Ryan Ellis Named Captain of the Windsor Spitfires

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Photo courtesy Windsor Spitfires

(Windsor) Earlier today, at a media event hosted within the WFCU Centre in Windsor, Ont., Windsor Spitfires head coach Bob Jones today named defenceman Ryan Ellis as the captain of the Spitfires for the 2010-2011 season. Ellis, a three-year veteran with the Spitfires, has been the backbone of the team’s defensive corps ever since joining the club and one of the CHL’s top players in each of the three seasons played for Windsor.

“The Windsor Spitfires are proud to have Ryan Ellis serve as the captain of the Windsor Spitfires for the upcoming season. Ryan’s leadership, skills and experience will be a huge asset to our young team and in three years, he has already enjoyed one of the greatest careers in CHL history. The accolades he has earned speak for themselves, we couldn’t think of a more deserving young man and player to lead our team. I am very proud to have the honour of naming Ryan Ellis as captain of the Spitfires,” said Windsor Spitfires head coach Bob Jones.

Newly appointed captain Ryan Ellis offered his thoughts on today’s event, “it’s a great honour to be captain of the Spitfires and to follow in the footsteps of Mickey Renaud and Harry Young, previous captains of our club during my career in Windsor. I look forward to leading our young and talented team this season in the same manner both Mickey and Harry did, this is a unique opportunity for myself. Windsor is a second home for me and I’m excited to be the new captain of the Windsor Spitfires.”

The 19 year-old Freelton, Ont. native’s accomplishments within junior hockey rival those of any player in the history of the CHL and his appointment as captain of the Spitfires adds to an already impressive list of accolades. A key contributor to last season’s championship performances for Windsor, the former Max Kaminsky Trophy Award (2008-2009) and Bobby Smith OHL Scholastic Player of the Year (2007-2008) winner helped lead the Spitfires to their second consecutive MasterCard Memorial Cup Championship in Brandon, Man. and Rogers OHL Championship last season. He was also selected to the 2009 Memorial MasterCard Memorial Cup All-Star Team for his outstanding play in leading Windsor to their first Memorial Cup title at the 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup Championships in Rimouski, Que.

Ellis scored the game winning goal for Windsor 4:13 into the third period as the Spitfires defeated the Kelowna Rockets 2-1 in Windsor’s final round robin game at the 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup tournament. This kept the Spitfires alive and help set up the greatest comeback in MasterCard Memorial Cup history as Windsor won four consecutive games in the playoff round to secure the 2009 title.

Ellis led all OHL defencemen in scoring during the 2008-2009 season with 22 goals and 89 points with a whopping +52 plus-minus rating. For his outstanding efforts, he was selected by the Nashville Predators with the team’s first overall pick, 11th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Last season, he missed some games due to injury but still put up some impressive numbers in the 2009-2010 regular season, scoring 61 points in 48 games for Windsor while posting a +38 plus-minus rating. Despite missing 20 games, Ellis still finished fourth amongst all OHL defencemen in scoring and was also tied for sixth in the OHL for plus-minus.

A power play quarterback who plays a very cerebral game and possesses a cannon shot, Ellis was selected as the OHL’s Defenceman of the Month in February of 2010. He was also named as the captain for Team OHL and led the OHL to a perfect 2-0 record in the 2009 Subway Super Series games hosted in Barrie, ON and Windsor, ON last season.

In the 2010 playoffs, Ryan played a leading role in the Spitfires second consecutive Rogers OHL Championship and led all OHL defencemen in scoring for the second straight year, recording 33 points in 19 playoff games with 11 multi-point games. He also led the OHL with 30 assists and posted a league high 12 game assist streak in the playoffs.

Additionally, Ellis served as an assistant captain for Team Canada at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships in Saskatchewan and participated in the tournament for the second consecutive year. He helped Canada earn a silver medal in this year’s tournament, adding this to his gold medal with Team Canada in the 2009 World Juniors and is the all-time career leading scorer amongst defencemen for Team Canada in WJHC with 15 points in 12 games.

Ellis’ international resume also features a gold medal performance at the 2008 World U-17 Hockey Challenge for Team Ontario, where he was named to the Tournament All-Star team and two U-18 gold medal finishes with Team Canada at the 2008 World U-18 Championships and the 2008 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.

He also participated in the 2010 OHL All-Star Classic for the second consecutive season, registering two assists in the game for the Western Conference all-star team.

Ellis has 49 goals and 164 assists for 213 points in 168 career games with the Spitfires. He is 17 points away from passing Joel Quenneville’s career total of 229 and becoming the Spitfires career all-time leading scorer amongst defencemen.

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Nashville Predators Reassign Ryan Ellis to Windsor

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Ryan Ellis, 2010 OHL Finals Game Four.
Photo by David Anton/In Play! Magazine

(Windsor) Windsor Spitfire defenceman Ryan Ellis was today returned to the Spitfires after being reassigned by the NHL’s Nashville Predators. Ellis will be in the lineup for the Spitfires this Thursday as they take on the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at the WFCU Centre. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.

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Whalers’ Alex Aleardi Named OHL Player of the Week

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Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that forward Alex Aleardi of the Plymouth Whalers is the OHL Player of the Week following the first week of regular season action ending September 26. Aleardi led the league in scoring with eight points including seven goals and one assist with a plus-minus rating of plus-4 in three games.

Aleardi had two hat-trick performances and was twice named first star of the game including opening night against the Windsor Spitfires, and Saturday night against the Barrie Colts. He added an assist on Thursday to factor in on all four Whalers’ goals despite a 5-4 shootout loss to the Spitfires to open the regular season, however his three goals on Saturday helped the Whalers earn their first win of the season by a 6-2 score over the Colts. He also recorded a goal Friday night despite a 3-2 loss to the London Knights.

Aleardi, an 18-year-old from Farmington Hills, Michigan, is playing in his third OHL season and first with the Whalers after being acquired from the Belleville Bulls just prior to the start of the season. Last season he recorded 41 points in 64 games scoring 16 goals and 25 assists splitting time with the Bulls and Kitchener Rangers.

Windsor Spitfires’ forwards Zack MacQueen and Alexander Khokhlachev were also considered for the award after each recorded six points in three games. MacQueen’s two goals and four assists and Khokhlachev’s three goals and three assists led the defending champs to a pair of victories on the OHL’s opening weekend. In goal, Philipp Grubauer of the Kingston Frontenacs finished the week with a goals-against-average of 2.00 and save percentage of .954 highlighted by a shutout victory with 44 saves Saturday as first star in a 3-0 win over the Belleville Bulls.

