Sunday Highlights: Spirit win seventh straight

 

SAGINAW 4, ERIE 3
A three-point outing from top NHL Draft prospect Cole Perfetti helped guide the Saginaw Spirit to a seventh consecutive victory in a 4-3 road win over the Erie Otters. Brendan Sellan (13) posted the first goal of the game for a 1-0 Erie advantage before the Spirit jumped ahead thanks to New York Islanders prospect Cole Coskey (34), Minnesota Wild pick Damien Giroux (44), and Perfetti (37), who reached 110 points on the season. Erie’s Chad Yetman (43) traded goals with Saginaw’s Danil Antropov (12), and Hayden Fowler (20) would add one more for the Otters, but they’d prove unable to catch up to the Spirit. The shots ended 33-32 in favour of the Otters, as Saginaw’s Tristan Lennox made 30 saves for the win. Erie continues to maintain the final playoff spot at eighth in the Western Conference with a 26-26-4-7 record. The Spirit continue to lead the West Division and climb to 41-16-3-2, five points up on the Flint Firebirds.
GAME CENTRE

 

OTTAWA 8, NORTH BAY 0
Two-goal performances from Jack Quinn (50, 51) and Noel Hoefenmayer (24, 25) helped the first place Ottawa 67’s blank the North Bay Battalion 8-0 for the team’s second straight shutout and netminder Will Cranley’s fourth of the season. Quinn, an NHL Draft prospect, netted two in a row to become the second CHL skater to surpass the 50-goal mark this year. Daylon Groulx (16) struck next before Hoefenmayer found the back of the net for two straight. New Jersey Devils prospect Mitchell Hoelscher (34) scored shorthanded to make it 6-0 and a couple of power play goals from NHL Draft hopeful Marco Rossi (38) and Teddy Sawyer (3) extended the lead. Battalion netminder Cameron Lamour solved 38 of the 46 attempts he faced while Cranley was perfect for all 19 shots. The Barber Poles’ sixth straight win brings them to 49-11-0-1 on the year as they sit comfortably atop the Eastern Conference. The Troops drop to 17-41-4-0 with their second straight loss, rounding out fifth place in the Central Division.
GAME CENTRE

 

PETERBOROUGH 12, NIAGARA 1
Two-goal showings from four different skaters had a hand in the Peterborough Petes’ lopsided 12-1 takedown of the Niagara IceDogs. Toronto Maple Leafs prospects Semyon Der-Arguchintsev (11) and Nick Robertson (54) along with Los Angeles Kings pick Akil Thomas (23) got the Petes up 3-0 before Niagara’s Jonah De Simone (10) notched his team’s lone goal. Brady Hinz (15), San Jose Sharks prospect Zach Gallant (32) and Der-Arguchintsev (12) doubled up on their lead for the first of nine unanswered goals. Next to score were Thomas (24), Winnipeg Jets pick Declan Chisholm (13) and John-Parker Jones (8), followed by Gallant (33), Grondin (13) and Robertson (55), who earned his second of the game shorthanded. Thomas finished off the day with six points to his name, while Robertson and Gallant both amassed five. Peterborough’s fourth straight win boosts their record to 37-21-2-2 at second in the East Division. A fourth straight loss for the struggling Dogs puts them at 18-38-5-1, as they remain nine in the Eastern Conference, tied up with the Kingston Frontenacs in the race for a playoff berth.
GAME CENTRE

 

SUDBURY 8, KINGSTON 0
Brad Chenier (26, 27) and Owen Gilhula (13, 14) found the back of the net twice and Christian Purboo earned the third shutout of his career in an 8-0 Sudbury win over the Kingston Frontenacs. The opening frame saw goals from Carolina Hurricanes pick Blake Murray (35), Chenier and rookie Adam Samuelsson (3) before Buffalo Sabres prospect Matej Pekar (28) and Gilhula scored in the second period to extend the lead. Nolan Hutcheson (15), Chenier and Gilhula capped off the scoring in the final 20 minutes. Purboo was good for all 32 shots between the Sudbury pipes as the Wolves continue to own the top of the Central Division at 34-27-1-1. On the other end of the ice, Ryan Dugas made 29 saves on 37 shots as the Frontenacs fall for the fourth straight time. Their record drops to 19-39-2-2 as they hold on to their playoff position at eighth in the Eastern Conference with the Niagara IceDogs directly below, holding a shared point total of 42 on the year.
GAME CENTRE

 

KITCHENER 3, WINDSOR 2
Arizona Coyotes prospect Axel Bergkvist scored the game winning goal with just 42.1 seconds left to lift the Kitchener Rangers past the Windsor Spitfires in a 3-2 contest on Sportsnet. Columbus Blue Jackets draftee Tyler Angle (29) got on the board first for the Spits before Florida Panthers prospect Greg Meireles (28) tied things up. Nashville Predators prospect Egor Afanasyev (31) reclaimed Windsor’s lead until Michael Vukojevic (5) evened the score once again. Bergkvist scored on a two-man advantage for the Rangers’ first lead of the game, earning them the win in the game’s final minute. Los Angeles Kings prospect Jacob Ingham posted 27 saves on 29 shots in net for Kitchener, who improve to 39-16-5-2 and remain second in the Midwest Division. Rookie netminder Xavier Medina was good for 30 saves on 33 shots, while the Spits drop a third straight and fall to 34-20-8-0, holding the fifth place seed in the Western Conference.
GAME CENTRE

 

SARNIA 4, GUELPH 1
NHL Draft hopeful Jacob Perreault (38, 39) put up two goals and an assist to propel his Sarnia Sting to a 4-1 defeat of the Guelph Storm. Owen Saye earned his first OHL goal early in the first period and captain Ryan McGregor (27) scored just over a minute late to give Sarnia a 2-0 cushion. Keegan Stevenson (21) got Guelph on the board before Perreault answered with two in a row to secure the three-goal lead to the final buzzer. The Sting outshot the Storm 35-29 and see their record bump up to 22-34-5-1 at fifth in the West Division. Guelph drops to 32-22-3-5, good for sixth in the Western Conference.
GAME CENTRE

 

LONDON 3, OSHAWA 1
Brett Brochu earned his 32nd win between the London pipes, setting a new record for 17-year-old first-year goaltender wins in a single season as the Knights won their seventh straight game, skating past the Oshawa Generals 3-1 at home. Liam Foudy (28), a Columbus Blue Jackets prospect, opened the scoring and was matched by Generals overager Brett Neumann’s 45th on the season. Washington Capitals prospect Connor McMichael scored his 47th and Minnesota Wild pick Matvey Guskov (16) added insurance with an empty netter. Foudy’s point streak saw its 18th game over which he’s produced 34 points (13-21—34). Brochu stopped 24 of the 25 shots he faced, helping the Knights to a 45-15-1-1 tally atop the Western Conference. Oshawa netminder Jordan Kooy totaled 33 saves on 35 shots against his former club as the Gens fall to a fourth straight loss and to 31-20-6-5 on the year at fourth in the Eastern Conference.
GAME CENTRE