What: No. 5 Erie Otters at No. 4 Windsor Spitfires

When: Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.

Where: WFCU Centre – Windsor, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters have rallied from a 3-1 series deficit by beating the Spitfires, the two-time defending OHL and Memorial Cup champions, in overtime the past two games. … They tied the series at three games apiece with a 6-5 overtime win in Game 6 Sunday. That was the Otters’ first home playoff win in OT since May 10, 2002, when Sean Courtney scored to seal the franchise’s only OHL championship. … The Otters have won two straight playoff games for the first time since the first round in 2005 against Kitchener. … The Otters have won two of three games in Windsor, both by one goal (2-1 in Game 1 and 6-5 in OT in Game 5). … The Otters’ three wins in this series equals the combined total since their last series victory in 2004 (first round vs. Sarnia). … The franchise is 0-5 in series when trailing 3-1 in games. The Otters have rallied to force Game 7 twice but lost both times (first round vs. London in 1998, second round vs. Sault Ste. Marie in 2000). … The Otters have tied their playoff record with three overtime games in one series (first round vs. Kitchener in 2005). … RW Anthony Luciani (7-3-10) was named OHL player of the week after totaling six goals and nine points last week. … Luciani and C Phil Varone (3-10-13) combined for eight goals and 17 points in the past two games. … Linemate Brett Thompson scored the OT winner on Sunday, his first career playoff goal. … G Ramis Sadikov (3-2-1 record, 4.07 goals-against average, .907 save percentage) has made 50 and 48 saves, respectively, in the past two games – the second and the third-best single-game totals in his career. He made 51 in a first-round loss to the Spitfires last season. … F Andrew Yogan (sick) isn’t expected to play tonight after missing the past three games. “I told him the other day that we’re probably going to go with what we’ve got,” coach Robbie Ftorek said Sunday. “He’s fine, but he doesn’t have the hands and the timing that the other players have because he only played nine games (in the regular season because of shoulder surgery).”

Windsor – The Spitfires have squandered consecutive opportunities to win the series, including squandering 3-0 and 4-3 leads on Sunday. … According to The Windsor Star, the Spitfires have never lost a series when leading 3-1 in games (9-0). This is the third time a series has reached a seventh game (1991 vs. London, 2000 vs. Sarnia). … G Jack Campbell (3-1-2, 3.42, .903) has allowed 16 goals on his last 124 shots after stopping 105-of-112 shots in the first three games. … The Spitfires have recorded 40 or more shots on goal in all six games, including more than 50 in the past two games. … D Adrian Robertson (2-7-9) leads the team in scoring and is tied for second in scoring by defenseman in the playoffs. … RW Jake Carrick (4-4-8), C Stephen Johnston (4-4-8) and LW Tom Kuhnhackl (3-5-8) also rank among team leaders in scoring.

Up next: TBD

– Victor Fernandes

What: No. 5 Erie Otters at No. 4 Windsor Spitfires

When: Friday, 7:05 p.m.

Where: WFCU Centre – Windsor, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters need a win to avoid being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs for the third straight season. They haven’t won a first-round series since beating Sarnia in 2004. … The franchise is 0-5 in series when trailing 3-1 in games. The Otters lost Game 5 three times. … The Otters have lost three straight for the first time since October. … G Ramis Sadikov (1-2-1 record, 3.81 goals-against average, .906 save percentage) has allowed 10 goals on his last 70 shots (7.05 GAA, .875 save pct.). … Rookie backup G Chris Festarini has allowed three goals on 18 shots in 35 minutes of play (5.12 GAA, .833 save pct.). … The Otters were 1-for-6 on the power play in their Game 4 loss Monday to fall to 3-for-27 in the series. … C Mike Cazzola (3 goals, 2 assists for 5 points) and RW Shawn Szydlowski (2-3-5) have points in the past three games. … C Phil Varone (1-3-4) has points in three of four games. … Coach Robbie Ftorek said F Andrew Yogan missed Game 4 because he was ill and banged up. “We’ve got to see how that works its way out,” Ftorek said.