2010-11 OHL Players of the Week
Sept. 23 – Sept. 26: Alex Aleardi, Plymouth Whalers

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Alexander Khokhlachev – The Windsor Spitfires Player of the Week

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(Windsor) Centre Alexander Khokhlachev is the Windsor Spitfires Player of the Week as selected by the Spitfires coaching staff for the week ending Sunday, September 26th, 2010. In three games last week, Khokhlachev scored three goals and recorded six points with a +3 plus-minus rating, leading the Spitfires to a 2-1 record to open the 2010-2011 season.

On Thursday, Khokhlachev scored one goal and assisted on Michael MacIntyre’s game winning goal with just over four minutes left in the third period as he helped lead the Spitfires to a 5-4 victory in the team’s season opening game against the Plymouth Whalers at the WFCU Centre. The following night, Khokhlachev did not record a point in Windsor’s 4-0 road loss to the Sarnia Sting before he finished the weekend with a two-goal, four-point game in the Spitfires’ 7-5 victory over the Barrie Colts at the WFCU Centre on Sunday. He was named the first star of Sunday’s contest and again posted an assist on Michael MacIntyre’s second game winning goal of the weekend three minutes into the third period.

Khokhlachev, a 17 year-old native of Moscow, Russia was selected by the Spitfires with the team’s 23rd pick overall in the 2010 CHL Import Draft. He is currently tied for second in the OHL’s scoring race and for first in team scoring with teammate Zack MacQueen, recording six points in three games. Khokhlachev is a highly rated prospect for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

The two-time defending MasterCard Memorial Cup and Rogers OHL Champions will host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds this Thursday (September 30th) at the WFCU Centre. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.

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Spits Raise Championship Banners, Explode for 7 Goals and Top Colts

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by windsorspitfires.com

(Windsor) The Windsor Spitfires enjoyed yet another historic moment on Sunday as the team celebrated their 2009-2010 championship performances in a special pre-game ceremony during which the Memorial Cup Championship, OHL Championship, OHL Western Conference Championship and OHL West Division Championship banners were raised to the rafters of the WFCU Centre.

Members of the Spitfires hockey operations and front office departments joined the 2010-2011 Spitfire squad on the ice for the celebration before getting back to regular business as the Spitfires faced off against the Barrie Colts in a rematch of last year’s Rogers OHL Championship Series.

Alexander Khokhlachev and Stephen Johnston each scored two goals, leading the two-time defending MasterCard Memorial Cup and Rogers OHL Champions to a 7-5 win over the Barrie Colts.

Khokhlachev added two assists for a four-point game, while Kenny Ryan scored and added two assists and Zack MacQueen added three helpers, as the Spits won for the second time in as many home games.

After a another slow start that saw the Colts out-shoot the Spits 10-1 in the opening ten minutes, the Spitfires got their legs, scoring twice in the first period, three times in the second, and twice more in the third.

"We started slow again, but again we got our legs," Spits centre Stephen Johnston told windsorspitfires.com.

Windsor out-shot Barrie 44 to 34 in all and went 2-for-6 on the powerplay.

And Johnston, who wrapped up a stint at Detroit Red Wings camp earlier this week, looked especially sharp.

"The day off was huge. Personally, I had skated for 2-and-a-half straight weeks," Johnston told windsorspitfires.com.

In a sloppy game, Johnston and Khokhlachev were the big difference down the middle, outskating Barrie centres John Padola, Colin Behenna and Zach Hall who combined to go minus-6.

The teams exchanged goals in the first, before Barrie went ahead 3-2 on what, at the time, could have been a backbreaking goal for the Spits. The Spits had just failed to score with a full minute 5-on-3 advantage. And as the first penalty expired, Steven Beyers jumped out of the box, picked up a loose puck at centre ice, and busted in to beat Spits goalie Jack Campbell.

But, fittingly, it was Johnston that got the Spits back to even at 3-3, salvaging the powerplay with just a dozen seconds left. After Khokhlachev put Windsor back ahead at 4-3, banging in a rebound off a Zack MacQueen shot, Johnston was in on the play of the game - and arguably the young season.

With all the momentum on Windsor's side, Johnston grabbed the puck, sped through the neutral zone and played give and go with MacQueen before showing great vision and dropping to a trailing Nick Ebert - who made it 5-3 with a blast that beat Colts goalie Peter DiSalvo.

"That worked out nicely," Johnston said. "I just looked back late and I knew Ebert was coming. He did the rest.

Despite Johnston's modesty, the play demonstrated something the Spits are rich in, speed up front. The goal was huge at that time - and the eventual margin of victory.

Trent Hawke cut the Spits lead to 5-4 heading into the third, but they wouldn't be within a goal for long.

Defenceman Mark MacIntyre continued his outstanding offensive start, scoring his third goal of the season - the eventual winner - on the powerplay just three minutes into the third to restore Windsor's two-goal lead.

Johnston wrapped an impressive day with his second of the game with six minutes to go, making it 7-4.

Steven Beyers scored his second of the game for Barrie two minutes later, to round out the scoring.

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Spits Explode for 7 Goals, Top Colts

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(Windsor) Alexander Khokhlachev and Stephen Johnston each scored two goals, leading the Windsor Spitfires to a 7-5 win over the Barrie Colts on Sunday afternoon at the WFCU Centre.

Khokhlachev added two assists for a four-point game, while Kenny Ryan scored and added two assists and Zack MacQueen added three helpers, as the Spits won for the second time in as many home games.

After a another slow start that saw the Colts out-shoot the Spits 10-1 in the opening ten minutes, the Spitfires got their legs, scoring twice in the first period, three times in the second, and twice more in the third.

"We started slow again, but again we got our legs," Spits centre Stephen Johnston told windsorspitfires.com.

Windsor out-shot Barrie 44 to 34 in all and went 2-for-6 on the powerplay.

And Johnston, who wrapped up a stint at Detroit Red Wings camp earlier this week, looked especially sharp.

"The day off was huge. Personally, I had skated for 2-and-a-half straight weeks," Johnston told windsorspitfires.com.

In a sloppy game, Johnston and Khokhlachev were the big difference down the middle, outskating Barrie centres John Padola, Colin Behenna and Zach Hall who combined to go minus-6.

