A BOOK, FOOD AND SOME PUCK

PHOTO: TIM CORNETT

He’s one of the most dangerous offensive players in the OHL. And for 58 minutes the Spitfires kept him from hurting their chances to win.

But a pair of Ryan Strome goals late in the third period quickly turned a tie game into a 5-3 Niagara win Thursday night, in a sloppy affair at the WFCU Centre.

QUICK START, BAD FINISH

The Spitfires took a 1-0 lead on Erick Locke’s 15th goal of the season, before the game was four minutes old.

But the ice tilted quickly in a six-minute span of the first period.

Dylan MacEachern bounced a seeing-eye goal in off goalie Jack Campbell’s skate from behind the net, to tie the game at 1-1 at the 9:30 mark.

Then, just 34 seconds later, David Pacan finished off a nice give-and-go with Andrew Agozzino to give the IceDogs the lead.

Niagara made it a two-goal edge on a power play goal – Agozzino’s 18th of the year – for a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes.

NO QUIT

But the Spits, once again, found a way to get back in the game.

Alexander Khokhlachev pulled Windsor (15-11-0-1) to within a goal, with his 13th of year on the power play, at 10:01 of the second period.

Then, after a couple of failed power play attempts early in the third period, the Spits sent the home crowd into a frenzy, as Kenny Ryan tipped home a Khokhlachev shot to even things at 3-3, at the 14:12 mark.

TWO QUICKIES

The game looked destined for overtime.

But again, a defensive lapse cost the Spitfires – this time the decisive goal.

Strome blazed down the left wing, sneaking in behind the Windsor defence and burying a tape-to-tape, cross-ice pass from Freddie Hamilton, to make it 4-3 Niagara.

Hamilton and his brother Dougie soon combined to set up Strome, for his second of the night, and 13th of the year, into an empty net.

SHOTS ON GOAL

NIAGARA 33, WINDSOR 32

POWER PLAYS

NIAGARA 1-FOR-2 = WINDSOR 1-FOR-5

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD
WSR Locke, (15) (Johnston, Ellis), 4:02
NIAG MacEachern, (1) , 9:30
NIAG Pacan, (9) (Agozzino), 10:14
NIAG Agozzino, (18) (Hamilton, Strome), 16:04 (PP)

SECOND PERIOD
WSR Khokhlachev, (13) (Kassian, Duininck), 10:01 (PP)

THIRD PERIOD
WSR Ryan, (7) (Khokhlachev, Ellis), 14:12
NIAG Strome, (12) (Hamilton, Graham), 18:14
NIAG Strome, (13) (Hamilton, Hamilton), 19:20 (EN)