Windsor – LW Tom Kuhnhackl (2-3-5) rebounded from a leg injury in Game 3 by totaling two goals and two assists in Game 4. … RW Jake Carrick (3-3-6) has more goals and points in this series than in his previous 19 playoff games (1-2-3 with Sault Ste. Marie in 2008 and 2010). … C Stephen Johnston (3-3-6), RW Zack Kassian (1-4-5) and D Adrian Robertson (0-5-5) also lead the offense. … Six different players recorded at least two points in the Game 4 win. … The Spitfires have recorded 40 or more shots on goal in all four games (44.5 per-game average). … The power-play unit has capitalized on 4-of-14 chances in the past two games after failing on 16-of-17 opportunities in the first two games. … G Jack Campbell has a 3-1 record, 2.44 GAA and .920 save pct. in the series.

Up next: Game 6 at Erie (Sunday, 4:30 p.m.), Game 7 at Windsor (Tuesday, 7:05 p.m.)*

* If necessary (both games)

– Victor Fernandes

The Windsor Spitfires have taken command of their series with the Erie Otters.

The Spitfires exploded for seven goals on 42 shots in a 7-4 win against the Otters in Game 4 of their best-of-seven quarterfinal series, played in front of 3,316 at Tullio Arena on Wednesday night.

The Spitfires, which lead 3-1 in the series, can eliminate the Otters with a win in Game 5 on Friday night at 7:05 p.m. at WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ontario. Seven Spitfires contributed multiple points in the win.

Tom Kuhnhackl led the way with two goals and two assists. Alexander Khokhlachev (two goals, assist) and Jake Carrick (goal, two assists) had three points apiece. David Shields had two points for the Otters.

The shootout many expected from two of the OHL’s top offenses finally erupted in the first period.

The teams scored five goals on 15 shots, with the Spitfires building a 3-2 lead. Windsor scored on their first two shots to chase Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov from the game for the second straight outing.

Kuhnhackl, who left Game 3 early on Monday with an apparent leg injury, beat Sadikov for a 1-0 lead 1:27 into the opening period. Khokhlachev scored from in front at the 3:52 mark.

Tyler Hostetter scored less than five minutes later to slice the Otters’ deficit to 2-1, only to have Stephen Johnston score on the power play against rookie backup Chris Festarini with 7:06 left in the period to regain the Spitfires’ two-goal lead. Windsor scored its first three goals on four shots.

Then with 4:15 left in the period, Shields slipped a shot past Spitfires goaltender Jack Campbell to send the Otters into the first intermission trailing 3-2. The Otters scored twice on nine shots.

But Zack Kassian’s first goal of the series 47 seconds into the second period, which handed the Spitfires a 4-2 lead, forced Otters coach Robbie Ftorek to send Sadikov back into the game.

Greg McKegg pulled the Otters within a goal again at 4-3, as he fired a rebound of Shawn Szydlowski’s shot off the post past Campbell 4:56 into the period. But McKegg’s goaltender interference penalty led to Kuhnhackl’s power-play score – his second goal of the game and series – that extended the Spitfires’ lead to 5-3 with 11:27 left in the period. Carrick scored five minutes later for a 6-3 lead.

The Spitfires scored those six goals on 18 shots. The Otters moved within 6-4 at the 5:01 mark of the third period, as Mike Cazzola poked in a rebound late in a 5-on-3 opportunity. But Khokhlachev scored his second goal of the night less than 2 minutes later to extend Windsor’s lead to 7-4. Windsor outshot the Otters 22-7 in the third to finish with a 48-26 advantage.

- Victor Fernandes

Series schedule

No. 4 Windsor vs. No. 5 Erie

Game 1 – Erie 2, Windsor 1

Game 2 – Windsor 4, Erie 3 (2OT)

Game 3 – Windsor 6, Erie 2

Game 4 – Windsor 7, Erie 4

Game 5 – Friday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 6 – Sunday at Erie, 4:30 p.m.*

Game 7 – Tuesday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Windsor leads series 3-1

* If necessary

SUMMARY

Spitfires 7, Otters 4

Windsor  3  3  1  —  7

Erie  2  1  1  —  4

1^st Period — 1. Windsor, Tom Kuhnhackl 1 (Duininck), 1:27. 2. Windsor, Alexander Khokhlachev 1 (Robertson, Kuhnhackl), 3:52. 3. Erie, Tyler Hostetter 1 (Festarini), 8:27. 4. Windsor, Stephen Johnston 3 (Kassian, Duininck), 12:54 (pp). 5. Erie, David Shields 1 (Luciani, Holden), 15:45. Penalties — Rychel (W) tripping, 4:11; Cook (E) checking from behind, 12:16; Carrick (W) hooking, 14:08; Thompson (E) tripping, 15:31.