The teams exchanged goals in the first, before Barrie went ahead 3-2 on what, at the time, could have been a backbreaking goal for the Spits. The Spits had just failed to score with a full minute 5-on-3 advantage. And as the first penalty expired, Steven Beyers jumped out of the box, picked up a loose puck at centre ice, and busted in to beat Spits goalie Jack Campbell.

But, fittingly, it was Johnston that got the Spits back to even at 3-3, salvaging the powerplay with just a dozen seconds left. After Khokhlachev put Windsor back ahead at 4-3, banging in a rebound off a Zack MacQueen shot, Johnston was in on the play of the game - and arguably the young season.

With all the momentum on Windsor's side, Johnston grabbed the puck, sped through the neutral zone and played give and go with MacQueen before showing great vision and dropping to a trailing Nick Ebert - who made it 5-3 with a blast that beat Colts goalie Peter DiSalvo.

"That worked out nicely," Johnston said. "I just looked back late and I knew Ebert was coming. He did the rest.

Despite Johnston's modesty, the play demonstrated something the Spits are rich in, speed up front. The goal was huge at that time - and the eventual margin of victory.

Trent Hawke cut the Spits lead to 5-4 heading into the third, but they wouldn't be within a goal for long.

Defenceman Mark MacIntyre continued his outstanding offensive start, scoring his third goal of the season - the eventual winner - on the powerplay just three minutes into the third to restore Windsor's two-goal lead.

Johnston wrapped an impressive day with his second of the game with six minutes to go, making it 7-4.

Steven Beyers scored his second of the game for Barrie two minutes later, to round out the scoring.

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Spitfires rally to defeat the Whalers 5-4 on opening night at the WFCU Centre

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John-Eric Iannicello
windsorspitfires.com

(Windsor, Ontario) The two-time MasterCard Memorial Cup and Rogers OHL Champion Windsor Spitfires stormed back from a 4-1 deficit to beat the Plymouth Whalers 5-4 at the WFCU earlier tonight. Alexander Khokhlachev tallied his first OHL goal, while Zack MacQueen and Michael MacIntyre each scored a pair of goals to edge the Whalers in game one of the season. Windsor head coach Bob Jones registered his first win as head bench boss of the Spitfires.

Prior to the drop of the puck, the Spitfires had a pregame ceremony to showcase the championship trophies won by the team last season. On hand for the ceremony were legendary Spitfires Bill Bowler, Johnny Wilson, Marcel Pronovost, and former Spitfire head coach Bob Boughner – who received a standing ovation from the Spitfire faithful. Pronovost and Wilson presented the OHL Western Conference Champions ‘Wayne Gretzky’ Trophy, while Bowler and Boughner carried the J. Ross Roberston OHL Championship and Memorial Cup championship trophies. Also in attendance were member of 16 Wing Borden for the pre-game ceremony.

The Spitfires had ten first year players dressed for tonight’s game and also making their first appearances were Andrew Clouthier (acquired from Kingston), Michael MacIntyre (acquired from Sault Ste. Marie) and Kyle Tarini (waivers from Sudbury) who were added over the past week.

Tarini made his presence felt in his first shift as he levelled defenseman Colin MacDonald along the boards in the neutral zone in an effort to spark the club. Consequently, it would be the Whalers who were the ones that carried the play in the first, as they peppered rookie goaltender Jack Campbell with eight shots in the first ten minutes of the game.

The Whalers were finally able to break the stalemate late in the first period with a goal from Alex Aleardi at 18:40. Aleardi, who was acquired earlier in the week from Belleville, was able to break in alone on Campbell shorthanded and beat him with a shot over the glove. The Whalers took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.

Aleardi would strike again for the Whalers at 6:07 of the second period off a great pass from Garrett Meurs that Aleardi buried past Campbell to make it 2-0 for the road side. MacIntyre would pull the Spitfires within one off a wrist shot that beat Whaler net minder Matt Mahalak through the five-hole, just as the five on three power play was about to expire. Not only was it MacIntyre’s first goal as a Spitfire, but also his first OHL goal.

A few minutes later, with the Spitfires getting into penalty trouble, the Whalers were able to add to their lead. Tyler Brown and Aleardi (who completed his hat trick) tallied on the power play to give the Whalers a 4-1 lead at12:51 of the second period. The Spitfires, with a bit of luck, cut the Whalers lead in half after Khokhlachev’s pass that was intended for MacQueen banked off a Whaler defender’s stick and into the net with just over four minutes left in the period. The shots favoured the Whalers 25 to 13 heading into the third period.

An early third period goal from MacQueen seemed to spark the Spitfires offence. At 0:44 of the third period, MacQueen found a bit of open ice in the Whalers zone and was able to snap a shot high glove to cut the Plymouth lead to one. MacQueen tallied again three minutes later when his cross crease pass deflected off the skate of a Whalers defenseman and pass Mahalak to knot the game 4-4. MacIntyre would cap off his strong Spitfire debut and give Windsor its first lead of the game, firing home a one-time pass on the power play to seal the Spitfires victory at 5-4 and give him two goals on the night.

Campbell made 27 saves on 31 shots in his regular season debut, while Mahalak turned aside 17 of the 22 shots he faced for the Whalers.

The Spitfires next game is tomorrow (Friday, September 24th) in Sarnia against the Sarnia Sting. Game time is 7:00 pm, the game can be seen live on TVCOGECO or fans can tune into AM800 to follow the game with the voice of the Spitfires, Mike Miller. Windsor then returns home this Sunday to take on the Barrie Colts at the WFCU Centre in a rematch of last year’s Rogers OHL Championship Series. Game time is set for 2 p.m., the Spitfires will be hosting the Meloche Windows Pre-Game Celebrations on the WFCU Plaza starting at noon and will be raising their championship banners prior to the start of the game.

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Windsor Acquires MacIntyre from Sault Ste. Marie

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(Windsor) Windsor Spitfires Vice-President and General Manager Warren Rychel today announced that the team has acquired defenceman Michael MacIntyre from the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. MacIntyre, a 19 year-old native of Belle River, Ont. is listed at 5’11” and 198 pounds.

In exchange, the Spitfires have sent a tenth round pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection to the Greyhounds.

Last season, MacIntyre played 9 games for the Greyhounds and played 14 games with the Chatham Maroons Jr. B squad of the GOJHL.

“Michael will add depth to our lineup with the status of Ellis and Fowler being uncertain for us. Michael is a local boy who plays hard and has good size and speed. He will be in the lineup on Thursday for our season opener against Plymouth.” said Rychel.

