Windsor Spitfires Earn Five Points from Busy Weekend Stretch of Games
The Windsor Spitfires played their first of three games last weekend by hosting the Flint Firebirds in the first game of a home and home series on a rare Friday night game at the WFCU Centre on February 18, with a 5-4 win over the Flint Firebirds
Windsor jumped out to a 3-0 lead midway through the second period on goals by team captain Will Cuylle, Ethan Miedema and Wyatt Johnston before Brennan Othmann got the visitors on the board with his 33rd goal of the season before the end of the second frame of the game.
The Firebirds then struck for three goals in the third period on markers by Gavin Hayes, Tag Bertuzzi and Ethan Keppen before Pasquale Zito scored his 15th goal of the season for he Spitfires with just 27 seconds remaining in the third period and Windsor goaltender Xavier Medina on the bench in favour of an extra attacker to send the game into overtime.
Michael Renwick scored in extra time to give the Spitfires their sixth victory in six games against the Firebirds and the win moved Windsor to within five points of Flint in the battle for first place in the OHL’s West Division.
Medina made 20 saves to pick up the win in net for the Spitfires while Flint puckstopper Luke Cavallin was busier and made 35 saves at the other end of the ice.
Ryan Abraham and Cuylle scored for the Spitfires in the return game played the following night at the Dirt Financial Center while Riely Piercey and Bertuzzi replied for the home team in regulation time before Samuel Assinewai scored the winner in the eight round of the extended shootout. Both goaltenders were outstanding for their respective teams with Cavallin, the game’s first star, making 51 saves and Mathias Onuska , the game’s third star, making 32 stops for the Spitfires. Assinewai was the game’s top star.
On Sunday and in their final game of the weekend the Spitfires were paced offensively by defenceman Louka Henault, who scored a goal and added two assists (giving him 100 career points in the process) in a 6-3 win over the Saginaw Spirit in a Family Day matinee contest at the WFCU Centre
Daniel D’Amico, Alex Christopoulos, James Jodoin, Johnston and Zito had the other goals for the Spitfires while Cuylle chipped in with three assists before being ejected for a boarding major. He was subsequently suspended for three games by the OHL and will return to action when the Spitfires travel to London to play the Knights on March 4.
The Spirit received goals from Mitchell Smith, Matyas Sapovaliv and Dalton Duhart. The latter two goals were scored on powerplays, including one on a two-man advantage, late in the game with the score 6-1 for Windsor.
Onuska, making his second consecutive start, made 17 saves for the Spitfires while Tristan Lennox blocked 25 shots at the other end.
The Spitfires have another busy weekend ahead of themselves, starting off by hosting the Kitchener Rangers at the WFCU Centre on Thursday, February 24 before hitting the road to play the Guelph Storm at the Sleeman Centre the following night in a makeup game for a contest that had been postponed earlier this season due to Covid protocols. The Spitfires then return home to host the Sarnia Sting on Sunday, February 27.