Following Stellar Regular Season, Windsor Spitfires Open OHL Playoffs vs Sarina Sting
Fresh off one of their best – and most dominating – regular seasons in recent team history, the Windsor Spitfires open the 2022 Ontario Hockey League playoffs tonight at the WFCU Centre when they play host to the Sarnia Sting in the first game of their OHL Western Conference quarter-final series.
The Spitfires finished the2021-222 OHL regular season with a 44-17-4-3, winning both the OHL’s West Division and Western Conference regular season titles and there was no shortage of good moments during the regular campaign.
The Spitfires were the OHL’s highest scoring team during the 2021-22 OHL regular season, flashing the red light behind opposition goaltenders 305 times. The team – and the entire league – was lead offensively by centre Wyatt Johnston, who finished with 124 points (46 goal and 78 assists) in 68 games as he captured the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy that is awarded by the OHL to its highest-scoring player during the regular season. The Spitfires had also four players, in addition to Johnston, who scored at least 30 goals in 2021-22, including Will Cuylle (43), Matthew Maggio (38) and Daniel D’Amico (32)
Another high-scoring player for the Spitfires this past regular season came from the team’s blueline, as overage defenceman Louka Henault scored eight times and added 57 assists in 63 games. Those flashy totals were the second highest by any OHL defenceman this past regular season.
The Spitfires did have one of their longest winning streaks in franchise history during 2021-22. A 13-game streak was snapped when the team lost in overtime on a penalty shot goal in Erie last Friday night before losing a second straight game the following night against the Storm in Guelph. The Spitfire were, though, without six players in the regular season-ending 5-2 loss.
The 68-game 2021-22 OHL regular season has gone into the history books as one of the league’s most unusual regular campaigns, specifically because it was played during a worldwide Pandemic. At times games were postponed suddenly due to players and/or other team personnel testing positive for COVID and sometimes these games were re-scheduled for non-traditional nights in order that they do get played. Until 2021-22, mid-week games were rarely played by the Spitfires but these were common during the last half of the season as the league tried valiantly – and were successful – in getting all games played. There were times over the course of the recently-completed OHL regular season that games were played with no fans in the stands while other games were played with a couple hundred fans in the rink. Full capacity for fans was eventually allowed on March 1. Another unusual reality of life during 2021-22 was that the Spitfires played against only Western Conference teams – and none from outside of it. The only time that the Spitfires would play against a team from the Eastern Conference during the playoffs this spring would be during the OHL final.
While the Spitfires did have an impressive regular season record, there were some odd realities of life as a result.
Windsor finished with a dazzling 27-6-1-2 record against the London Knights, Flint Firebirds, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, Guelph Storm and Owen Sound Attack – top five teams that finished directly behind them in the Western Conference. However, they also had a less than impressive record against teams from the lower echelon of the Western Conference this past season, including losing four times in 10 games to their opening round playoff opposition from Sarnia. And the Otters, who missed the playoffs his spring, won three out of six games against the Spitfires, including once at the WFCU Centre.
The Sting, who finished with a 27-36-4-1 record and did not clinch a play-off spot until the last day of the regular season last Sunday, are lead offensively by five players who scored at least 20 goals during the recently-concluded 0HL regular season, including Nolan Burke (34), Nolan Dann (29) Ty Voit (26), Theo Hill (21) and Nolan DeGurse (20) Starting Sting netminder Ben Gaudreau is widely regarded as one of the best puckstoppers in the league. Gaudreau’s statistics this season – 3.71 goals-against average and .891 save percentage in 44 games – were perhaps not as good as expected this season, he is certainly capable of stealing a game or two by himself. In order to have any hope for success during the playoff against the Spitfires, the Sting will have to shut down the vaunted Windsor powerplay, something thy were not adept at during the regular season as the Spitfires capitalized on exactly 50 per cent (20 for 40) of their opportunities while playing with the extra player in 2021-22.
And while the Spitfires did finish with 36 more points than the Sting during the 2021-22 OHL, Sarnia did have some success against Windsor, including and especially at the WFCU Centre. The Sting defeated the Spitfires 4-3 on the season opening night for both clubs and the they also handed the Spitfires their last defeat at home on February 6. The Spitfires, have won all 14 home games since then.
Game two of the Spitfires-Sting series goes Saturday night at the WFCU Centre before the series shifts to Sarnia for games three and four at the Progressive Auto Sales Arena, next Tuesday (April 26) and Thursday (April 28). Should a fifth game in the series be needed, it will be back at the WFCU Centre on Saturday, April 30. Opening face-off for all games is 7:05 pm.