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Windsor Spitfires Announce Meloche Windows Pre-Game Celebrations for 2010 Home Opener and Banner Raising Games at WFCU Centre

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(Windsor) The Windsor Spitfires, two-time defending MasterCard Memorial Cup and Rogers OHL Champions, are proud to announce the events for the “Meloche Windows Pre-Game Celebrations” offered to fans pre-game for the Spitfires 2010 home opening games set for 7:05 p.m. against the Plymouth Whalers this upcoming Thursday (September 23, 2010) and pre-game for their 2:05 p.m. matchup versus the Barrie Colts on Sunday (September 26, 2010) at the WFCU Centre.

This Thursday’s Meloche Windows Pre-Game Celebrations will start at 5 p.m. on the WFCU Centre Plaza outside of Gate 2. AM800 will host a live radio show previewing Thursday’s game with featured musical band “5-Play” on site for fans. People will also have the opportunity to take pictures from 5 to 6 p.m. with the Memorial Cup and OHL J. Ross Robertson Cup Championship trophies. Face painters, clowns, stilt walkers and more entertainment will be offered as part of the celebrations. A beer pavilion, food and beverage will be available to fans in the WFCU Centre Plaza area. At 6:30 p.m. the Yellow Birds planes from the air display team of the Canadian Historical Aircraft Association (CH2A) will be flying over the Meloche Windows celebration area to get fans geared up for the game!

Before the start of the game, fans will receive free towels in their seats and the Spitfires will be celebrating their 2010 MasterCard Memorial Cup and Rogers OHL Championship performances as part of a special on-ice ceremony immediately before the opening faceoff.


Photo by Chris Lucas/In Play! Magazine



Sunday’s Meloche Windows Pre-Game Celebrations will start at noon on the WFCU Centre Plaza outside of Gate 2. People will have the opportunity to take pictures from noon to 1 p.m. with the Memorial Cup and OHL J. Ross Robertson Cup Championship trophies with face painters, clowns, stilt walkers and more entertainment available! Featured musical guests “Double Take” will be performing and fans will have the opportunity to Bash a Car for Charity on the plaza.

Sunday’s game will start 2:05 p.m., as the Windsor Spitfires take on the Barrie Colts in a rematch of the 2010 Rogers OHL Championship series. Prior to the commencement of the game, the Spitfires will be raising their championship banners to the rafters as part of a special on-ice ceremony.

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Windsor Acquires Andrew Clouthier from Kingston

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(Windsor) Windsor Spitfires Vice-President and General Manager Warren Rychel today announced that the team has acquired overage left-winger Andrew Clouthier from the Kingston Frontenacs. Clouthier, a 20 year-old native of Pembroke, Ont. is listed at 6’4” and 220 pounds.

In exchange, the Spitfires have sent an eighth round selection in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection to the Frontenacs.

Last season, Clouthier played 23 games with the Kingston Frontenacs, scoring one goal and four points with 50 penalty minutes. He also played for the Barrie Colts from 2007 – 2009 and with the Saginaw Spirit from 2006-2007. In 203 career OHL games, Clouthier has 17 goals and 40 points while amassing 241 penalty minutes.

“Andrew brings good size, skill and toughness to our lineup and plays with a physical edge. He will be in the lineup for our home opening game this Thursday against the Plymouth Whalers and we look forward to having him in Windsor for the upcoming season,” said Rychel.

The Windsor Spitfires, two-time defending MasterCard Memorial Cup and Rogers OHL Champions, will open the 2010-2011 season at the WFCU Centre this Thursday (September 23) against the Plymouth Whalers. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m.

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Spitfires finish 2010 pre-season with win over Erie 5-4

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By John-Eric Iannicello
windsorspitfires.com

(Windsor, Ontario) Windsor finished their preseason schedule with a 4-1-1 record as they beat the Erie Otters 5-4 Saturday night. Grant Webermin, who has been sidelined with a lower body injury since August, made his Spitfire debut and Tom Kuhnhackl (PIT ’10 NHL Draft Choice) registered two goals and two assists in the win.

The Spitfires struck early in the game on the power play as Kuhnhackl redirected a Zack MacQueen pass from the corner to beat Erie’s goaltender Ramis Sadikov at 0:53 of the first period. Erie would respond two minutes later on a power play of their own as Shawn Szydlowski calmly tucked home a rebound off of Spitfire goaltender Troy Passingham to tie the game up at one a piece. On their second power play of the game, the Spitfires first-year defenceman Nick Ebert buried his third goal of the preseason when he astutely pinched in off the point and jumped on a Steven Trojanovic rebound that Sadikov was unable to get a handle on. Likewise at the other end of the ice, Passingham was unable to swallow an Erie defender’s point shot and Derek Holden tied the game up again 2-2 at the eleven minute mark of the first period.

Passingham came up big for the Spitfires shortly after when he shut the door on veteran forward Anthony Luciani. Luciani was able to slip by the Spitfire defenders on the far side of the ice where he had a clear path to the net, but failed in his attempt to slide the puck through Passingham’s legs.

The breakaway save would prove to be significant later in the period as the Spitfires took the lead again at 18:58 of the first period. Kuhnhackl made a short three-foot pass to a streaking Nick Cznider who fired a bullet over Sadikov’s shoulder to give the Spitfires a 3-2 lead heading into the second period.

The fresh ice of the second period saw both teams exchange quality chances early. Luciani was foiled in his attempt to break through two Spitfires defensemen and Kuhnhackl almost found the stick of MacQueen who was heading to the Erie net with a full head of steam.

As the chances started to mount on both sides, so did the physical play. After Webermin was called for a check from behind, Erie forward Mac MacDonell attempted to confront Webermin and was intercepted by an eager Steven Trojanovic. Trojanovic received the only fighting major and an instigating penalty on the play. On the ensuing power play, Erie made quick work of their man advantage as Mike Cazzola redirected a Mitch Gaulton (NYR ’08 NHL Draft Choice) point shot to knot the game back up at 3-3.

Still on the penalty kill, Kuhnhackl orchestrated a fancy give and go with Alexander Khoklachev that saw Khokhlachev send a pin-point pass from the Erie blue line to a darting Kuhnhackl. Kuhnhackl broke the check of his defender just in time to redirect the hard pass by Sadikov to put the Spitfires up 4-3 entering the final period of play.

