Ben Johnson Named Spitfires Player of the Week

(Windsor) Playing in our group of Top-6 forwards, winger Ben Johnson has been outstanding of late.

His strong play last week has earned him Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week honours.

On a line with Brady Vail and Chris Marchese, Johnson was electric in a 5-2 win over Brampton on Thursday night, scoring twice and adding an assist.

The rest of the weekend didn't go as well for the Spits, who lost 2-0 in Plymouth on Saturday night and then 7-1 at home to Saginaw on Sunday afternoon. But Johnson's relentless effort in both games was undeniable.

The 17-year-old native of Calumet, Michigan, is widely regarded as one of the top emerging talents in the OHL, thanks in large part to his superior skating, tenacity and playmaking skills.

Johnson has played in all 63 games this season, scoring 15 goals and adding 19 assists. Those numbers rank him eighth in goals and seventh in points among OHL rookies.

He is also sixth on the Spits in goals and seventh in points.

Johnson is a highly-regarded prospect for this summer's 2012 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh; ranked 49th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term report.

The entire staff at Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres congratulates Ben on a great week and a fantastic rookie season.

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SPITFIRES 5, BATTALION 2

Ben Johnson scored twice and added an assist, as the Spitfires took a 5-2 decision over the visiting Brampton Battalion Thursday night before 5,709 at the WFCU Centre.

It was nothing short of a must-win scenario for the home side: with both Sault Ste Marie and Guelph just two points back in the standings, the Spits needed to take care of business against an Eastern Conference opponent that plays a stifling, defensive style.

And they did just that.

All even at 2-2 after 20 minutes, Johnson went to work in the second.

His 14th goal of the season came as a surprise to Brampton goalie Matej Machovsky, who looked unprepared and out-of-position as Johnson whipped a quick shot from the right-wing halfboards that slid home for the eventual game-winner.

With less than a minute to play in the middle 20, Johnson picked up a deft defensive zone clearing play from Vail, raced in on a 2-on-1 and fed Chris Marchese, who beat Machovsky with a quick wristshot to give the home side a 4-2 advantage.

Johnson added an empty-netter to round out the scoring at 18:59 of the third period.

Jaroslav Pavelka had a rough start but finished strong with 35 saves for the win.

The win pulled the Spitfires (27-28-4-2) within two points of Saginaw for sixth in the Western Conference. The Spirit lost 2-1 in Niagara.

Next up is a trip to Plymouth on Saturday night.

SCORING
1ST PERIOD
WSR CZINDER (15) (RYCHEL, KOKO) 1:28
BRA MILLER (5) (LEWIS, MACLEOD) 1:47
WSR KOKO (25) (EBERT, HOLDEN) 7:20 PP
BRA BELL (4) (MACLEOD, LEWIS) 19:59


2ND PERIOD
WSR JOHNSON (14) (EBERT) 1:27
WSR MARCHESE (18) (JOHNSON, VAIL) 19:11

3RD PERIOD
WSR JOHNSON (15) (POSA) 18:59

SHOTS
WSR 8 - 11 - 4 = 23
BRA 15 - 15 - 7 = 37

PPS
WSR 1-FOR-3
BRA 0-FOR-3

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