Spitfires take 3 -1 lead in Western Conference Final
(London) For the fourth time in the series, the Spitfires and Knights took the game to overtime and for the third time, the Spitfires were victorious. Just 59 seconds into overtime, Andrei Loktionov scored his 6th goal of the playoffs to give the Spits the win.
Forward Dale Mitchell opened the scoring, just 4:02 into the first period with an unassisted goal, beating Knights goaltender Daryl Borden. Daryl Borden replaced Trevor Cann in net following the game three loss. The Knights responded 49 seconds later with Justin Taylor scoring a shorthanded goal to tie the score. The Spitfires took the lead again at the 6:42 mark with Lane MacDermid scoring his 2nd goal of the playoffs. The assists were awarded to Mark Cundari and Justin Shugg.
The Spitfires extended their lead on the powerplay with Greg Nemisz scoring his 8th goal of the playoffs at the 2:23 mark of the second period. The assists were awarded to Taylor Hall and Ryan Ellis. Eric Wellwood put the Spitfires up by three goals at the 15:53 mark with his 8th goal of the playoffs. The lone assist was awarded to Dale Mitchell.
The Knights dominated the third period, scoring three unanswered goals. Defenceman John Carlson got it started with his 6th goal of the playoffs at the 4:35 mark. Michael Del Zotto pulled the Knights within one goal of the Spitfires with his 3rd goal of the playoffs at the 14:28 mark. John Carlson completed the comeback with an unassisted goal at the 15:55 mark.
In the overtime period, forward Andrei Loktionov scored his 6th goal of the playoffs, just 59 seconds in, giving the Spitfires the overtime victory. The assists were awarded to Taylor Hall and Dale Mitchell. With the victory, the Spitfires take a 3-1 lead in the best of seven series. Goaltender Andrew Engelage saved 39 of 43 shots for the win.
The Spitfires and Knights return to the ice on Wednesday night when the Spitfires host the Knights at the WFCU Centre, game time is 7:05 pm.