Josh Malecki would take over for Troy Passingham in the third period, and was tested early in the period when the Spitfires went down a man. Luciani was left alone in the slot on the Erie power play with a point blank shot that was stopped by Malecki.

The back-and-forth game continued when Kuhnhackl made a pass from behind the Erie net that found Khokhlachev in a glut of players stationed in front of Sadikov to make it 5-3. Refusing to quit, Erie responded late in the third period with a goal from Connor Crisp that went off the post and into the net at 17:30 of the third period.

After a timeout late in the third period, and the goalie pulled Erie was unable to pull themselves even with the Spitfires and finished their preseason winless with a 0-0-4 record.

Passingham made 29 saves through his two periods of work, while Malecki turned aside 13 shots in his single period of play. The shots were 46-34 in favour of Erie. Spitfire forward Alexander Khokhlachev registered one goal and two assists in tonight’s game and led all Spitfire scorers during the 2010 exhibition season with four goals scored and 13 points in five games played.

Earlier today, the Spitfires claimed veteran forward Kyle Tarini off of waivers from the Sudbury Wolves. In 63 games with the Wolves last season, the 20-year-old Tarini scored five goals and assisted on nine others while also amassing 135 penalty minutes. The Spitfires also signed goaltender Josh Malecki to an OHL contract and education package. In the four exhibition games played with Windsor, Malecki helped lead the team to a 3-0-1 record while posting a 2.98 goals against average and .903 save percentage.

The Spitfires, two-time defending MasterCard Memorial Cup and Rogers OHL Champions, kick-off the 2010-11 season this Thursday (September 23rd) against the rival Plymouth Whalers at the WFCU.

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Windsor Signs Josh Malecki to an OHL Contract

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(Windsor) Windsor Spitfires Vice-President and General Manager Warren Rychel is proud to announce that the team has signed Amercian goaltender Josh Malecki to an OHL contract and education package. Malecki, a 17 year-old native of Trenton, Michigan was drafted by the Spitfires in the 11th round, 214th overall during the 2009 OHL Priority Selection. He attended Windsor’s player development camp this summer and was also invited to participate in the team’s main camp which started earlier this month. His stellar play during both camps kept him in Windsor for the team’s 2010 exhibition season.

Malecki posted impressive numbers with Windsor in four of the team’s exhibition games, and helped the team earn a 3-0-1 record in his four games played while posting a 2.98 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.

Warren Rychel offered his thoughts on signing Malecki earlier today, “Josh put his neck on the line in joining our club for camp without a contract and played extremely exceptionally well for us in our team’s development camp, training camp and also in our recent exhibition games. He earned his roster spot and deserves this opportunity and I am very proud of the effort he has put forth. Josh will provide our team with depth and also solidify us at the goaltender position. He will be splitting time with us and the Detroit Compuware Major Midgets this season.”

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Windsor Acquires Kyle Tarini from the Sudbury Wolves

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(Windsor) Windsor Spitfires Vice-President and General Manager Warren Rychel is proud to announce that the team has claimed overager Kyle Tarini on waivers from the Sudbury Wolves. Tarini, a 20 year-old right-winger and native of Sudbury, Ont., is listed at 6’1” and 198 pounds. Prior to joining the Spitfires, he played his entire four year OHL career with the Wolves.

“It’s hard to pass up a gritty player like Kyle, the addition of his presence in a physical Western Conference will be a huge asset to our team. He brings good size, leadership and toughness to our young lineup. Kyle will be practicing with us on Monday and he will be a valuable asset to us in the locker room and on the ice,” said Warren Rychel.

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Third Period Surge Propels Sting to 6-3 Win over Spitfires

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Rob Gagnon
Windsor Spitfires

(Sarnia, ON) The Windsor Spitfires travelled to Sarnia earlier tonight, playing the back-end of a home and home series with the Sting. With 10 regulars at NHL camps, the Spitfires had 15 players available for tonight’s contest and Windsor looked to keep its unblemished 3-0-1 pre-season record intact with the hopes of sweeping the two-game series against the Sting. Sarnia had other plans though, and ended Windsor’s four-game unbeaten streak with a convincing 6-3 win at the RBC Centre in Sarnia.

In the first period, both teams were playing a cat and mouse game early but Sarnia carried the edge in play early on. Sarnia capitalized on the first key scoring chance enjoyed by either team as Sting forward Jesse Stoughton created a turnover in the neutral zone that sent Craig Hottot into the Spits end, where he unleashed a wicked wrist shot from the top of the left circle to give the home side a 1-0 lead. After a Zack MacQueen hooking penalty, the Spitfires found themselves shorthanded roughly one minute later and Sarnia added to their lead on the power play as Sting forward Brandon Francisco tipped in a Nathan Chiarlitti point shot, increasing Sarnia’s lead to 2-0.

Being down two goals, the Spitfires shifted momentum in the mid-stages of the opening frame and cut Sarnia’s lead in half, with newly acquired Spits forward Brendan McCann scoring his first goal in a Windsor uniform, to make it a 2-1 game. Windsor continued to pressure the Sting in the late stages of the first period but Sarnia retained its 2-1 advantage heading to the dressing room at the end of the first period.

The Spitfires opened the second period with good chances in Sarnia’s zone and Windsor was rewarded for their efforts as they capitalized on a Sting penalty with Spits forward Eric Locke re-directing a Saverio Posa point shot to score his third goal of the pre-season, a powerplay marker at 5:05 to tie the game at 2-2. Sarnia opted to change goaltenders at 10:16 of the middle frame as they brought in Brandon Hope to replace Shayne Campbell. Campbell stopped 13 of the 15 shots he faced.

In the final ten minutes of the second period, Sarnia had two power play opportunities and Spitfire goalie Michael Nishi made several saves to keep the Sting at bay, including a nice stop on a post to post save made against Sarnia’s Craig Hottot. Nishi stopped 10 of the 11 shots in his direction during the middle frame and both teams were tied at 2-2 after 40 minutes of play.

Sarnia came out strong in the third period and had the Spits pinned in their own zone before Sting forward Alex Galchenyuk netted his second goal of the pre-season on a wrist shot that beat Nishi high on the glove side to give Sarnia a 3-2 lead at 5:34. 26 seconds later, Sarnia increased their lead to 4-2 with Tyler Peters netting his fifth goal of the pre-season on a Windsor turnover. Windsor and Sarnia exchanged penalties in the next few minutes and the Sting took a three-goal lead at 10:06 of the final frame on a fortuitous bounce with four skaters aside with Lester Brown scoring a five hole marker, his first goal of the pre-season. Windsor enjoyed a brief man advantage and Derek Lanoue converted a nice feed from Zack MacQueen to cut Sarnia’s lead to 5-3 before Sarnia iced away the game on a Nick Latta marker, his second of the pre-season with just over three minutes left in the game to secure a 6-3 win for the Sting.

