Stepan Shurygin stopped 34 of 36 shots in regulation and overtime, then turned aside all three Windsor attempts in the shootout as the Saginaw Spirit beat the Spitfires 3-2 on Monday afternoon at WFCU Centre. Dima Zhilkin scored the lone goal of the shootout after opening the scoring in regulation.
It was Saginaw’s first shootout win of the season, and the Spirit took two points from a Canadian Thanksgiving matinee in which they were outshot 36-25.
How it happened
Zhilkin put Saginaw ahead at 6:00 of the first period, with Braidy Wassilyn picking up the assist. The point stretched Wassilyn’s season-opening point streak to eight games, though the goal streak he carried into Windsor stopped at seven.
Windsor captain Ethan Garden tied it late in the second, knocking in the rebound of a Caden Harvey shot. Beksultan Makysh then gave the Spitfires a 2-1 lead at 5:43 of the third, with Harvey assisting again.
Jacob Cloutier answered shortly after the midpoint of the third with an unassisted goal to make it 2-2, and neither team scored in overtime. Michael Newlove made 23 saves for Windsor. Neither side scored on the power play; Saginaw did not have one, and Windsor went 0-for-1.
Standings and what’s next
The Spirit improved to 4-2-2-0 with 10 points through eight games, fourth in the West Division. Windsor fell to 3-4-1-1.
Saginaw plays three games in three days this weekend: Friday, Oct. 16, at Sarnia (7:05 p.m.), then home dates at the Dow Event Center against Sarnia on Saturday, Oct. 17 (7:05 p.m.), and Owen Sound on Sunday, Oct. 18 (5:30 p.m.).
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