Thomas Harley and Ryan Wells each scored twice as the Mississauga Steelheads beat the Windsor Spitfires 9-5 Monday afternoon.
It was the Spits' traditional New Year's Eve matinee at the WFCU Centre. Windsor finishes the 2018 half of the season in fourth place in the OHL West Division, with 33 points.
The Steelheads started the game with back-to-back goals. Harley cracked the scoreboard first at 1:56 of the opening period, then Wells followed suit within two minutes with his first goal of the afternoon. Windsor cut the lead in half at 4:12 with Sean Allen's first goal of the season, but Mississauga struck back with two more, off the sticks of Alan Lyszczarczyk and Cole Schwindt. Will Cuylle scored for the Spits on the power play and they trailed 4-2 after one frame. Spitfires goalie Kari Piiroinen was pulled after the period and replaced with Colton Incze.
Mississauga added a James Hardie goal at 2:12 of the middle stanza, but the Spitfires got back into the game with two straight goals. Cole Purboo scored at 3:32 on the power play, then Mathew MacDougall narrowed the lead to 5-4 shortly after the halfway point of the frame. However, Wells scored his second goal of the game for a two-goal Steelheads lead after 40 minutes of play.
Tyler Angle brought the Spitfires to within one goal at ten seconds into the third period, but it was all Steelheads after that. Harley collected his second goal of the game, and more scoring came from Ryan McLeod and Liam Ham.
Piiroinen and Incze combined for 25 saves in goal for Windsor. Matthew Dunsmoor stopped 23 shots in net for Mississauga.
Windsor will try to start 2019 on a winning note Thursday night, when they host the Sudbury Wolves.