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windsorspitfires.com staff reports
With a single shot, Tyler Brown handed the Spitfires their fourth straight loss Thursday night at the WFCU Centre, scoring late in overtime, in a 5-4 Plymouth win.
The Spitfires have officially entered strange and unfamiliar territory.
In a back and forth affair Thursday night, Windsor could never quite take control of the game. And it ultimately cost them a big point, in a 5-4 overtime loss to their division rivals from Plymouth.
It was the fourth-straight loss for a team that didn't lose more than back-to-back games in the season's first half - and a crucial point lost to a team quickly closing ground in the standings.
Zack Kassian had a pair of goals for the Spitfires (21-14-1-1) and Robbie Czarnik had two for Plymouth (20-16-1-1), who closed to within two points of Windsor for second in the Western Division and fourth in the Western Conference.
The two traded first period goals - Kassian's at 8:09 on a quick wrister from the top of the right circle that surprised Scott Wedgewood in the Plymouth goal, and Czarnik to even things at 18:29.
The big centre was at it again, just 80 seconds into the second period. Saverio Posa fell lugging the puck out of his own zone, turning the puck over to Czarnik, who had plenty of time to pick a spot to score his 20th of the season.
Steven Trojanovic's first of the season tied the game again at 2-2, before Kassian snapped one past Wedgewood for his second of the night and 17th of the season. to give the Spits a 3-2 lead.
It was a lead that wouldn't last, as Nick Malysa's point shot hit something in front and beat Passingham at 15:02.
The Spits fell victim to an early goal again in the third, as a Stefan Noesen shot hit Troy Passingham then bounced in off an unsuspecting Kenny Ryan, to give Plymouth a 4-3 lead.
But a beautiful, end-to-end rush by Saverio Posa and a great shot to beat Wedgewood tied the game for a fourth time at 4-4.
That set the stage for the late heroics.
Brown took a cross-ice pass Rickard Rakell and busted in down the left side, firing a slapshot that Passingham got a piece of, but couldn't keep out.
The winning goal came with just 15 seconds left in the extra session, and was the only shot in overtime for the Whalers.
SHOTS ON GOAL
WINDSOR 42
PLYMOUTH 31
SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
WSR Kassian, (16) (Posa), 8:09 = PLY Czarnik, (19) (Meurs, Noesen), 18:29.
SECOND PERIOD
PLY Czarnik, (20) , 1:20 = WSR Trojanovic, (1) (Ryan, MacQueen), 5:18 = WSR Kassian, (17) (Locke), 10:55 = PLY Malysa, (1) (Rakell, Devane),15:02
THIRD PERIOD
PLY Noesen, (19) (Czarnik, Trutmann), 0:55 = WSR Posa, (2) , 5:20
OVERTIME
PLY Brown, (13) (Rakell), 4:44
