Spits gain hard-earned point
Playing on the road in Sault Ste. Marie is no easy task. And while the Spitfires did not quite complete an impressive road comeback, they headed home to Windsor with a hard-earned point from a 5-4 overtime loss to the Greyhounds.
Game Story. The Spitfires overcame deficits of 2-0 and 3-2 and had a 4-3 lead with just over four minutes to play in the third period before the Greyhounds tied it and then won it in overtime when defenseman Callum Croskery clicked for his second goal of the game.
How They Stand. The Greyhounds are in first place in the Western Conference of the Ontario Hockey League with a record of 9-2-1. With the point, the Spitfires moved into a tie for eighth place in the highly-competitive Western Conference with a record of 4-5-3.
Shots Advantage.For the ninth time in 12 games this season, the Spitfires outshot their opponent, this time with a decisive 33-22 edge on the Greyhounds. Even Greyhounds head coach Drew Bannister noted that “we got lucky … this was a game that we probably should not have won.”
Scoring For The Spitfires. Rookie forward Bogdan Yakushevsky sparked the Spitfires in Thursday’s game at the Soo with two goals, his seventh and eighth of the season. Fellow rookie Ty Bergeron, with his second goal in the past two games, and second-year forward John McLaughlin also found range for Windsor.
Net Loss. Spitfires second-year goalie Michael Newlove was nicked for five goals on just 22 shots in the loss to the Soo. Newlove now has a record of 1-4-3 on the season with a 3.50 goals against overage and a subpar save percentage of .844. By comparison, rookie backup Jake Windbiel has a record of 3-1-0 with a 2.74 goals against average and .867 save percentage.
Up Next. The Spitfires and Greyhounds will meet again on Saturday in a 7:05 p.m. opening face-off at the WFCU Centre in Windsor.
Spitfires forward Ty Bergeron, in traffic against the Greyhounds in Thursday’s match in the Soo. photo by Bob Davies
