The Attack rallied late, but couldn’t find a game-tying goal.
Jack Nesbitt completed his hat trick with an empty-net goal with 7.5 seconds remaining on the clock, as the Windsor Spitfires held off a third period rally to beat the Owen Sound Attack 7-5 in Ontario Hockey League action Thursday evening at the WFCU Centre.
Noah Morneau, Liam Greentree, Ilya Protas and Ethan Garden added goals for Windsor (9-1-1), which won its fourth straight.
Landen Hookey had a pair of goals for the Attack. Pierce Mbuyi, Sam McCue and Ben Cormier also scored. Owen Sound lost its fourth in a row.
Nesbitt’s second goal came 2:08 into the third period. And it was after that when the game really started.
Rafik Varosyan forced a turnover on the forecheck and then threw the puck out front to Mbuyi, who put it past Carter Froggett to cut the Windsor lead to 5-3 at 9:47 of the third.
Just over a minute later, McCue shot a puck towards the net that deflected off the body of Cormier and in. All of a sudden it was a one-goal game, the Attack cut the Spitfires’ lead to 5-4.
Windsor restored its two-goal advantage at 15:08 of the third. Tnias Mathurin flicked a puck down the ice that was picked up by AJ Spellacy on the right wing. He broke into the offensive zone and skated down low, then put a pass across to Garden who was unguarded near the goal. He had an open net to look at and fired it in. 6-4 Windsor.
But the Bears weren’t done yet. Garden was called for goaltender interference with 3:39 remaining, and the Attack pulled their goalie to work on a 6-on-4 power play down by two.
They capitalized. Cormier backhanded a pass through the crease to Hookey on the doorstep, it’s in. Back to a one-goal game, Windsor’s lead down to 6-5.
But that was as close as the Attack would get. Nesbitt sealed it with a late empty-netter.
It was a 1-1 game after one on goals by Morneau and McCue. Windsor led 4-2 after two.
Froggett made 15 saves in the win, while Matthew Koprowski stopped 23 taking the loss. The Spitfires outshot the Attack 34-20 while going 0 for 3 on the power play; Owen Sound finished 1 for 5.
The Attack continue their three-game West Division road trip Saturday in Michigan, against the Flint Firebirds. Game time is 7:05 p.m. You can catch all the action live on Kia of Owen Sound-Terry’s Trailer Service Bear Radio on 560 CFOS, beginning with the Lumberjack Log Structures Pregame Show at 6:35 p.m.
SCARY MOMENT
Spitfires forward Cole Davis was stretchered off the ice in the second period. He was spilled into the boards by Attack defenceman Max Bleicher, and looked in immediate distress. He stayed down on the ice, hurt. As his stretcher was rolled off the ice by paramedics, each of Davis’ Spitfires teammates skated by to tap him softly and show their support. Bleicher was given a five-minute major for cross-checking and a game misconduct on the play.
DING, DING
There were a couple of fights in Thursday’s game. Bleicher dropped the gloves with Nathan Gaymes early in the second period. The two tussled right in front of the Attack bench. Easton Mikus and Conor Walton fought a few minutes later.