Spits make it four in a row

The Windsor Spitfires continued their strong play after the holiday break, edging the Niagara IceDogs 2–1 in overtime Friday night. The Spits have won three straight since returning from the holiday break and extended their winning streak to games.

Defenceman Anthony Cristoforo opened the scoring at 16:05 of the first period, jumping into the rush and finishing a cross-crease feed from Jack Nesbitt for an easy tap-in. Ethan Belchetz also picked up an assist on the play. The goal was Cristoforo’s 11th of the season and stretched his point streak to nine games.

Niagara pulled even late in the third period on the power play when Ryerson Edgar scored at 14:18, with Riley Patterson and Ryan Roobroeck earning assists, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra frame, Ethan Garden played the hero. Just 4:17 into overtime, Garden buried the game-winning goal off a setup from Wyatt Kennedy and Conor Walton to secure the victory for Windsor.

In the Western Conference standings, Flint shut out the London Knights 5–0 on Friday to remain ahead of Windsor in the race for top spot. The Spitfires sit two points back of the Firebirds but hold a game in hand. Windsor is back in action Saturday night in Erie, while the Brampton Steelheads visit Flint.