Tonight’s loss was Windsor’s first of the pre-season, dropping their record to 3-1-1. Spitfires goalie Michael Nishi stopped 25 of 31 shots with Sarnia’s Brandon Hope making 11 saves on 12 shots faced in relief of Shayne Campbell. The Spitfires will take to the ice for their final game of the 2010 exhibition season next Saturday (September 18), welcoming the Erie Otters to the WFCU Centre. Game time is set for 6:05 p.m., Spitfire players will be skating with fans after the game in this season’s first “Skate with the Spits”. Fans are encouraged to bring their skates to the game.

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Kassian nets hat-trick as Spitfires squeeze past Sting 5-4

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John-Eric Iannicello
windsorspitfires.com

(Windsor, Ontario) Zack Kassian scored a hat-trick and assisted on the game winning goal by rookie-defender Nick Ebert to edge the Sarnia Sting 5-4 earlier tonight at the WFCU Centre. The Spitfires remain undefeated with a 3-0-1 record in preseason action heading into tomorrow’s rematch with the Sting in Sarnia, Ont.

With defensemen Ryan Ellis and Cam Fowler off to NHL training camps, the Spitfires entered the game against the Sarnia Sting with only four natural defensemen and 15 total players. Newly acquired forward Brendan McCann filled in as the fifth defenseman on the night while goaltender Josh Malecki would get his first full-game start.

Photo by Andrew Adam

Second-year forward Michael Whaley notched the first tally of the night after a short three-foot pass from Derek Lanoue sent the 17-year-old speeding to the net as he let go a backhand that beat Cullen to put the Spitfires up 1-0 at 7:35 of the first frame. 42 seconds later, the Spitfires were on the attack again as Alex Khokhlachev sent a hard pass cross ice through the Sting zone to an open Zack MacQueen who then let a low slap shot go towards the net which was deflected top-shelf by Zack Kassian to pull the Spitfires ahead 2-0.

The Sting would cut the lead to one a few shifts later when defenseman Nathan Chiarlitti’s shot was kicked out by Malecki right up the middle to a trailing Nick Latta who buried it into the gaping net. Both teams would exchange quality chances late in the first period, but the Spitfires would head to the dressing room with the 2-1 lead.

It didn’t take long for the Spitfires to restore their two-goal lead when Kassian stripped defenseman Chiarlitti of the puck 0:16 seconds into the second period and fired a quick backhand shot over the blocker of Cullen for his second goal of the game to give the Spitfires the 3-1 edge. Malecki was also doing his part to preserve the Spitfire lead when he stopped veteran forward Kale Kerbashian on a partial breakaway, but the Sting would again cut into Windsor’s lead as forward Craig Hottot would score off a hard slap shot that beat Malecki as the Sarnia power play had expired to make it a 3-2 game.

Continuing to find themselves in the penalty box, the Spitfires were unable to handle the Sting’s pressure after the second goal and Brady Vail took a tripping penalty that would put the Sting back on the power play. Seconds into the Sarnia man advantage, Tyler Peters threw the puck at the net from the far side and the shot seemed to fool Malecki tying the game at 3-3.

Sarnia would soon find itself in penalty trouble as they sent the Spitfires to two partial 5-on-3 man advantages. Coach Bob Jones, looking to utilize this advantage, called a timeout to setup his power play unit. After numerous chances to score, the Spitfires finally found the back of the net when Khokhlachev sent a pass from the corner to Kassian who wasted no time completing his hat-trick as he released a hard wrist shot to the top corner to give the Spitfires a 4-3 lead with less than two minutes left in the second period. After 40 minutes of play, Windsor took a 4-3 lead heading into the locker-room.

The back and forth play continued in the third, as the Sting pulled even with the Spitfires after a hard shot from veteran defender Brent Sullivan found the bottom corner through traffic at 7:45 of the third period, evening the affair at 4-4. Malecki kept the game even after a turnover allowed the Sting to break in, with Malecki confidently poke checking the opportunity away.

Chances were exchanged at both ends of the ice including a big pad save by Cullen on MacQueen, but it would remain deadlocked heading into the dire seconds of the third period. Powering to the net, Kassian was taken down by Sullivan, but Khokhlachev was able to recover the puck in the corner and send it out front to a pinching Ebert who was able to squeak it by Cullen with only six seconds left in the game to give the Spitfires the 5-4 victory.

Cullen made 32 saves for the Sting, while Malecki made 26 saves in his first full-start and win of the 2010 exhibition season as a Spitfire.

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Ryan Ellis records four points in Spitfires 5-4 comeback victory over Czech Republic U-20’s

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GAME RECAP
John-Eric Iannicello
windsorspitfires.com

(Windsor, Ontario) After a tough first half of the game, the Windsor Spitfires battled back from a 3-0 deficit to pull out a 5-4 victory over the Czech Republic U-20 national junior team earlier tonight in an exhibition game played at the WFCU Centre as part of a special series setup by the University of Windsor. Spitfire superstar Ryan Ellis led the Windsor Spitfires comeback by scoring two goals and four points overall, while assisting on the game winner in the third period.

The Spitfires had a great opportunity early in the first period to take the lead when they were awarded a 5-on-3 power play, but it would be the Czechs who would tally first. After the Spitfires failed to capitalize on their power play opportunities, Czech forward Petr Straka (Columbus’s 55th overall selection in 2010) scored on a quick wrap around that seemed to handcuff Spitfire goalie Michael Nishi, who was making his second start of the preseason to give the Czechs a 1-0 lead at the 8:40 mark.

With the Spitfires behind early, Zack Kassian attempted to spark the team by laying two big hits at both ends of the ice, but it would be the Czechs who would strike again – this time shorthanded. After Kassian lost the puck along the side boards forward David Tuma made a quick break into the Spitfires zone and let a shot go from the top of the circle that would beat Nishi under the arm to put the Spitfires down 2-0 heading towards the second period. Dunnick would prevent any further damage later in the period when he dove to stop a Czech forward who was heading in on a breakaway.

