Speers scores twice in Greyhounds win (update)

A quick start would be even more important than the Soo Greyhounds thought on Thursday night in Windsor.

The Greyhounds jumped out to a 2-0 lead just over three minutes into action and would eventually need three late goals to pick up an 8-5 win over the Windsor Spitfires at the WFCU Centre in Ontario Hockey League action Thursday.

The Greyhounds led 3-2 through one period and 5-2 through 40 minutes before the Spitfires scored three times to open the third period and tie things up. A Keigan Goetz goal at 13:20 of the final period would be the eventual game-winner.

“On both sides of the puck, that was as good of a game as we’ve played in a long time,” said Greyhounds Coach Sheldon Keefe. “(Goaltender Joseph) Raaymakers had a tough night but with that being the case, our players really tightened up and limited shots against and took advantage of the chances that we had. It was a really good team win.”

Blake Speers scored a pair of goals and set up another for the Greyhounds in the win.

“He was really good right from the start,” Keefe said of the sophomore forward. “He was moving the puck really well. He and (Jared) McCann were working really well together. It was a great shot early in the game. It was really nice to see him get a couple. He played really well and was really calm and poised.”

Bryan Moore added a goal and two assists for the Greyhounds offensively. Goetz, Kyle Jenkins and Sergey Tolchinsky chipped in with a goal and an assist each. Zach Senyshyn also scored for the Greyhounds.

“We moved the puck really efficiently today,” Keefe said. “We were very much in control of the game right from the start. When Windsor got the puck, we got it back really quickly.”

Raaymakers stopped 14 shots in the win.

“Our guys rallied around a young goaltender that was having a tough day,” Keefe said. “(Sunday) in Sudbury, we had a tough day as a team and Raaymakers was a stud for us and that gave us a chance to be in the game and have a chance to win it. Today he needed the rest of our group to pick him up and we did that.”

Brendan Johnston got the start for the Spitfires and stopped 35 shots in the loss.

Defenceman Trevor Murphy had a goal and an assist for the Spitfires while Sam Povorozniouk set up a pair of goals, both in the third period comeback. Markus Soberg, Slater Doggett, Ryan Moore and Cristiano DiGiacinto also scored for Windsor in the loss.

“You’re never happy when you see a lead disappear like that,” Keefe said of the third-period comeback by the Spitfires. “It was just a matter of tough luck for us and some goals that I know Joseph would like to have back. Our guys stuck with it.

“Even at 5-5, we felt really comfortable on the bench and really confident in our group and how we were playing,” Keefe added.

The Greyhounds power play finished the night with three goals on six man-advantage opportunities in the win.

With the win, the Greyhounds improve to 20-6-0-1 and sit atop the OHL’s West Division with 41 points and are four points behind the Erie Otters for top spot in the Western Conference. Windsor drops to 9-16-1-0. With 19 points, the Spitfires sit in fifth in the West Division.

The Greyhounds return to action on Friday night when they travel to London to take on the Knights in a 7:30 p.m. start at Budweiser Gardens. The Greyhounds wrap up their trip on Sunday afternoon in Sarnia at the RBC Centre in a 4:05 p.m. starts against the Sting.

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OTHER SCORES

In St. Catharines, Justin Nichols made 35 saves as the Guelph Storm beat the Niagara IceDogs 5-2. Recently-acquired forward Luke Cairns had a pair of goals for the Storm in the win. Robby Fabbri had a goal and two assists and Zac Leslie also had a multi-point night with a goal and an assist for the Storm. Pius Suter had the other Guelph goal. Brendan Perlini and Carter Verhaeghe scored for Niagara in the loss.

In Peterborough, Ken Appleby stopped all 25 shots he faced as the Oshawa Generals blanked the Peterborough Petes 6-0. Michael Dal Colle had two goals and an assist in the win while Josh Sterk set up three goals for the Generals. Bradley Latour and Anthony Cirelli had a goal and an assist each for Oshawa. Josh Brown and Tobias Lindberg also scored while Chris Carlisle set up two goals for Oshawa. Matthew Mancina stopped 26 shots in the loss.

In Barrie, Adrian Carbonara’s goal at 7:31 of the third period held up as the game-winner as the Barrie Colts beat the Mississauga Steelheads 5-3.Brendan Lemieux, Roy Radke, Cordell James and Andrew Mangiapane, into an empty net in the final seconds, also scored for Barrie. Spencer Martin made 36 saves for the Steelheads in the loss. Bryson Cianfrone had a goal and two assists offensively in the loss. Josh Burnside and Sam Babintsev also scored for Mississauga. Forward Jimmy Lodge set up a pair of goals in the loss.

(File Photo: Soo Greyhounds forward Blake Speers Kenneth Armstrong/SooToday)