By Chris Lucas
In Play Magazine
Greg Nemisz returned to the line-up tonight as Windsor defeated Plymouth 5-1 to take a 1-0 lead in the series.
With goals from Scott Timmins and Adam Henrique in the first, Windsor took a 2-0 lead in the first like they wanted to.
Head Coach Bob Boughner tells In Play! that was their game plan.
“First three or four minutes we were jittery, but then we settled down and played our game.”
Ryan Ellis then scored extending Windsors lead but Ryan Hayes rippled the mesh to break Philipp Grubauer's shut-out. With a lot of pressure from the Whalers, Zack Kassian and Jamie Devanne dropped the gloves right off the draw. The very next face-off, Harry Young and Josh Brittain did the exact same thing and went at it.
Kassian explains to In Play! How they may have needed a boost and that was it.
“After I took the minor penalty and they scored on us, I had to do something to get it back for the guys.”
Taylor Hall added two goals in the third and that was enough to give Windsor the 5-1 win and earn Hall tonight's In Play! Magazine player of the game. Hall wasn't afraid to take a hit today as he went in the corners tonight and dug the puck out and really earned tonight's win for the team.
Hall tells In Play! How he didn't think about who he was playing, he just went out and played.
“To tell you the truth I didn't really think about it tonight and I'm really happy we got the win.”
This Saturday Windsor travels to Plymouth to take on the Whalers for game two. Game time will start at 7 p.m.
Spitfires’ Game Notes – 2010 OHL Playoff Game One, Round Two
- With tonight’s 5-1 win, Windsor takes a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Semi-Finals of the 2010 OHL Playoffs. Windsor has won their first five playoff games, as they swept the Erie Otters in four games during their first round series.
- Forward Scott Timmins scored one goal tonight and was selected as the Penalty Box’s First Star of the game. He has two goals and two assists for four points and a +1 plus-minus rating in five playoff games.
- Goaltender Philipp Grubauer wins his fifth consecutive game of the playoffs, stopping 27 of 28 shots in tonight’s win as he was named the Penalty Box’s Second Star of the game. He is ranked fourth in the OHL with a 2.24 goals against average and is tied for the league lead with five wins during the playoffs.
- Defenceman Ryan Ellis scored one goal and two assists in tonight’s game. Ellis is ranked first amongst all OHL defencemen with nine points in five games. He is also tied for 11th in the OHL’s overall scoring race and has scored points in each of the Spitfires five playoff games, posting multi-point performances in his past three games.
- Forward Taylor Hall scored two goals tonight. Hall has enjoyed multi-point performances in each of the Windsor five playoff wins and he has also four consecutive multi-goal games. Hall is currently ranked first in the OHL with eight goals and is tied for second with 12 points in five playoff games. His +8 plus-minus rating also has him tied for third in the OHL plus-minus rating department during the playoffs.
- Windsor scored two power play goals on eight power play opportunities tonight. The team’s power play is ranked second overall in the OHL, operating at a 29.6% clip during the playoffs.
- Windsor killed eight of Plymouth’s nine power play opportunities tonight. The Spitfires are ranked second in the OHL, killing 90.6% of their penalties during the playoffs.
- Forward Stephen Johnston missed the game due to injury.
Spitfires’ Series Recap
2010 Windsor Spitfires “CODE RED” Playoff Run – Round Two
#1 Windsor vs. #4 Plymouth – OHL Western Conference Semi-Final Series (Round Two), 2010 OHL Playoffs
Game 1 Thursday, April 1st – Plymouth at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Windsor wins 5-1)
Game 2 Saturday, April 3rd – Windsor at Plymouth, 7:05 pm
Game 3 Monday, April 5th – Plymouth at Windsor, 7:05 pm
Game 4 Wednesday, April 7th – Windsor at Plymouth, 7:05 pm
Game 5 Thursday, April 8th – Plymouth at Windsor, 7:05 pm *
Game 6 Saturday, April 10th – Windsor at Plymouth, 7:05 pm *
Game 7 Monday, April 12th – Plymouth at Windsor, 7:05 pm *
* If necessary
