Watch the strangest shootout goal ever by Belleville Bulls' Adam Laishram (VIDEO)

We might never see an odder shootout goal in junior hockey. If the play hadn't been for the win, perhaps North Bay Battalion goalie Jake Smith checks to see where the puck went after his apparent victory-sealing blocker save on the Belleville Bulls' Adam Laishram on Thursday night.

Instead, as the Battalion players began pouring on the ice to congratulate Smith and celebrate their victory, the puck landed several feet away. Unbeknownst to the Battalion, TV Cogeco announcers and many of the delighted fans at North Bay Memorial Gardens who had jumped to their feet to start for the exits, it came down with enough backspin to trickle into the net. Following a video review, Laishram's goal was confirmed, keeping the Bulls alive and sending the shootout to a seventh round.

A second angle (starting at 2:43) shows the Battalion team came off the bench to celebrate, even though the play wasn't technically over. Ouch. And you just know that the team that gets that kind of bounce will go on to win the game.

It took four more rounds of shooters before Belleville defenceman Stephen Harper beat Smith, giving the Bulls credit for a 3-2 victory over North Bay. Anyone who was watching the game is should be forgiven if he/she flipped away after watching Smith make the initial save.

Would you believe that was the first time Aaron Laishram had ever been used in a shootout?

It was just a random, fluke happenstance play and there is really no larger 'the play is never over' lesson for the 19-year-old goaltender to absorb. It was simply a strange bounce that is unlikely to cost the Battalion much over the entire 68-game regular season in the Ontario Hockey League,

If there are hockey gods, they might simply have been more aligned with the other goalie, Charlie Graham, who made 47 saves simply to get the Bulls to the shootout, then turned aside 7-of-10 attempts during the breakaway circus.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet (videos: TV Cogeco Ontario, Bay Today).