Czech goaltender Filip Novotny, who was solid in the first period stopping 11 shots, made the save of the night early in the second period when he denied Ellis on a shorthanded breakaway chance. Ellis made a few dekes before trying to tuck in a seemingly sure goal on his forehand side and looked to have had Novotny beat, but Novotny was able to reach back and make a brilliant save. Shortly after Ellis was stopped the Czechs would score their third goal of the night when Tomas Rachunek backhanded a cross-crease pass from David Tuma to increase the lead to 3-0.

Josh Malecki would relieve Nishi half-way through the second period in an effort to give both goalies some playing time. Nishi finished the game with 13 saves and three goals against.

Refusing to give up, the Spitfires responded with a goal of their own courtesy of Spitfire rookie Brady Vail who was able to bang home a goal from the high slot to cut the deficit to 3-1, but as soon as the Spitfires began to crawl back into the game, the Czechs responded, scoring 30 seconds later off a beautiful passing play that was finished by Petr Holik giving his team a 4-1 lead.

The Spitfires would cut into the Czech lead again when Zach MacQueen went top-shelf off a pass from rugged forward Brendan McCann to put the Spitfires into striking distance at 4-2 heading into the third period.

In the final period of play, the Spitfires started to get bounces that they were missing through the first two periods. Ryan Ellis, who was wearing the ‘C’ for the Spitfires, proved to be clutch for the Spitfires in the final 20 minutes of play. He led the Spitfires comeback at 2:26 of the third period on the power play when he let go a wrist shot that went high-glove through a Vail screen to put the Spitfires within one goal of the Czechs at 4-3. Shortly after Ellis would tally again on the power play with yet another wrist shot that found its way through a sea of players that were positioned in front of Czech goaltender Novotny to tie the game at 4-4.

With the game tied heading into the final minutes of play, Czech forwards Petr Straka took a holding penalty to give the Spitfires a power play opportunity at 17:56 of the third period. It was on the man advantage that the Spitfires completed their comeback at 19:39 when Spitfire forward Eric Locke tapped the puck past Novotny who was pulled out of position by the pucks redirection to give the Spitfires their first lead of the night and a gutsy, come from behind, 5-4 win.

Novotny made 29 saves for the Czechs while Malecki made 15 saves allowing one goal.

Players at NHL camps (as of September 9th):
Jack Campbell (Dallas Stars)
Troy Passingham (Carolina Hurricanes – Invite)
Adam Wallace (Ottawa Senators – Invite)
Stephen Johnston (Detroit Red Wings – Invite)
Tom Kuhnhackl (Pittsburgh Penguins)
Kenny Ryan (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Nick Czinder (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Injuries (as of September 9th):
Mitch Dunning (Lower-Body)
Grant Webermin (Lower-Body)

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Spitfires Acquire Brendan McCann from Mississauga

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(Windsor) Windsor Spitfires Vice-President and General Manager Warren Rychel today announced that the team has acquired left-winger Brendan McCann from the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors.

McCann, a 17 year-old native of Belle River, Ontario is listed at 6’0” and 175 pounds. Last season, he split time with the Majors as well as the Dixie Bee Hives Tier 2 of the OJHL. In 11 games with Mississauga, he scored two goals while registering 12 goals and 14 assists for 26 points in 48 games played with the Bee Hives.

In exchange, the Spitfires have sent over their 11th round pick in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection to the Majors.

“Brendan is a local boy who skates well and plays a gritty game. I’ve known him for many years as he came up through the Sun County Panthers AAA program and know that he will be a great addition to our team. We are happy to bring back a hard working player to the local area,” said Warren Rychel.

Brendan will continue his studies at St. Anne’s High School in Lakeshore, ON.

The Spitfires have an excellent track record in acquiring players from the local area such as Harry Young, Eric Wellwood, Zack Kassian and Derek Lanoue, all key contributors to the Spitfire successes.

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Spitfires soar to a 6-2 victory over Whalers in game 2 of the 2010 pre-season

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By John-Eric Iannicello
windsorspitfires.com


(Windsor, Ontario) The Windsor Spitfires welcomed the Plymouth Whalers to Windsor for the back end of a home and home series to open the 2010 pre-season. Alexander Khokhlachev had a hat-trick in his first game as a Windsor Spitfire and Bob Jones won his first game as Windsor’s head coach, with the Spitfires defeating the Plymouth Whalers 6-2 in a hard fought battle on Monday afternoon at the WFCU Centre.

The first period was sloppy on both sides for the first 10 minutes of the game with both teams failing to connect on passes. Plymouth opened the game playing their usual physical brand of hockey, but the Spitfires refused to be intimated and at 7:36 of the first period Russian draft-pick Alex Khokhlachev scored his first goal of the pre-season from a pass that deflected off a Plymouth defender right to his stick to give the Spitfires the early 1-0 lead.

A few minutes later, Plymouth defender Austin Levi would take a roughing penalty after retaliating against Windsor’s Nick Cznider to give the Spitfires their second power play of the game. It didn’t take the Spitfires long to capitalize as Khokhlachev would tally again for the Spitfires, using great poise to walk around Plymouth netminder Matt Mahalak to make it 2-0.

Not long after Windsor’s second goal, Plymouth forward Rickard Rackell rebounded with a shot from behind Windsor’s net that banked off goaltender Jack Campbell to cut the lead in half at 2-1. Windsor regained their two goal advantage to make it a 3-1 contest on a Michael Whaley marker that seemed to handcuff Mahalak. Nearing the end of the first period, Khokhlachev was able to complete the hat-trick on the power-play after blasting home a one timer from Zack Kassian in the high slot and Windsor took a 4-1 lead after 20 minutes of play.

The second period saw a better flow to the hockey game as the play picked up and the tempers of the two teams started to rise. Troy Passingham would take over for the rest of the game for Windsor at the start of the second period as the Spitfires opted to relieve Campbell who made seven saves in the first period. Scott Wedgewood would come in to replace Mahalak half-way through the second, after Mahalak stopped 18 of 22 shots for the Whalers.

Chris Albertini of Plymouth cut Windsor’s lead in half again to 4-2 in the middle frame after finishing off a two-on-one play with Stefan Noesen, and soon after the goal was scored a fight broke out between Plymouth’s Max Iafrate and Michael Clarke – both players were ejected from the game. Windsor would find the back of the net once again on an expiring two-man advantage when 16-year-old rookie defender Nick Ebert’s wrist shot made its way to the top corner, giving the Spitfires a 5-2 edge after two periods.

