Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
With coach John Dean and rookie Brady Martin away in P.E.I for the 2023 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, the first place (9-5) Soo Greyhounds hosted the fifth place (4-8-1) Windsor Spitfires in a west division contest on Saturday, November 4th in Sault Ste Marie that included the jersey retirement of former Soo Greyhound Joe Thornton and Sault Ste Marie native Connor Toms playing for the first time since a trade from the Greyhounds to the Spitfires on Monday, October 30th.
45 seconds past the midway mark of the opening period, Oliver Peer catches a cross ice pass inside the right faceoff circle to slide the Spitfires first goal of the game through Greyhound netminder Charlie Schenkel’s five hole to give the visitors a 1 – 0 lead. Alex Christopoulos and Cole Davis drew the helpers on Peer’s sixth of the season. With the Soo on a two on one, Justin Clouthier fires the tying goal from the left faceoff circle over Windsor goaltender Joey Costanzo’s right shoulder to pull the Greyhounds even 1 – 1 at 15:55 of the first. Owen Allard and Connor Clattenburg notched the helpers on Cloutier’s eighth of the season. With a Soo turnover in front of the Greyhounds net, Ryan Abraham finds the back of Schenkel’s net for his third of the season with a snapshot under Soo netminder’s catcher to give the Spitfires a 2 – 1 lead. Jacob Maillet had the lone contributor on Abraham’s powerplay marker at 4:16 of the second period.
With a cross ice pass in front of Costanzo’s net, Travis Hayes rifles a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle to tie the game 2 – 2 with the Soo’s second goal over the Windsor goaltender’s catcher at 7:05 of the third. Clattenburg registered the only assist on Hayes’ sixth of the season. With 6.3 seconds remaining regulation time and the Greyhounds on a five minute powerplay with Joey Costanzo sprawled across Windsor’s crease, Brenden Sirizzotti lifts the game winner of a rebound to give the Soo their tenth win of the season. Arttu Karki and Bryce McConnell-Barker had the helpers on Sirizotti’s fifth of the season. Spitfire goaltender Joey Costanzo stopped 38 of 42 shots in Windsor’s loss while Greyhound netminder Charlie Schenkel turned away 19 of 21 shots in the win on the Spitfires in Sault Ste Marie.
The Spitfires and Greyhounds back in action on Sunday, November 5th at the Memorial Gardens in a 2:07 afternoon matinee.
