Music: {allcanada} OHL: KUHNHACKL HAS FOUR-POINT NIGHT, SPITFIRES DOWN OTTERS

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

{allcanada} OHL: KUHNHACKL HAS FOUR-POINT NIGHT, SPITFIRES DOWN OTTERS

ERIE, Pa. -- Tom Kuhnhackl had two goals and two assists and the two-time defending champion Windsor Spitfires took control of their Ontario Hockey League opening-round playoff series with a 7-4 win over the Erie Otters on Wednesday.

The Spitfires took a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final and can advance to the next round with a win Friday night in Windsor, Ont.

Alexander Khokhlachev had two goals and an assist while Jake Carrick had a goal and two assists for Windsor. Stephen Johnston and Zack Kassian added a goal and an assist each while Craig Duininck and Adrian Robertson each added two assists.

Tyler Hostetter, David Shields, Greg McKegg and Mike Cazzola replied for Erie. Shawn Szydlowski added two assists.

Windsor scored on their first two shots to chase Otters goaltender Ramis Sadikov for the second straight game.

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 made it 2-0 Windsor with a goal from in front at the 3:52 mark.

Hostetter scored less than five minutes later to cut the Otters' deficit to 2-1, but Johnston scored on a power play against backup goaltender 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.

With 4:15 left in the first period, Shields slipped a shot past Spitfires goaltender Jack Campbell to send the Otters into the first intermission trailing 3-2.

Kassian's first goal of the series, 47 seconds into the second period, gave the Spitfires a 4-2 lead and prompted Otters coach Robbie Ftorek to send Sadikov back into the game.

McKegg pulled the Otters within a goal again at 4-3, as he fired a rebound of Szydlowski's shot off the post past Campbell 4:56.

But a goaltender interference penalty to McKegg led a power-play goal by Kuhnhackl 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 Otters cut the lead to 6-4 at the 5:01 mark of the third period, as Cazzola poked in a rebound late in a 5-on-3 opportunity. But Khokhlachev scored his second goal of the night less than two minutes later to extend Windsor's lead to 7-4.

Windsor outshot the Otters 22-7 in the third to finish with a 42-23 advantage.

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Whalers 6, Rangers 5

PLYMOUTH, Mich. -- Scott Wedgewood made 52 saves and Stefan Noesen scored in overtime as the Plymouth Whalers edged the Kitchener Rangers 6-5 to pull ahead 3-1 in their Ontario Hockey League best-of-seven quarter-final.

Noesen also scored in regulation and had two assists on the night. RJ Mahalak, Jamie Devane, James Livingston and Austin Levi had the other goals for Whalers.

Top prospect Gabriel Landeskog, with two, Jamie Doornbosch, Andrew Crescenzi and Michael Catenacci each scored for the Rangers, with Brandon Maxwell stopping 37 shots.

Game 5 is Friday in Kitchener, Ont.