2^nd Period — 6. Windsor, Zack Kassian 1 (Ryan, Johnston), :47. 7. Erie, Greg McKegg 2 (Szydlowski, Shields), 4:56. 8. Windsor, Kuhnhackl 2 (Carrick, Khokhlachev), 8:33 (pp). 9. Windsor, Jake Carrick 3 (Kuhnhackl), 13:34. Penalties — McKegg (E) goaltender interference, 8:24; Kassian (W) roughing, 15:51.

3^rd Period — 10. Erie, Mike Cazzola 3 (Szydlowski, Varone), 5:01 (pp). 11. Windsor, Khokhlachev 2 (Carrick, Robertson), 6:50. Penalties — Luciani (E) 4-min. roughing, 2:04; Khokhlachev (W) roughing, 2:04; Robertson (W) roughing, 2:04; Varone (E) slashing, 2:04; Ellis (E) slashing, 3:04; Johnston (W) tripping, 4:21; Carnevale (W) holding, 9:37; Luciani (E) roughing, 13:09; Szydlowski (E) slashing, 14:44; Kassian (W) roughing, 14:44; Crisp (E) slashing, 17:00.

Shots on goal — Windsor, 9-17-22—42; Erie, 6-13-7—26.

Goaltenders — Windsor, Jack Campbell 3-1-0 (26 shots, 22 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 1-2-1 (37shots, 32 saves), Chris Festarini (11 shots, 9 saves).

Power plays — Windsor (2-6), Erie (1-6).

Referees — Craig Spada, Mike Cairns. Linesmen — Darryl Wolfe, Matthew Traub.

Attendance — 3,316.

Three stars

* Tom Kuhnhackl, Spitfires (2 goals, 2 assists) ** Alexander Khokhlachev, Spitfires (2 goals, assist) *** Mike Cazzola, Otters (goal)

WINDSOR, Ontario – It took only a minute for a tight game to turn into a rout.

The Windsor Spitfires scored three goals on four shots in a span of 1 minute, 2 seconds early in the third period on their way to a 6-2 win against the Erie Otters in front of 5,655 at WFCU Centre on Monday night.

With the victory, the Spitfires took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarterfinal series heading into Game 4 on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Tullio Arena. Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov was on his way to another strong effort until Kerby Rychel’s floating shot from the point bounced off his glove and then the crossbar.

Jeff Brown scored on the rebound to hand the Spitfires a 4-2 lead 1:14 into the third. Thirty-two seconds later, Sadikov stopped Rychel’s shot. But Sadikov couldn’t find the puck between his skates.

Brady Vail scored to extend Windsor’s lead to 5-2 and send Sadikov to the bench. He allowed five goals on 32 shots before being replaced by rookie Chris Festarini. Kenny Ryan followed with a goal on the first shot against Festarini for a 6-2 lead at the 2:16 mark. Festarini finished with five saves on six shots.

At first, it appeared Sadikov and Spitfires goaltender Jack Campbell (30 saves) would keep these potent offenses off the scoreboard in the opening period. But a late power play sparked the Spitfires’ attack.

Windsor, which scored on 1-of-17 chances with the man advantage in the first two games, scored on 2-of-4 chances in the first period to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Stephen Johnston poked a rebound past Sadikov for his second goal of the series and a 1-0 lead with 4:42 left in the period. The Otters responded 26 seconds later on Mike Cazzola’s second goal of the series.

But the Spitfires capitalized on a 5-on-3 opportunity, as Jake Carrick scored on assists from Zack Kassian – his second of the period – and Ryan Ellis with 1:40 left in the period.

Windsor outshot the Otters 18-10 in the period. The Spitfires continued their offensive momentum in the second period, as they outshot the Otters 11-7. The Spitfires also responded to Shawn Szydlowski’s tying power-play goal with 4:54 left in the period by taking a 3-2 lead on Ryan Ellis‘ unassisted goal less than two minutes later.  A poor clearing attempt from the Otters led to the go-ahead goal.

