The Sarnia Sting rebounded from Saturday's overtime loss to Windsor at the RBC Centre with a big 6-3 win at the WFCU Centre Sunday.
The win, against a divisional rival and still with a depleted roster due to injury, allowed the Sting to salvage three of six points in another difficult stretch of three games in three days.
The Sting was again led by overage goaltender Taylor Dupuis who stopped 41 of 44 shots and by Josh Defarias who scored the first two goals of his OHL career.
Defarias, a defenseman acquired from London at the trade deadline, did not look out of place at forward, filling in with the likes of Nikita Korostelev and Pavel Zacha still out of the lineup.
Also scoring for Sarnia were Anthony Salinitri, overage forward Stephen Pierog and Alexandre Renaud with his third goal in as many games.
Daniel Nikandrov scored in an empty net with 15 seconds left.
Sarnia led 2-1 after one and 3-2 after 40 minutes and was outshot for the game 44-28.
The Sting came out strong in the final period, scoring twice in the first six minutes with Pierog setting up Defarias for his second and then scoring himself on a wrap around shot.
Trevor Murphy led the Spitfires with a goal and an assist but was assessed a match penalty for a butt end after Nikandrov's empty netter.
After backstopping the Spitfires to the 3-2 overtime win in Sarnia Saturday, Port Lambton native Brendan Johnston was pulled in favour of Alex Fotinos when the Sting went up 3-1 five minutes into the second period.
Jakob Chychrun had two assists and now has 22 points including ten goals in 26 games in his rookie season.
Sarnia (23-17-4-2) remains in fifth place in the Western Conference, now three points ahead of Kitchener and Owen Sound who both lost Sunday. The Rangers and Attack hold games in hand though.
The Sting heads east this week for games in Ottawa Friday and Kingston Saturday.
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