Posted on by John Humphrey
Erie Otters at Windsor Spitfires December 15 2022
Photo: Tim Jarrold - In Play! magazine
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Spitfires Head into Holiday Break in First Place in OHL’s Western Conference

The Windsor Spitfires won their final two games before the Christmas holiday break, elevating the team to the top of the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference standings with a 19-7-3-1 record.

Team captain Matthew Maggio scored five goals, including the game winner, as Windsor defeated the Erie Otters 6-3 at the WFCU Centre on Thursday, December 15.

The offensive explosion by Maggio, a New York Islanders prospect who is from Tecumseh, equalled a Spitfire franchise record for most goals scored in a single game. Gerry Leroux (1977), Paul Gagne (1979) and Daniel D’Amico (2020) all previously achieved the feat as well.

Alex Christopoulos scored the Spitfires’ other goal while Spencer Sova, Taeo Artichuk and

Carey Terrance replied for the Otters.

Spits rookie defnceman Anthony Cristofaro chipped in offensively with a pair of assists, giving him 17 helpers on the season, tops in the OHL for rookie players while the goal by Sova, who is from Windsor, was his his14th of the season, which also leads the league for all OHL defencemen.

Matt Onuska made 26 saves to pick up the win in net for the Spitfires. Otters starting netminder Owen Lalonde made just one save on four shots before being pulled just over 10 minutes into the first period. Kyle Downey made 15 stops in a relief effort for the visitors.

Two nights later rookie goaltender Joey Costanzo made 33 saves, many of them outstanding, as the Spitfires edged the Owen Sound Attack 5-4 a the Harry Lumley Bayshore Arena.

Rookie Liam Greentree opened the scoring on a powerplay early in the first period and Christopoulos, Colton Smith and James Jodoin, with his firs of the season, all scored within 80 seconds in the second period before Maggio scored what proved to be another game-winner in the third period.

Greentree, named the game’s first star, also had a pair of assists for a three-point game.

Colby Barlow, Ethan Burroughs, Cedric Guindon and Sam Sedley replied for the Attack while Corbin Votary made 31 saves.

The Spitfires return to action on Wednesday, December 28 when they host the Guelph Storm at the WFCU Centre.

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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.