Then the Spitfires put the game away early in the third. Ellis (goal, assist), Johnston (goal, assist), Carrick (goal, assist), Kassian (two assists) and Adrian Robertson (two assists) led the Spitfires.

- Victor Fernandes

Series schedule

No. 4 Windsor vs. No. 5 Erie

Game 1 – Erie 2, Windsor 1

Game 2 – Windsor 4, Erie 3 (2OT)

Game 3 – Windsor 6, Erie 2

Game 4 – Wednesday at Erie, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – Friday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 6 – Sunday at Erie, 4:30 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 5 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Windsor leads series 2-1

* If necessary

SUMMARY

Spitfires 6, Otters 2

Erie  1  1  0  —  2

Windsor  2  1  3  —  6

1^st Period — 1. Windsor, Stephen Johnston 2 (Kassian, Robertson), 15:18 (pp). 2. Erie, Mike Cazzola 2 (Yogan, Pelech), 15:44. 3. Windsor, Jake Carrick 2 (Kassian, Ellis), 18:20 (pp). Penalties — Ryan (W) high sticking, :38; Thompson (E) tripping, 3:08; Cazzola (E) hooking, 14:32; Thompson (E) roughing, 15:06; MacQueen (W) roughing, 15:06; Cairns (E) tripping, 17:09; Cazzola (E) roughing, 17:38.

2^nd Period — 4. Erie, Shawn Szydlowski 2 (Cook, Hostetter), 15:06 (pp). 5. Windsor, Ryan Ellis 1  (unassisted), 17:12. Penalties — McKegg (E) charging, 1:45; Kassian (W) boarding, 3:53; Johnston (W) high sticking, 7:52; Cook (E) roughing, 11:53; Kassian (W) unsportsmanlike conduct, 13:46; Yogan (E) kneeing, 17:35; Khokhlachev (W) hooking, 18:48.

3^rd Period — 6. Windsor, Jeff Brown 3 (Rychel), 1:14. 7. Windsor, Brady Vail 1 (Rychel), 1:46. 8. Windsor, Kenny Ryan 1 (unassisted), 2:16. Penalties — Brown (W) high sticking, 7:19; Cazzola (E) hooking, 7:24; Czinder (W) interference, 10:28; Luciani (E) roughing, 10:37; Robertson (W) roughing, 10:37; Czinder (W) instigating, 18:28; Appio (E) 5-min. fighting, 18:28; Czinder (W) 5-min. fighting, 18:28; Czinder (W) 10-min. misconduct, 18:28.

Shots on goal — Erie, 10-7-15—32; Windsor, 18-11-11—40.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 1-1-1 (33 shots, 28 saves), Chris Festarini (7 shots, 6 saves); Windsor, Jack Campbell 1-1-0 (32 shots, 30 saves).

Power plays — Erie (1-7), Windsor (2-7).

Referees — Jason Faist, Bob Langdon. Linesmen — Garrett Rank, Chris Thornton.

Attendance — 5,655.

Three stars

* Zack Kassian, Spitfires (2 assists) ** Jack Campbell, Spitfires (30 saves) *** Stephen Johnston, Spitfires (goal, assist)

WINDSOR, Ontario – The Erie Otters played with fire against the Windsor Spitfires.

But the Otters’ penalty kill stopped the Spitfires on 10-of-11 chances on the power play on the way to a 2-1 win in Game 1 of their Western Conference quarterfinal series at WFCU Centre on Thursday night.

Phil Varone scored short-handed in the first period. Anthony Luciani scored the eventual winning goal early in the second. Ramis Sadikov stopped 40-of-41 shots. The Otters will take a 1-0 series lead into Game 2 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Tullio Arena.

The Otters controlled play at the outset and also had several scoring opportunities. But it took a Spitfires’ power play for the Otters to score their first goal of the postseason. Varone and Brett Thompson turned a short-handed, 2-on-1 chance into the game’s opening goal with 4:49 left in the first period.

Varone redirected Thompson’s cross-ice pass past Spitfires goaltender Jack Campbell. Yet the Spitfires seemed to gain momentum late in the period. That momentum carried over into the second, even after Thompson set up Luciani’s goal 1:20 into the period for a 2-0 Otters’ lead.

