Spitfires nip the Bulldogs
Presumptive favourites to potentially face off for the Ontario Hockey League championship next spring, the Windsor Spitfires and Brantford Bulldogs met up today in the Telephone City.
And it was the Spitfires who prevailed with a 4-3 shootout victory.
Second year power forward Ethan Belchetz, with his fourth and fifth goals of the season, paced Windsor. Belchetz also scored the shootout winner.
Captain Liam Greentree, with his first of the season in his second game since returning from the National Hockey League training camp of the Los Angeles Kings, also tallied for Windsor. Ace defenseman Anthony Cristoforo and forward Jack Nesbitt had two assists apiece for the Spitfires.
Vladimir Dravecky, with his second of the young season, Marek Vanacker, with his third and rookie import Adam Benak with his second, scored for Brantford.
The Spitfires led 2-1 after the first period and took a 3-2 lead into the third before Benak scored on the power play at 17:26 to extend the game to overtime. Neither team scored in the OT to set the stage for the shootout and the game winner by Belchetz.
Brantford out shot Windsor by a 38-31 margin with Spitfires goalie Joey Costanzo winning his fifth straight game of the season. Costanzo has a goals against average of 0.98 with a .957 save percentage.
With the road win before another sellout crowd at the TD Civic Centre in Brantford, the Spitfires remain unbeaten with a record of 7-0-0 while the Bulldogs are now 3-0-2, having played two games fewer than Windsor.