GAMEDAY: SPITS-RANGERS RENEW RIVALRY

PHOTO: TIM CORNETT

windsorspitfires.com staff reports

Back on January 30th, the Rangers fell behind the Spitfires 4-0, before rallying to win 5-4 with third place in the conference on the line.

It was a fate the locals didn’t want to suffer twice. But that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday night, as their 401 rivals again escaped with two big points.  

Tobias Rieder scored with 1:26 to play as Kitchener beat Windsor, 5-3, in front 6,276 at the WFCU Centre.

Jerry D’Amigo had two goals and an assist, while Ben Thomson and Jason Akeson had the other goals for Kitchener (33-15-3-3).

The win moved the Rangers seven points up on Windsor (30-19-2-3) in the Western Conference standings; a deficit the Spits will have a hard time making up, with just 14 games to play.

Tom Kuhnhackl scored twice for the home side and Ryan Ellis had three assists in a losing cause.

Tied at 2-2 after a spirited, hard-hitting 40 minutes, Thomson picked defenceman Grant Webermin’s pocket in the Windsor zone and slid one past John Cullen to give Kitchener at 3-2 lead at 2:48 of the third period.

With five minutes left, Ellis made an outstanding play to set up the tying goal, darting past a pair of defenders before spotting Kuhnhackl in front for his second of the night.

But the Spits couldn’t hang on in the late going.

After a solid minute in the Windsor zone, Rieder wrapped one past Cullen to give the visitors a lead they wouldn’t give back.

Off the ensuing draw, the Spits tried to get Cullen to the bench for the extra attacker, but coughed up the puck at centre ice, allowing D’Amigo to score his second of the night as the netminder scrambled to get back.

Zack Kassian scored for a third straight game, his 200th in the OHL.

Tom Kuhnhackl was given a match penalty for slew footing in the closing seconds; an offense that carries a minimum two-game suspension.

STATS

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD: No Scoring

SECOND PERIOD: Akeson, (21) (D’Amigo), 2:39 – WSR Kassian, (24) (Ryan, Ellis), 10:17 (PP) – WSR Kuhnhackl, (30) (Ebert, Ellis), 18:36 (PP) KIT D’Amigo, (4) (Murphy), 19:22

THIRD PERIOD: KIT Thomson, (6) , 2:48 – WSR Kuhnhackl, (31) (Ellis, Kassian), 15:06 – KIT Rieder, (21) (Sol, Crescenzi), 18:34 – KIT D’Amigo, (5) (Catenacci), 18:56

SHOTS ON GOAL: WINDSOR: 10 – 18 – 5 = 33, KITCHENER: 8 – 12 – 12 = 32

POWER PLAYS: WINDSOR 2-FOR-4 = KITCHENER 0-FOR-5