Posted on by John Humphrey
Windsor Spitfire Matthew Maggio Scores 50th goal of the Season. Photo: Tim Jarrold - In Play! magazine
Windsor Spitfire Matthew Maggio scores his 50th goal of the 2022-23 OHL season. Photo: Tim Jarrold - In Play! magazine
21
Mar

Matthew Maggio Hits 50 Goal Mark! Fight for 1st in the West is On!

Brenden Sirizzotti scored twice and Charlie Schenkel made 33 saves as the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds hammered the Windsor Spitfires 8-2 at the GFL Gardens on Saturday, March 18. Mark Duarte, Daylen Moses,Owen Allard, Justin Cloutier, Kalvyn Watson and Kirill Kudryavtsev all added singles while Jacob Maillet and Matthew Maggio replied for Windsor.

Maggio’s goal was his league-leading 52 of the season.

Matt Onuska made 44 saves for the Spitfires who saw their four-game winning streak come to an end with the loss in the second of back-to-back games in the Soo. The loss was also the Spitfires’ first in six games against the Greyhounds, who are mired in ninth place in the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference and will be missing the OHL play-offs this spring.

The Spitfires kicked off their work week with a 6-5 win over the Saginaw Spirit at the WFCU Centre on Wednesday, March 15. Maillet scored the winner just 32 just under a minute into extra time while OHL scoring leader Maggio notched his 50th goal of the 2022-2023 OHL campaign on a second period breakaway.

Maggio’s second period goal made him the eight player in Spitfire team history to hit the half-century mark. The last Windsor player to do it was Steve Ott, who scored his milestone goal on a penalty shot in the last regular season game of the 2000-2001 OHL season at the old Windsor Arena.

Oliver Peer scored twice and Alex Christopoulos and Aidan Castle both scored once in addition to the markers by Maillet and Maggio. Spirit team captain Mitchell Smith, a defenceman, scored three goals while Joey Willis and Windsor native Sebastien Gervais both scored once for the visitors. Onuska made 21 saves for the Spitfires while Tristan Lennox made 17 saves for the Spirit.

After having a second straight Thursday night with no game, the Spitfires defeated the Greyhounds 3-0 on Friday, March 17 in the first of the back-to-back games. Maggio, Shane Wright and Brett Harrison all scored for Windsor while Jaoey Costanzo made 33 saves to pick up his first career OHL shutout. Schenkel made 31 saves for the Greyhounds.

Windsor, who currently sit atop the OHL’s Western Conference standings with just three games left in their regular season. The Spitfires return to action on Wednesday, March 22 when they host the Guelph Storm at the WFCU Centre before closing out the regular campaign with a home and home series with the London Knights that starts Friday, March 24 at the Budweiser Gardens. The Spitfires will then complete their regular season by hosting the Knights, who trail the Spitfires by just two points heading into the last weekend of OHL regular season games.

Windsor will open the 2023 OHL play-offs at the WFCU Centre against a yet-to-be-determined opponent on Thursday, March 30 and Saturday, April 1.

Windsor Spitfires Schedule
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John Humphrey

John Humphrey loves to write about any hockey team or player with particular interest in the OHL. He brings you a no holds barred view of the OHL and Windsor Spitfires. John Humphrey is a Windsor-born, raised and educated freelance writer whose career has spanned three decades. In addition to being a contributing writer for OHL Classics, a book published by the Ontario Hockey League, he has contributed to such publications as Hockey Weekly, The OHL News and The Hockey News. He also continues to serve as as a stringer for the Canadian Press, covering the OHL and the Windsor Spitfires.