Then at the 3:04 mark, Otters winger Brett Appio was called for hooking. Six seconds later, Stephen Johnston beat Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov to slice Erie’s lead in half at 2-1. Zack Kassian and Adrian Robertson earned assists on the power-play goal.

After that, the surging Spitfires had several quality chances to the tie the score. But the Otters, especially their penalty kill, held off the Spitfires to take the one-goal lead into the third. Windsor outshot the Otters 15-10 in the period. But Sadikov stopped 14 of those 15 shots.

The Spitfires enjoyed four more power plays in the third, including a 5-on-3 for 46 seconds late in the period. But the Otters thwarted all of them to secure a hard-earned victory.

- Victor Fernandes

Series schedule

No. 4 Windsor vs. No. 5 Erie

Game 1 – Erie 2, Windsor 1

Game 2 – Saturday at Erie, 7 p.m.

Game 3 – Monday at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.

Game 4 – March 30 at Erie, 7 p.m.

Game 5 – April 1 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Game 6 – April 3 at Erie, 4:30 p.m.*

Game 7 – April 5 at Windsor, 7:05 p.m.*

Erie leads series 1-0

* If necessary

SUMMARY

Otters 2, Spitfires 1

Erie  1  1  0  —  2

Windsor  0  1  0  —  1

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Phil Varone 1 (Thompson, Shields), 15:11 (sh). Penalties — Ryan (W) slashing, 1:35; Rychel (W) hooking, 7:48; Cook (E) unsportsmanlike conduct, 7:48; Kassian (W) charging, 8:32; Appio (E) interference, 11:02; Holden (E) checking from behind, 13:25; Pelech (E) holding, 18:51.

2^nd Period — 2. Erie, Anthony Luciani 1 (Thompson, Varone), 1:20. 3. Windsor, Stephen Johnston 1 (Kassian, Robertson), 3:10 (pp). Penalties — Appio (E) hooking, 3:04; Vail (W) cross checking, 7:54; Paton (E) hooking, 10:37; Yogan (E) interference, 13:22; Cook (E) tripping, 15:13; Cook (E) 5-min. fighting, 15:13; Carrick (W) 5-min. fighting, 15:13; Cazzola (E) slashing, 17:27; Ebert (W) slashing, 17:27.

3^rd Period — None. Penalties — Luciani (E) tripping, 5:19; Szydlowski (E) delay of game, 8:59; Appio (E) goaltender interference, 15:37; Szydlowski (E) high sticking, 16:51.

Shots on goal — Erie, 13-10-14—37; Windsor, 15-15-11—41.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 1-0-0 (41 shots, 40 saves); Windsor, Jack Campbell 0-1-0 (37 shots, 35 saves).

Power plays — Erie (0-3), Windsor (1-11).

Referees — Dave Lewis, Scott Hoberg. Linesmen — Sean Pindar, Ryan Lachine.

Attendance — 5,524.

Three stars

* Ramis Sadikov, Otters (40 saves) ** Jack Campbell, Spitfires (35 saves) *** Brett Thompson, Otters (2 assists)

What: Erie Otters (17-18-1-1) at Windsor Spitfires (21-13-0-1)

When: Thursday, 2:05 p.m.

Where: WFCU Centre – Windsor, Ontario

On the air: WFNN-AM/1330, www.ottershockey.com (live stream)

Players to watch

Erie – C Greg McKegg (25 goals, 28 assists, 53 points), RW Shawn Szydlowski (17-15-32), RW Anthony Luciani (13-18-31), G Ramis Sadikov (17-14-1-1 record, 2.95 goals-against average, .911 save percentage, 2 shutouts), C Phil Varone (13-14-27)

Windsor – C Alexander Khokhlachev (16-28-44), G Troy Passingham (9-4-0-1, 3.00, .902), C Eric Locke (19-13-32), C Stephen Johnston (8-22-30), RW Kenny Ryan (10-17-27)

Fast facts

Erie – The Otters complete a three-game West Division road trip against the Spitfires, who won the first two meetings in the four-game season series (5-3 in Windsor Oct. 14 and 3-2 in Erie Oct. 29). … The Otters are 1-6-0-1 against West Division teams. … Rookie LW Chris Marchese (3-7-10), rookie D Adam Pelech (1-5-6, plus-1) and Team Ontario topped Czech Republic 7-1 Wednesday in their opener at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba. Marchese had a goal and assist for Ontario, which faced Slovakia late Thursday night in Winnipeg. … McKegg and Luciani have a combined three points in the team’s last four games. … Sadikov extended his franchise-record streak of consecutive starts to 27 games in Wednesday’s loss to Saginaw. … The Otters are 8-10-1-0 on the road.

