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windsorspitfires.com staff reports
Dozens of fans were headed for the exits, when a strange thing happened Friday night at the WFCU Centre.
Having surrendered four goals and facing another epic collapse in the third period, the Spitfires came to life with four goals of their own, in an improbable 7-5 over the Plymouth Whalers on Mickey Renaud Night.
"I'm not sure it's a script anyone could have written tonight to get the two points," assistant coach David Matsos said outside the Spitfires dressing room. "But it's a win. And that's what we've been looking for.
"We asked the guys tonight...told them it had to be a win. There was no other way around it. And we got it."
Ryan Ellis and Kenny Ryan each had a goal and three assists and Taylor Carnevale scored twice, as the Spitfires widened their lead over Plymouth to three points for fourth place in the Western Conference.
The comeback was a fitting tribute to Renaud, the team's former captain, who was honoured in a pre-game ceremony on the third anniversary of his sudden death back in 2008.
Things looked bleak for the Spits when Tyler Brown scored an unassisted, shorthanded goal to make it 5-3 Whalers at the 13:49 mark of the third period, capping a four-goal outburst in a little less than five minutes.
But Jeff Brown snuck a wrister from the right circle past Scott Wedgewood to cut the lead to 5-4, just 15 seconds later, before Ellis and Carnevale lit the lamp 1:11 apart to give the Spitfires a 6-5 lead.
Carnevale sent the home crowd into a frenzy with an empty netter with exactly a minute to play.
Jack Campbell made 16 saves after coming on in relief of John Cullen in the second period. Cullen left the game after hitting his head on the crossbar in a pile-up of players. He'll be evaluated again tomorrow and will not make the trip to Plymouth for the re-match.
The Spits will call up Michael Nishi from Georgetown in time for the trip to Michigan tomorrow.
SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
WSR Johnston, (16) (Brown, Ellis), 11:55 (PP)
SECOND PERIOD
PLY Livingston, (16) , 10:07
WSR Khokhlachev, (33) (Ellis, MacQueen), 17:00
WSR Ryan, (17) (Kassian, Posa), 17:52
THIRD PERIOD
PLY Devane, (12) (Meurs, Trutmann), 3:42 (PP)
PLY Noesen, (28) , 5:24
PLY Meurs, (10) (Noesen), 10:36
PLY Brown, (22) , 13:49 (SH)
WSR Brown, (13) (Ryan), 14:04 - WSR Ellis, (19) , 15:31
WSR Carnevale, (32) (MacQueen, Ellis), 16:42
WSR Carnevale, (33) (Ryan), 19:00 (EN)
SHOTS ON GOAL
WINDSOR: 14 - 15 - 9 = 38,
PLYMOUTH: 9 - 9 - 10 = 28
POWER PLAYS
WINDSOR: 1-FOR-4
PLYMOUTH: 1-FOR-4
