Rangers snap Spits streak

by Rob Benneian

The Windsor Spitfires longest winning streak of the season ended rather unceremoniously Thursday night at the WFCU Centre.

After stringing together four consecutive wins over the Ottawa 67’s, Soo Greyhounds, Sarnia Sting and Oshawa Generals Windsor was dumped 4-1 by the visiting Kitchener Rangers.

The Rangers weren’t fazed by playing without a significant portion of their regular lineup. Due to injury and national junior team commitments, the Rangers were without captain Ryan Murphy, leading goal scorer Matt Puempel, Dallas Stars draft pick Radek Faksa and Edmonton Oilers selection Tobias Rieder, among others.

“The challenge to these guys was come out, compete, play with energy and stick together,” said associate coach Paul Fixter, filling in for head coach Steve Spott who is coaching Team Canada at the World Junior Championships. “It sounds cliche, but that’s what they did and they were rewarded for it.”

Rangers goaltender John Gibson, who has been battling various injuries for the last two seasons, returned to the goal and made 33 saves.

Dominic Alberga opened the scoring for Kitchener with a power play goal nine minutes into the contest with former Spitfire Nick Czinder assisting.

After Chris Marchese scored to tie things up less than a minute into the second period, Kitchener quickly responded with a goal of their own by Keli Grant. They would not relinquish the lead again. Czinder scored a power play goal with 58 seconds left to seal the win.

For the eighteenth time in 33 games, the Spitfires scored two-or-fewer goals. When scoring less than three goals, the Spitfires have won just three times this season.

The Rangers capitalized twice on five extra-man situations, while the Spits went 0-for-2 on the power play. Centre Michael Clarke chalked it up to a lack of discipline.

“They were quicker than us. We had to hook them, hold them and late in the game we were fatigued,” Clarke said. “It seems like it’s almost contagious. When one guy gets a penalty, the next one comes, the next one comes and calls aren’t going your way.”

Windsor will have two more chances to shake the penalty bug with road dates with the Saginaw Spirit Saturday and Soo Greyhounds Sunday before their Christmas break.

The Spitfires next home date is a New Year’s Eve matinee against the Plymouth Whalers.