The Windsor Spitfires fell 4-3 in a shootout against the Flint Firebirds in OHL action at the WFCU Centre on Thursday night, but skated away with a much needed point.
The Spitfires didn't get on the board until midway through the second period after three unanswered goals from the Firebirds.
Former Spitfire Cody Morgan would chase Colton Incze from the net with his 12th of the year to start off the second frame — Incze surrendered three-goals on 11-shots.
Kari Piiroinen would stand tall, stopping all 21 shots he faced in relief and the change sparked the Spitfires offence.
Luke Boka buried a low wrist shot past goaltender Emanuel Vella to make it 3-1 midway through the second period and Curtis Douglas would put the Spitfires on his back, snapping his 26th goal of the year in from the slot just 37-seconds into the third period.
"I didn't really like my first period and I knew I had to be better. I think coming into that second period I knew I had to make a difference. I know me and Dougie [Douglas] chat all the time, we have really good chemistry together and we tell each other that we're going to be the ones to get this done," says Boka.
Douglas would tally his 27th of the year to tie things up 3-3 and send the game into overtime, but it would take a shootout to settle things Thursday night.
"My line mates played really well, Angle and Boka did their jobs and a couple bounces came my way and just ended up in the net," Douglas says.
Morgan would come back to haunt the Spitfires one more time, scoring the only goal of the shootout to give the Firebirds' a 4-3 win, but Boka says it wasn't a total loss for the Spitfires.
"We did our best tonight, we fell a little bit short, but we gained a valuable point," added Boka.
Windsor is now tied with the Sarnia Sting for seventh and is three points up on the Erie Otters for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
The Spitfires head to Sarnia for their season finally Friday night, the Sting still have three games to play.
Puck drops at 7:05pm — tune into AM800 for all the action.