Late Windsor Goal Beats Plymouth, 5-4

Photo by Mandy Getschman - Mitch Jones (not in photo) scores in the second period to give Plymouth a 4-3 lead at the time.

Jamie Lewis’ goal at 12:8 of the third period snapped a 4-4 tie and the Windsor Spitfires defeated the Plymouth Whalers, 5-4, in an Ontario Hockey League game played Friday before 4,518 at Windsor Family Credit Union Centre.

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ADDITONAL COVERAGE - Jim Parker, Windsor Star

Plymouth had a two-game winning snapped and is 10-13-1-1. Windsor broke a five-game losing streak and is 8-15-1-0.

The Whalers lost ground on Sarnia and Saginaw and is ninth in the Western Conference. Sarnia beat Owen Sound, 2-1 in regulation; Saginaw defeated Sault Ste. Marie, 4-3, in a shootout on Friday.

The Sting and Spirit both have 24 points, Plymouth two points behind at 22.

Francesco Vilardi (3), Matt Mistele (team leading 17th), Sonny Milano (5) and Mitch Jones scored for the Whalers, who continue to play without injured regulars Alex Peters, Victor Crus Rydberg, Danny Vanderwiel, Yannick Rathgeb and Gianluca Curcuruto. Add Connor Chatham to the injured list, hurt Wednesday in the Whalers’ 4-3 win against Windsor.

Liam Dunda returned to the Plymouth lineup in his first action since being hurt in a fight in Kingston on October 17.

Besides Lewis game-winning and third of the season, Windsor received goals from Logan Brown (5), Aaron Luchuk (3), Hayden McCool (6) and Cristiano DiGiacinto (7).

It was an unusual game. Referees Bob Langdon and Matt Traub called no penalties on Windsor and just two minors on Plymouth.

The teams traded a goal aside in the first 7:25. Brown tipped Logan Stanley’s point shot at the right side of the Plymouth goal past Whalers goaltender Zack Bowman at 2:15. Vilardi tied the game for the Whalers at 7:25, set up on a nice play by Mathieu Henderson, who carried the puck to the left circle in the Windsor zone and fed Vilardi at the right dot, who made no mistake with a shot that beat Windsor starting goaltender Alex Fotinos.

The Spits surged a 3-1 lead later in the first period with two goals in a span of 2:08. Luchuk redirected Markus Soberg’s pass from the right-wing half-wall past Bowman from the hashmarks at 15:36and McCool scored from the lower rim of the right circle 17:44 after Ryan Moore did most of the work.

But the Whalers replied with three goals in the second period to take their first lead of the game.

Mistele – set up by Milano – wired a shot by Fotinos from the right circle at 4:09 to cut the Windsor lead to 3-2. Then Milano picked up a loose puck in the Windsor zone, skated to the left hash mark and shot a bit of a knuckle ball past Fotinos to tie the game at 3-3 at 8:43.

Windsor coach Bob Boughner had seen enough of Fotinos and summoned backup goaltender Brendan Johnston. Johnston allowed a goal on his first shot 11 seconds later when Jones scored from the high slot to give the Whalers a 4-3 lead.

Plymouth couldn’t hold the lead. DiGiacinto tied the game at 4-4 at 10:38 when the Whalers had several opportunities to clear the puck out of their own zone, but did not, and DiGiacinto scored through traffic at the right circle.

Lewis scored the only goal of the third period. Mark Mancurek appeared to be checked along the right boards in the Plymouth zone, but the puck squirted free to Lewis and he scored on a backhand inside the left post at 12:08.

Boughner’s decision to change goaltenders paid off in the third period. Although Windsor outshot Plymouth, 13-7, in the third period, the Whalers had four glorious chances to score. But Johnston made huge stops on Vilardi, Bryce Yetman, Will Bitten and Josh Wesley to preserve the victory, with the save n Wesley with 20 seconds remaining and the Whalers with the extra attacker.

Windsor outshot Plymouth, 35-24.

Plymouth hosts Sarnia on Saturday at 7:05 pm at Compuware Arena.