The Pickering Panthers allowed 19 goals in their two games before rolling into the Jack Burger Sports Complex, where they lost 4-3 in overtime to the Port Hope Predators on Grey Cup Sunday.

While the back-and-forth game kept the crowd on their edge of their seats, it was the officials who kept everyone in a permanent state of shock.

Pickering was busy in the first period, taking 17 shots at Spencer Finney, who was back between Port Hope's pipes after Ryan Fitzsimmons tended goal in the 4- 2 loss in Couchiching Friday night (see accompanying story below for more on that game).

Referees Ben Buxton and Ryan Carmichael set the tone for the night early, calling Pickering for highsticking at 43 seconds in, then for hooking at 1:54. Port Hope was handed a hooking call at 4:55, then Pickering at 7:28 for tripping. That power play was what the Preds needed for blueliner Jared Barker to find the back of the net at 7: 33 with d-partner Ryan Scheafer and sniper Tyler Miller helping out.

Miller was called for high sticking at 8:17 then his teammate, Kevin Floris, was got a hooking penalty at 9:34. Pickering then beat Finney at 10:01 to tie the game.

Port Hope's Chad McQuaid was next to the box at 11:23 for holding, Alex Tillaart at 13:36 for hooking, Pickering for hooking at 16:50, a roughing and a hooking to Port Hope, and a roughing after the whistle at 19:42 to Pickering to give the Preds a power play to start the second period.

Just 52 seconds into the middle frame, the Panthers were slapped with another minor for crosschecking, and Barker scored his second goal of the game from Miller and Dave Harris. The teams traded penalties again, with the Panthers notching a power-play marker at 5:21.

Young Predator Vince Masters received two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct and 10 more for an abuse of officials at 7:47. Two more Port Hope players were penalized and that would end the second period.

The crowd was growing rattled by the officiating, and many calls incited loud boos from the stands.

"You know when the fans start booing, it's bad," Predators head coach Brendan O'Grady said. "The officiating was tough. It's growing clear that the Port Hope Predators are not liked by the referees."

Though Port Hope racked up a good deal of penalties, O'Grady said he cannot say why officials seem to be targeting the team.

"I don't even know why, I don't have an answer for you."

In the third period, the Panthers took one penalty early, and the Preds took four. Mitch Moffatt, who stepped up his game Sunday afternoon, scored the go-ahead goal at 5:59 from Miller and rookie Jake Taylor, who has found himself back on the roster, on lines with some of the club's big guns like Moffatt and Miller.

Everything was going fine until Tillaart, Port Hope's top blueliner, was ejected from the game with a gross misconduct for flipping the puck over the glass. He was also assessed a hooking minor at the same time.

At 18:07, Pickering tied the game up once more.

The Preds, who mustered only three shots in the third period, rallied in overtime and Moffatt potted his second winner of the game from Anthony Tapper at 1:27.

"This was a very big win for us," Moffatt said following the match.

"It was a good game, and I knew coming in tonight that I was due for a goal. I saw an opening and that was it," Moffatt said of his overtime heroics. The rest, as they say, is history.

Coming into the game, the Predators had previously lambasted the Panthers 8-2 in Pickering.

"They're in last place, but they've taken out Lindsay the last couple of times they played them, and the key is to come in every game and give it our all," Moffatt said. "After our meeting last week, guys were able to get some things off their shoulders and get everyone back on the same page. But yeah, the meeting really helped, because guys got a chance to say what they think."

With the pending departure of Miller, the leading scorer, there is a lot of ice time up for grabs, and while Moffatt didn't register many shifts on Sunday, he took advantage of the ice he did get, and relished the notion of being the go-to guy.

"I'd love to be that guy. Every team should be able to have more than one guy but when you get out there in OT you give it your all for 45 seconds and get off."

"Mof had two goals, he's a good kid and he works hard. What he needs to do now is be more consistent, because we need to get that secondary scoring," O'Grady said.

"Pickering came out like they had something to prove," the coach said. "They're not just going to roll over and play dead for us; we didn't do the little things that make us successful, like getting more pucks on net and going to the tough parts of the ice. They've got kids that want to work hard and they don't want to be where they are; they don't want to be in the basement. Guys have to be ready to go."

With Miller's departure looming, there is a lot of ice to cover, and O'Grady said "ice time is not a given, it has to be earned, so hopefully the guys will pick it up and earn some more of that ice and we'll move on and move forward."

Rookies Brandon Howes and Jake Taylor found themselves in some high-pressure situations Sunday, with Howes back on the blueline and Taylor taking some big-time linemates.

"Everyone has to get an opportunity, and these guys have to start pulling their weight. Jake had a great game and he's not going to be a guy to go out and score two or three goals a game, but if he can chip in a point that's great. Howsey was back on D for us, he's got great mobility and he'll be an asset for us come February," O'Grady said.

"There will be a little more tinkering with the lines when (Predators director of hockey operations) Tim (Clayden) gets the Miller deal done, as there should be more bodies coming in," he said.

"Tapper, McCarty and Willy (Dave Williams) are guys I'd put out in tough situations, and Travis Savard has been great on the PK," O'Grady said, referring to the penalty kill.

The coach said the club is hoping for a win tonight in Parry Sound against the Seguin Bruins to get the ball rolling for a weekend that can only be described as huge.

The Preds, who are in fourth place in the Ontario Junior Hockey League's Ruddock Division, travel to Lindsay Friday to take on the second-place Muskies.

Kingston, who are in first place, visit Port Hope Sunday at 7 p. m.