Windsor – RW Zack Kassian (15-33-48) and D Ryan Ellis (12-28-40) are representing their native Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Buffalo. … G Jack Campbell (12-9-0-0, 3.68, .887) is playing for the United States. … C Tom Kuhnhackl (17-16-33) is playing for Germany. … The Spitfires, who are fourth in the Western Conference, have lost two straight after a stretch of seven wins in eight games. … They are among the top 10 on the power play (21.4 percent) and penalty kill (80.7).

Up next: vs. Niagara (Wednesday, 7 p.m.), at Kitchener (Jan. 7, 7:30 p.m.)

– Victor Fernandes

The Windsor Spitfires desperately needed a road win. The Erie Otters were gracious hosts.

Rookie Eric Locke’s goal snapped a tie with 7.8 seconds left in the Spitfires’ 3-2 in front of 2,527 at Tullio Arena Friday night. In the process, Windsor (8-6-0-1) snapped a 0-4 start on the road.

After an evenly matched start to the game, Spitfires forward Stephen Johnston’s slashing penalty handed the Otters’ dangerous power play a quality scoring opportunity. The Otters (4-10-1-0), which began the night ranked third in the OHL with the man advantage, capitalized on the chance.

Mike Cazzola redirected Tyler Hostetter’s cross-crease pass past Spitfires goaltender Jack Campbell to snap the scoreless tie 7:46 into the opening period. Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov took control from there, as he stopped all 13 shots he faced in the period.

Sadikov faced a steady barrage of shots in the second period – 19 in all. The Spitfires slipped one past him early, as Tom Kuhnhackl’s shot from in front deflected off Hostetter’s stick and floated over Sadikov for the tying goal at the 1:14 mark. Brett Appio’s goal, on assists from Matthew Paton and Mitch Gaulton, regained the Otters’ one-goal lead at 2-1 with 10:58 left in the period.

But Zack Kassian scored off a rebound – his seventh goal and 19^th point in 10 games – to tie the score at 2 less than two minutes later. Windsor finished with a 19-10 shot advantage in the period.

The Otters outshot Windsor 14-10 in the third. But the Spitfires managed the lone score, Locke’s goal off a 3-on-2 rush in the waning seconds. Locke had a goal and assist. Windsor finished with a 40-34 shot advantage. Campbell finished with 32 saves while Sadikov had 37.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Spitfires 3, Otters 2

Windsor  0  2  1  —  3

Erie  1  1  0  —  2

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Mike Cazzola 8 (Hostetter, Holden), 7:46 (pp). Penalties — Paton (E) tripping, 1:17; Johnston (W) slashing, 7:10; Posa (W) hooking, 9:03; Cazzola (E) holding, 13:56; Paton (E) goaltender interference, 16:19.

2^nd Period — 2. Windsor, Tom Kuhnhackl 6 (Khokhlachev, MacIntyre), 1:14. 3. Erie, Brett Appio 3 (Paton, Gaulton), 9:02. 4. Windsor, Zack Kassian 7 (Ellis, Locke), 10:27. Penalties — MacIntyre (W) interference, 13:42; Posa (W) hooking, 15:59; Holden (E) interference, 17:26.

3^rd Period — 5. Windsor, Eric Locke 5 (Ryan, Johnston), 19:52. Penalties — Locke (W) high sticking, 7:43; Gaulton (E) hooking, 9:46; Ellis (W) hooking, 13:18.

Shots on goal — Windsor, 11-19-10—40; Erie, 10-10-14—34.

Goaltenders — Windsor, Jack Campbell 5-5-0-0 (34 shots, 32 saves); Erie, Ramis Sadikov 4-7-1-0 (40 shots, 37 saves).

Power plays — Windsor (0-5), Erie (1-6).

