21; 3. NO, Casey Jones (Sean McBride, Ryan Sutton), 3:53; 4. NO, Casey Jones (Ryan Sutton), 7:42. Penalties – EC, Cody Toboz (holding), 3:23; EC, Cody Toboz (slashing), 7:23; NO, Mike Konyesni (slashing), 8:19.

OVERTIME: 5. Casey Jones (Sean McBride), :59. Penalties – none.

SHOTS ON GOAL – Elyria Catholic 5-6-10-0—21, North Olmsted 6-10-8-1—25. Goalies – EC, Andrew Field (25 shots, 20 saves); NO, Dan McBride (21 shots, 17 saves). Power-play opportunities – Elyria Catholic 3 of 5, North Olmsted 2 of 3.

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