One star and two newcomers made their mark at the WFCU Centre tonight.

Taylor Hall scored four points, newcomer Kenny Ryan had an assist, and newly-acquired Paul Bezzo got into a fight as the Windsor Spitfires beat the London Knights 5-2 in front of a sold-out crowd.

Ryan is a Leafs prospect and just came over in a transfer from Boston College. Bezzo was acquired from the Owen Sound Attack earlier this week in the deal that sent Jesse Blacker and Ben Dubois to Owen Sound. Bezzo said he was told about the trade over the phone by Attack coach Mark Reeds after being called into General Manager Dale DeGray’s office.  "Reeds said that he was sorry to tell me over the phone, but they traded me to Windsor,” Bezzo said.  “I was pretty excited, but I mean, Owen Sound has been my home for the last three years, so it’s kind of weird, too. It’s a pretty big shot. I’m happy and excited to be here.”

He was in the starting line-up and immediately dropped the gloves with Knights’ forward Tucker Hunter. He said he knew Windsor led the league in majors the last couple of years and Windsor’s reputation for enjoying the physical game was in his mind.  “If someone wants to challenge me, it can’t hurt,” he said.  “Tonight, obviously, it got everyone going and I gain respect.”

His teammates fed off the energy. Greg Nemisz took a drop pass from Ryan at 1:52 and planted it high over Knights’ goaltender Michael Hutchinson to make it 1-0 Windsor. The teams got into a bit of the rough stuff six-minutes in, resulting in a London power-play. That didn’t mean Windsor would stop the offence, though. Hall broke in while short-handed and slid the puck past Hutchinson, giving Windsor the 2-0 lead. At the 10:07 mark, Hall would assist on a goal by Adam Henrique, making it 3-0 Windsor. That’s how the period ended and the shot-clock reflected the lop-sided score with Windsor holding an 11-4 lead.

The second period seemed to be the opposite of the first as London had more of a jump in their stride than Windsor. The Knights found themselves on a power-play early and made it count. Dominic De Sando and Zac Rinaldo skated in on a two-on-one with Rinaldo finishing it off, cutting the Windsor lead to 3-1. While Windsor had a few power-plays near the end of the frame, they couldn’t find the net until the last minute. Adam Henrique tipped a Mark Cundari point shot at 19:17 and it was 4-1 Windsor. That’s how the period ended as Windsor still led on the shot-clock 22-10.

In the third period, Windsor had an early power-play, but couldn’t capitalize. London followed with three-straight power-plays, but the Windsor defence shut them down. It wasn’t until 18:06 that anyone found the net. Daniel Erlich had the puck in front of Passingham near the edge of the crease and put under a diving Passingham, reducing the lead to 4-2. However, with 35-seconds to go, Hall broke in with an empty net and slid it in, despite pressure from a couple of Knights, giving Windsor the 5-2 win. The final shot totals were 35-12 Windsor.

During the game, Hall also reached a career milestone. His assist on Henrique’s first period goal was his 200th Ontario Hockey League point. After a four-point night, he now has 202.

With the win, the Spitfires improve to 10-3-0-1 on the year while the Knights fall to 8-4-0-0. Windsor hit the road immediately after the game as they play the Owen Sound Attack in Owen Sound on Friday night. They return home for a 2 p.m. game on Sunday against the Belleville Bulls. Friday nights game will be special for both clubs since they just pulled off the three-player trade two-days ago. Bezzo said it should be an interesting night.  “It’s going to be kind of weird,” he said.  “I’m sure I’ll talk to my billets and a couple buddies after the game. You’ve still got to win, though. It’s hockey. While you’re buddies off the ice, you’re there to win.”