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The Saugeen Shores Winterhawks dropped one that got away.
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The Winterhawks bounced back from a disappointing result at home on Friday and put together a solid effort to defeat the Durham Thundercats 8-4 on Saturday.
Justin Marlow got the Winterhawks on the board late in the first period when Caleb Morrison took a shot from the sideboards that was stopped in front by Durham netminder Brendan Landry.
The rebound went right onto the stick of Marlowe, who poked the puck past Landry to make it a 1-0 game. Luke Peter also assisted on the goal.
Durham responded with a goal of their own and the score was 1-1 after one period.
The Winterhawks’ power play restored the lead five minutes into the second period. Brent McDermid took control of the puck on the wall and fired a shot into the net through traffic. Andy Fracz got hit on the ricochet and was stopped but the next ricochet went to Pither who buried it.
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Durham responded again and leveled the score at 2-2 minutes later.
The Winterhawks came back on the power play, but it was Durham who hit a small marker to give the home team a brief 3-2 lead.
The short-handed goal was redeemed on the same power play when Josh Dayel delivered a good old-fashioned slap shot from the point that was returned by Curtis Johnston to make it 3-3.
Andy Mitchell put the Winterhawks ahead at 13:06 when he fired a sharp angled shot off a corner kick that slipped between Landry’s pad and the post. Johnston assisted on the goal.
Pither put the Winterhawks up by two goals at 16:58 when Mike Fiegehen put a shot into the net off a layup and Pither again cleared the rebound for a 5-3 lead from Fiegehen and Josh Urbshott.
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The Winterhawks gave the Thundercats no hope of a comeback, pouring it on early in the third period.
Mitchell’s second hit of the night came without a play at the 3:55 mark when a quickhand shot eluded Landry’s glove to make it a 6-3 game.
The Winterhawks power play showed its strength again as Johnston turned it into a rout with his second of the night at 6:58 when Mitchell picked up the puck behind the net and found Johnston alone in the slot to make it 7-3.
Needing four to get back into the game, Durham pulled the goaltender with 12 minutes left in the game, giving Pither the opportunity to complete a hat trick at 8:55 when he hit the wide-open cage from center ice.
Durham added one more in the bottom of the third, but it was academic at that point and the Winterhawks cruised to the 8-4 win in enemy territory.
Clayton Fritsch earned the win in net for the Winterhawks.
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