James McHaig scored a hat-trick as the Saugeen Shores Winterhawks took a 6-3 win over the Shallow Lake Crushers on Friday night at The Plex.
The Crushers got on the board early in this one, as Adam Blundell beat Winterhawks starter Matt Tutin on the power play at 4:08, with an assist to former ‘Hawk Shelby Simmons.
The Winterhawks answered back less than three minutes later, as McHaig netted his first on the night, with assists to Michael Johnstone and Jay Thomson.
Miles MacLean would give the Winterhawks the lead at 12:31, converting a beautiful feed in the slot from Curtis Johnston, with Andy Mitchell also assisting.
The Crushers answered back with Adam Kading pouncing on a turnover to get in alone, dancing around Tutin to tie the game at 2-2.
The officials would whistle six minor penalties in the opening frame, but no further scoring would leave the game tied after one.
The Winterhawks got the power play working in the 2nd period, as the penalty parade continued.
Mike Rocca came back to haunt his former team as the ex-Crusher tipped in a Josh Deyell point shot on the power play at 8:58, with Trent Hawke also assisting to make it a 3-2 Winterhawks lead.
The versatile Adam Little dropped back to play defence on this night, but chipped in some offence on the power play at 17:58, blasting a shot through a crowd past Crushers netminder Ansel Triebe-Pay.
MacLean and Blake Underwood assisted on the goal to give the Winterhawks a 4-2 lead.
Tutin came up huge in the Winterhawks net as the ‘Hawks killed off three penalties in the middle frame.
McHaig would put the game away in the 3rd period as he lead a two-on-one up the ice, and while he fanned on an attempted pass across, he was able to knock the puck past Triebe-Pay at 11:48 to make it 5-2.
Tutin came up big again as the penalty killers turned away three more Shallow Lake power plays in the 3rd.
McHaig picked up his third of the night to seal the game at 18:32, batting a puck out of mid-air and past Triebe-Pay to make it 6-2.
Shallow Lake would add one seconds later, but it was of little consequence as the Winterhawks took the decision by a 6-3 score.
McHaig was named The Wismer House Player of the Game for his hat-trick, while Tutin picked up his second win of the season in as many starts.
The Winterhawks will take a two-game winning streak into a rare Sunday afternoon matinee on November 25th, hosting the Petrolia Squires at 2:00 p.m. at The Plex.