In the third period, the Whalers had an opportunity to climb out of their three goal deficit when Noesen was awarded a penalty shot after being up-ended by Khokhlachev, but he failed to capitalize on the opportunity. Physical play on both sides picked up as three fights broke out leaving the Spitfires with only seven players on the bench. Lanoue would cap the game off with a power-play goal at 12:38 of the third period to extend the Spitfire lead 6-2, Khokhlachev also assisted on the goal giving him four points in his first OHL pre-season game.

Passingham finished the game with 22 saves through two periods of work, while Wedgewood made eight.

The Spitfires next game is this Thursday (September 9th) against the visiting Czech Republic national junior team. Game time is 7:05pm.

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Spitfires Open 2010 Pre-Season in Chelsea, MI, Windsor and Plymouth Finish in 2-2 Tie

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(Chelsea, Michigan) The Windsor Spitfires opened their 2010 pre-season schedule in Chelsea, Michigan at the Arctic Coliseum against the West Division rival Plymouth Whalers. With 12 new faces in the lineup and newly appointed head coach Bob Jones behind the bench, the Windsor Spitfires hockey operations department had yet another opportunity to evaluate the new, incoming talent to select their squad for the 2010-2011 season.

In the opening frame, Plymouth had the early jump and scored the game’s opening goal as Max Iafrate, son of NHL alumnus Al Iafrate, unleashed a wrist shot from 20 feet out to take an early 1-0 lead. With both teams settling in after the first five minutes of play, both teams played a more physical brand of hockey and Spitfire forward Mitch Dunning left the game at the 8:53 mark after suffering an undisclosed injury following a hit from Plymouth’s Nick Malysa. The hit seemed to light a fire under the Spitfires and they dominated the rest of the period, keeping the Whalers pinned in their zone but were unable to beat Whalers goaltender Scott Wedgewood. Plymouth took their 1-0 lead to the dressing room after 20 minutes of play.

The second period was filled with physical play from both teams, with Spitfires forward Zack MacQueen and Whalers defenceman Nick Maylsa dropping the gloves just over the midway point of the second period. With few scoring chances for either side, Plymouth kept their one goal lead heading into the third period.

The third period saw the game open up, with each team getting chances on both ends. Spitfires goaltender Michael Nishi and Whalers goalie Matt Malahak matched each other save for save until Windsor evened the score at 1-1 on a Steven Trojanovic blast from the point with just over five minutes left in the game. With 1:40 left, the Spitfires took their first lead of the game, as Eric Locke banged home a Stephen Johnston rebound to give Windsor a 2-1 edge. Not to be outdone, the Whalers found themselves on the power play with less than a minute left in the game and pulled Mahalak from the Whaler goal for an extra attacker. With the 6 on 4 advantage, Stefan Noesen of Plymouth scored the game tying goal with 51 seconds left in the contest.

The game ended tied at 2-2 and both teams will meet again on Labour Day (Monday, September 6th) at the WFCU Centre. Game time is set for 2 p.m.

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Spitfires 2010 Training Camp - Day Two

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Day Two Recap of the Spitfires 2010 Training Camp, Team White Defeats Team Red 7-4 in Morning Session and Team Red Defeats Blue 7-6 in Afternoon Session

(Windsor) Day two of the Spitfires 2010 Training Camp kicked off earlier today with Team Blue taking to the ice for a 9 a.m. practice with several NHL’ers on hand including Spitfire alumnus’ and Dallas Stars forward Steve Ott as well as Buffalo Sabres defenceman Mike Weber. Team White and Team Red then finished the round robin portion of camp with the final intra-squad game being played starting at 10:15 a.m.

Team White secured their first win of camp, defeating Team Red 7-4. Alexander Khokhlachev (Windsor Spitfires – OHL) and Michael Whaley (LaSalle Vipers Jr. B – GOJHL) led Team White as they each scored two goals while adding an assist in the victory. Scott Boultbee of Team White (Quinte Red Devils Min. Midget AAA – EHL) also scored one goal and one assist while teammates Troy Passingham (Windsor Spitfires – OHL) and Josh Malecki (Detroit Compuware U-17’s – MWEHL) stood tall in goal, stopping 36 of the 40 shots they faced.

Derek Lanoue of Team Red registered his second multi-point game of camp with a goal and an assist.

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CHL Announces Six Host Centres for the 2010 SUBWAY® Super Series

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Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League in association with SUBWAY® restaurant chain and the three regional leagues the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League today announced all six Canadian host centres for the 2010 SUBWAY® Super Series.

Canada and Russia will renew their rivalry in CHL venues across the country for the eighth straight year this season as part of a six game series beginning Monday November 8 in Saint John, NB. The QMJHL will also host Game Two in Drummondville, QC, on Wednesday November 10. The OHL leg of the series picks up in London, ON, on Thursday November 11 before heading north to Sudbury, ON, for Game Four of the series on Monday November 15. The series shifts to the WHL and Kamloops, BC, on Wednesday November 17 before wrapping up in Prince George, BC, with Game Six on Thursday November 18.

The series features regional teams of CHL All-Stars competing against the Russian National Junior Team and serves as an integral part of the identification process for Team Canada just prior to Canada’s National Junior Team Selection Camp for the 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships to be held this season in Buffalo, New York.

“The CHL looks forward to welcoming back the SUBWAY® Super Series in CHL arenas this November,” said CHL President David Branch. “The excitement around this event continues to grow as fans have the opportunity to see our league’s top talent that will vie for a spot on Team Canada at the World Junior Championships compete against one of our country’s biggest hockey rivals.”

Last season, the CHL won all six games of the series and were represented internationally by 21 players from 2009 SUBWAY® Super Series rosters on the Team Canada squad that captured silver at the World Junior Championships in Saskatoon, SK. Eight Russian players also competed in the 2009 event before finishing in sixth place in Saskatchewan.

All six games of the SUBWAY ® Super Series will be broadcast nationally on Rogers Sportsnet with RDS televising both games from the QMJHL.

2010 SUBWAY® Super Series Schedule of Games
Game 1 – Monday November 8 at Saint John, NB
Game 2 – Wednesday November 10 at Drummondville, QC
Game 3 – Thursday November 11 at London, ON
Game 4 – Monday November 15 at Sudbury, ON
Game 5 – Wednesday November 17 at Kamloops, BC
Game 6 – Thursday November 18 at Prince George, BC

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