Brace key in Owen Sound's rise up standings

The Owen Sound Attack won just 32 games all of last season. They enter the week with 16 wins already, and their 35 points are tied with the Barrie Colts for the most in the Ontario Hockey League. A big reason for their success this season can be tied to the play of center Cameron Brace.

The 2013 NHL Draft-eligible forward played a big role in the Attack winning two of its three games over the weekend. He had an assist Friday in a 5-2 loss at the London Knights, then scored a shorthanded goal and was a team-best plus-3 in a 4-0 home win against the Kitchener Rangers on Saturday. He finished the weekend by scoring on a third-period penalty shot, which held up as the game's lone goal in a 1-0 defeat of the Windsor Spitfires on Sunday.

The goal gave Brace a point in four straight games. He leads the Attack with 17 goals, and his 28 points are second.

Brace wasn't the only 2013 draft prospect to have a big weekend. Here is how a few others fared:

* Kingston Frontenacs right wing Marc Beckstead had a pair of goals in a 7-3 defeat of the Peterborough Petes on Friday. Teammate Bill Jenkins had a goal and two assists.

* Guelph center Zachery Mitchell had three assists in the Storm's 7-2 win Friday against the Mississauga Steelheads. Teammate Justin Auger had a goal and two assists.

* Oshawa center Cole Cassels had two goals and an assist in the Generals' 5-1 win against the Belleville Bulls on Friday. Teammate Sebastian Uvira had a pair of assists.

* Barrie Colts center Zach Hall had three assists in his team's 6-5 overtime defeat of the Windsor Spitfires. In the loss, Windsor left wing Kerby Rychel had a goal and an assist.

* Kingston center Darcy Greenaway had a goal and an assist in regulation, and added a goal in the shootout in the Frontenacs' 5-4 shootout win against the Niagara IceDogs.

* Ryan Hartman of the Plymouth Whalers scored the game-winning power-play goal and added an assist in his team's 3-2 win at the Ottawa 67s on Sunday.

* Mississauga left wing Josh Burnside had two goals in the Steelheads' 5-3 win at Oshawa on Sunday. Teammate Dylan Smoskovitz had a goal and an assist.

* London center Max Domi had a goal and an assist in the Knights' 4-3 win at Kitchener on Sunday.

* Sault Ste. Marie defensemen Alex Gudbranson and Darnell Nurse combined for five assists in the Greyhounds' 9-2 defeat of the Sarnia Sting on Sunday.

Contact Adam Kimelman at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @NHLAdamK