Spitfires reach altitude .500
The never-say-die Spitfires scored on a buzzer beater to send a partisan Saturday night crowd of more than 4,800 into a fired-up frenzy and a topsy turvy 4-3 Ontario Hockey League victory over the Western Conference-leading Soo Greyhounds.
The win for Windsor evened its record at 5-5-3 on the season and followed a 5-4 overtime loss at the Soo from Thursday in which the Spitfires were able to at least salvage a point.
Johnny On The Spot. Second-year forward John McLaughlin was the hero for the Spitfires in Saturday’s 4-3 win over the Greyhounds. After the Soo had come back from a three goal deficit to tie the game 3-3, McLaughlin scored a power play goal with four-tenths of a second left in the third period to elevate the Spitfires to victory. McLaughlin has scored six goals, two assists, eight points his last four outings for Windsor and now has 7-6-13 totals in 13 games.
The Rest Of The Story. Besides two goals from McLaughlin, a pair of rookies also found range for the Spitfires. Forward Bogdan Yakushevsky shelved his team-leading ninth of the season and defenseman Jesse Debruyn tallied his second. Meanwhile, goalie Michael Newlove made 27 saves to improve his record to 2-4-3 on the season.
Injury List. The Spitfires have four players who are questionable for their next game, which is this coming Thursday against the Erie Otters at the WFCU Centre. On the injured list are forwards Beksultan Makysh and Shawn Costello and defensemen Andrew Robinson and Sam Wathier.
