OHL Brampton Steelheads

Spitfires Come from Behind, Down Trout in Overtime

January 4, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Brampton Steelheads News Release


MISSISSAUGA, ON - The Mississauga Steelheads welcomed the Windsor Spitfires to the Hershey Centre on Sunday afternoon looking to get back into the win column after two straight losses. Both teams entered Sunday coming off of 6-3 games against Erie, with Mississauga dropping the decision on Friday night and Windsor picking up a victory on Saturday.

Cameron Zanussi was back between the pipes after back-to-back starts by Leif Hertz, and was thrust right back into action with an early opportunity for the Spitfires. "Zeus" was up to the challenge however, keeping Windsor off of the board early. Their next opportunity would come in the form of a man advantage as Sean Day headed to box, however Mississauga would not only weather the storm, but push back on the attack. The offensive push would continue beyond the penalty kill as Day took a pass right out of the box and worked a 2-on-1 with Everett Clark to perfection, putting the puck into the gaping cage to make it 1-0 Mississauga. Keeping the pressure on, Jimmy Lodge would add to the lead at the 15-minute mark of the period after jumping on a Michael McLeod rebound in front of the net. Late in the period, Windsor would take advantage of their second power play as Trevor Murphy's blast from the point found the back of the net. Still, the Steelheads would end the first period ahead 2-1 with a 19-10 advantage on shots.

Looking for an equalizer to start the second, Windsor was in luck as they headed to the power play just 41 seconds into the period. The Steelheads penalty kill was up to the task however, minimizing Windsor's shot selection and clearing the front of the net. Like the first period, both teams found their fair share of scoring opportunities at even strength, however both Zanussi and Windsor's Brendan Johnston shone, keeping the game locked at 2-1. The lone goal of the period did not come until the 17-minute mark, when Lodge found the back of the net for the second time, finishing off a tic-tac-toe passing play to make it 3-1 Mississauga. Despite the lack of scoring, Mississauga outshot Windsor 16-14 in the period.

Windsor opened the third period on the attack, and would pull within one goal at 4:40 as Murphy's point shot was tipped by Cristiano DiGiacinto. Mississauga would answer minutes later however, as Lodge completed the hat trick with assists to McLeod and Stefan LeBlanc. Refusing to go down, Windsor would answer two minutes later with another goal as Logan Brown backhanded one past Zanussi to pull Windsor within one; Brown would nearly tie the game on a second chance shortly after, however Zanussi would come up big to preserve the Steelheads lead. Brown would keep pushing however, finding the tying goal for Windsor at 14:04, wiring a shot past the glove of Zanussi. Mississauga looked to end the game in regulation, heading to their first power play of the game late in the third; unfortunately they were unable to find a winning goal, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra period, the teams exchanged opportunities, with both coming very close to ending the game. In the end it would be Windsor completing the comeback as Aaron Luchuk broke in alone to beat Zanussi, stretching the Steelheads losing streak to three games. Zanussi turned away 31 shots, while the Steelheads peppered Johnston with 51 pucks on net.

THE MISSISSAUGA NEWS THREE STARS

1 - Jimmy Lodge

2 - Aaron Luchuk

3 - Michael McLeod

UP NEXT

The Mississauga Steelheads will hit the road for their next three games, with visits to Guelph (Jan. 9), Oshawa (Jan. 11) and Niagara (Jan. 13). Our next home game will be Friday, January 16th, when the Belleville Bulls visit for "Let's Talk" Night, presented by Bell ! Great seats are still available by logging on to Ticketmaster!

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from January 4, 2015


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