Sergeev’s slippery shootout skills stop Spits

Jake Paterson saw it first hand, so when it came time to pick players for the shootout, he spoke up.

The overage goaltender spotted Dmitrii Sergeev pulling off what he called, “a sick move” earlier Friday. He told the Russian rearguard he better use that move if Friday night’s game went to the one-on-one competition.

Fast-forward to Friday night, after 65 minutes solved nothing, Paterson told Associate Coach Mike Van Ryn to pick the defenceman known as Dima as one of the team’s three shooters.

It payed off.

After Brandon Robinson and Ryan MacInnis both made good, Sergeev scored the winner for the Rangers who stopped the Spitfires 5-4, ending the team’s five-game losing streak.

The Rangers came out running in the first period, but Windsor got on the board first. The Blueshirts battled back burying three straight, chasing Alex Fotinos from the Windsor goal. Sergeev, Darby Llewellyn and David Miller were the Rangers goal scorers.

The Spits got within one before the end of the first, and scored the lone goal in the second period tying the game at three, going into period number three.

Both teams exchanged markers in the final frame. The Rangers pressured the Spits hard late in the game, trying to earn the regulation win to clinch a playoff berth for the team, but to no avail.

MacInnis scored the Rangers third period goal after earning an assist in the first period. Llewellyn added two assists for a three point night, while Gustaf Franzen earned two helpers of his own. Paterson made 31 saves in the win.

The Rangers will need just one point against Paterson’s former team, the Saginaw Spirit, on Sunday at the Memorial Auditorium to punch their ticket to the post-season after missing out last year.

Pregame Sunday at 1:30p.m. on 570 News with the legendary Don Cameron and Mike Farwell.

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