Referees — Keith Kaval, Joe Celestin. Linesmen — Drew Jackson, Ryan Wilson.

Attendance — 2,527.

Three stars

* Brett Appio, Otters (goal) ** Adam Pelech, Otters (defense) *** Eric Locke, Spitfires (goal, assist)

WINDSOR, Ontario – The Windsor Spitfires haven’t been gracious hosts to the Erie Otters.

The Otters’ losing streak in Windsor stands at nine straight games following a 5-3 loss in front of 5,901 at WFCU Centre Thursday night. The Otters haven’t won in Windsor since Feb. 1, 2007.

Rookie Michael MacIntyre, who ranks second among all rookies with five goals and nine points, snapped a 3-3 tie 7 minutes, 59 seconds into the third period. Zack Kassian’s empty-net goal with 37 seconds left sealed the win.

The Otters (3-5-1-0), which have lost three straight overall, began the game strong, as Derek Holden and Matthew Paton scored 1 minute, 3 seconds apart midway through the first period to snap a scoreless tie.

But the Spitfires (5-4-0-1) responded quickly, as Kassian scored 44 seconds after Paton’s goal. Kassian has five goals and 14 points in five games since being reassigned by the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Michael Whaley scored his first goal of the season 22 seconds later to tie the score at 2.

Windsor took a 3-2 lead into the third on Stephen Johnston’s power-play goal 5:22 into the second. But Otters rookie Chris Marchese’s power-play goal at the 5:04 mark of the final period tied the score at 3.

That tie stood for less than three minutes, as MacIntyre beat Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov for the winning goal. Sadikov finished with 30 saves. Windsor’s Troy Passingham stopped 33-of-36 shots.

The Otters continue their three-game weekend on Friday in London with a 7:30 p.m. game.

- Victor Fernandes

SUMMARY

Spitfires 5, Otters 3

Erie  2  0  1  —  3

Windsor  2  1  2  —  5

1^st Period — 1. Erie, Derek Holden 1 (Cazzola, Szydlowski), 12:16 (pp). 2. Erie, Matthew Paton 2 (Gottzmann, Austin), 13:19. 3. Windsor, Zack Kassian 4 (MacQueen, Khokhlachev), 14:03. 4. Windsor, Michael Whaley 1 (Kuhnhackl), 14:25. Penalties — Cairns (E) high sticking, 6:35; Ellis (W) checking from behind, 11:59; Holden (E) interference, 17:10.

2^nd Period — 5. Windsor, Stephen Johnston 3 (Kassian, Ellis), 5:22 (pp). Penalties — Gaulton (E) 5-min. fighting, :02; Tarini (W) 5-min. fighting, :02; Cazzola (E) high sticking, 3:31; Marchese (E) tripping, 4:17; Paton (E) 5-min. fighting, 7:48; MacIntyre (W) 5-min. fighting, 7:48; Marchese (E) 5-min. fighting, 8:23; Webermin (W) 5-min fighting, 8:23; Tarini (W) slashing, 8:57; Ryan (W) boarding, 13:27; Broll (E) interference, 15:07.

3^rd Period — 6. Erie, Chris Marchese 2 (Hostetter, Holden), 5:04 (pp). 7. Windsor, Michael MacIntyre 5 (Locke, Kuhnhackl), 7:59. 8. Windsor, Zack Kassian 5 (Ellis), 19:23 (en). Penalties — Ellis (W) holding, 3:23; McKegg (E) high sticking, 5:52; Austin (E) 5-min. fighting, 8:02; Duininck (W) 5-min. fighting, 8:02; Hostetter (E) high sticking, 15:49.

Shots on goal — Erie, 11-13-12—36; Windsor, 13-13-9—35.

Goaltenders — Erie, Ramis Sadikov 3-4-1-0 (34 shots, 30 saves); Windsor, Troy Passingham 3-0-0-1 (36 shots, 33 saves).

Power plays — Erie (2-4), Windsor (1-7).

Referees — Jason Faist, T.J. Foster. Linesmen — Ryan Wilson, Geoff Rutherford.

Attendance — 5,901.

Three stars

* Stephen Johnston, Spitfires (goal) ** Tom Kuhnhackl, Spitfires (2 assists) *** Zack Kassian, Spitfires (2 goals, assist)