Travis Konecny had three assists, including one on the game-winning goal in overtime, as the Ottawa 67's nipped the Windsor Spitfires 4-3 before 4,542 fans at the WFCU Centre.
Konecny, who hails from the town of Clachan in Chatham-Kent and has been drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers, stretched his team co-leading point total to ten with the three assists. Austen Keating had two goals for Ottawa including the overtime winner. Despite the loss, the Spitfires still earned a point to give them, for the moment, sole possession of first place in the OHL West Division.
Spitfires Head Coach Rocky Thompson says they let too many opportunities slip away in regulation.
"The first two periods were pretty good for us," says Thompson. "They weren't perfect but we were getting shots, we had chances. Their goalie made some great saves, it was a tight game going into the third. They came out hungry in the third. We got on our heels a little bit in the first four shifts and we couldn't get out of our end."
Windsor opened the scoring in the first with Christiano DiGiacinto's fourth goal of the year, but Ottawa answered back in the second period with Keating's first goal of the game. It also featured the first Spitfires assist for Tyler Nother since he joined the Spits from the London Knights.
"We've got a great leadership group in the room and they're keeping the boys calm," says Nother, an Orangeville native. "We're sure looking to get out there tomorrow (Friday at Guelph) and do things the right way."
The two teams played seesaw in the second period with Hayden McCool giving the Spits a 2-1 lead with his third goal of the year, then Dante Salituro got his fifth season lamplighter with the first of Konecny's assists to tie it at two-all. Konecny's second assist would come halfway through the third period when Sam Studnicka's goal gave the 67's a 3-2 lead. The overtime period was made possible with Daniel Beaudoin's second goal of the year with 4:08 left in regulation, and a couple of stretching saves from goaltender Michael Giugovaz.
The Spits travel to Guelph Friday night to take on the last-place Storm, followed by a Sunday matinee at Owen Sound. Windsor returns home on October 25 to host the Knights.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AawOyVqF3iI