FAST & HARD FIRST ROUND EXIT FOR WINDSOR SPITFIRES

LONDON 8 WINDSOR 3

A gutsy battle waged by a young Spitfires club ended Thursday night, as the London Knights capped an opening round series sweep with an 8-3 win at the WFCU Centre.

The game was the last in the Ontario Hockey League for overagers John Cullen, Zack MacQueen and Derek Holden.

Kerby Rychel, Chris Marchese and Michael Clarke scored for Windsor.

Ryan Rupert scored three goals for London and Chris Tierney added a pair, as the Knights moved on to the Western Conference semi-finals.

"I knew we were in tough," head coach Bob Boughner told windsorspitfires.com. "I thought when it started we could win a game or two and make it interesting. But that didn't happen."

Boughner said he wants his young returning core to take something from the experience.

"I talked to them about remembering this feeling. About turning this into something positive down the road."

SCORING
1ST PERIOD
LDN R.RUPERT (1) (WELYCHKA, HORVAT) 4:09
LDN WELYCHKA (1) (ATHANASIOU, MAATTA) 7:56
WSR RYCHEL (2) 16:22

2ND PERIOD
LDN MCKEGG (1) (NAMESTNIKOV) 1:10
LDN R.RUPERT (2) (MCKEGG, GRIFFITH) 3:18 PP
LDN TIERNEY (2) (ANDERSON, TINORDI) 7:12

3RD PERIOD
WSR MARCHESE (1) (DEVLIN, JOHNSON) 13:05
LDN R.RUPERT (3) (DOMI, COOK) 14:49 PP
LDN TIERNEY (3) 17:18 SH
LDN ATHANASIOU (1) 18:11 SH
WSR CLARKE (1) (POSA, BATEMAN) 19:26

SHOTS
WSR 13 - 7 - 19 = 39
LDN 10 - 14 - 16 = 40

PPS
WSR 0-FOR-2
LDN 2-FOR-5

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Windsor Spitfires Graciously Decline Hosting 2013 U-17 Tournament

(Windsor) Following a successful 2012 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge in Windsor and neighbouring communities, the Windsor Spitfires, after much consideration, have graciously declined the opportunity to bid to host next year’s 2013 tournament.

An amazing effort was put forth by all Host Committee members and volunteers during the preparation and execution stages of last year’s tournament. We saw an entire region come together in a short period of time and have built lasting relationships with neighbouring communities/facilities in Amherstburg, Essex, LaSalle and Tecumseh.

“It truly opened our eyes as to what this region can do in terms of sports tourism,” said Spitfires Business Manager Steve Horne. “The volunteers that put countless hours into this past event should be proud of themselves as they helped this event leave a lasting impression on the entire hockey community. There are some new and exciting components that we can now consider including in future bids.”

“It was felt that with the road we have coming ahead with the 2012-13 Spitfires season and our potential bid for the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup that our entire energies would not be able to be made available to host this event in a manner that Hockey Canada and our organization has come to expect,” said Spitfires President and Head Coach Bob Boughner. “We would be pleased to assist any future host committee’s in any manner we can as there were some great lessons we learned over the process. Our organization looks forward to crossing paths with Hockey Canada in the future and supports their programs and events 100%.”

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SPITFIRES FACE THE BROOM THIS THURSDAY AT HOME DOWN 3-0

LONDON 3 WINDSOR 2

Seth Griffith scored a pair of power play goals for the second straight night, as the London Knights beat the Spitfires 3-2 in Game 3 at the John Labatt Centre on Monday.

Kerby Rychel and Jordan Maletta had the goals for Windsor, while Nick Ebert chipped in a pair of assists.

Jaroslav Pavelka was a force in goal, making 35 saves on the night.

The Spits now face elimination from their best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final at home on Thursday.

Griffith opened the scoring on the man advantage at 8:57 of the first period, staking the home side to a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Rychel tied things with a PPG of his own at 7:23 of the second, tipping home a Derek Holden shot from the point.

The game wasn't tied for long, as Chris Tierney put London back on top at 10:56, squeaking one between Pavelka and the right post.

Griffith struck again at 18:35, putting the Spits down 3-1 after 40.

Jordan Maletta made Michael Houser (33 saves) pay for mishandling the puck behind his net, slipping one past the London netminder to cut the lead to 3-2 just 1:23 into the third period.

Despite launching a desperate attack in the waning minutes, the Spits couldn't tie the game.

Game 4 is Thursday night at the WFCU Centre. Gametime is 7:05.


SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
LDN GRIFFITH (3) (MCKEGG, MAATTA) 8:57 PP

SECOND PERIOD
WSR RYCHEL (1) (HOLDEN, EBERT) 7:23 PP
LDN TIERNEY (1) (ANDERSON, HORVAT) 10:56
LDN GRIFFITH (4) (MAATTA, WATSON) 18:25 PP

THIRD PERIOD
WSR MALETTA (1) (MACQUEEN, EBERT) 1:23 PP

SHOTS
WSR 11 - 13- 11 = 35
LDN 10 - 15 - 13 = 38

PPS
WSR 2-FOR-7
LDN 2-FOR-7

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SPITFIRES DIG 2-0 HOLE IN OHL PLAYOFFS

GAME TWO: KNIGHTS 3 SPITS 2
The home side watched a two-goal lead evaporate in a 49-second span of the second period, before a former Spitfire potted the winner, as the London Knights escaped the WFCU Centre with a 3-2 win Game Two of their Western Conference quarter-final on Sunday afternoon.

Nick Czinder staked the Spits to a 2-0 lead with a pair of goals in the opening 20. The first came off a tip of a Jeff Braithwaite point blast just as a penalty expired at 11:53; the second just 3:22 later with an extra man.

Some sound defensive play and more outstanding goaltending from Jaroslav Pavelka (29 saves) made the lead hold up until the waning minutes of the second period.

But a pair of power play goals (18:49 and 19:38) by Seth Griffith tied the game in a hurry.

The winner came off a turnover at the London blue line, as Watson picked up a loose puck, moved into the Windsor zone and tucked a deft wrist shot under the bar with 10:03 to play.

The Spits won't have long to dwell on their Game Two loss, as the bus heads for London Sunday night, in advance of Game Three Monday night at the JLC.

SCORING
1ST PERIOD
WSR CZINDER (1) (BRAITHWAITE, BATEMAN) 11:53
WSR CZINDER (2) (MALETTA, JOHNSON) 15:15 PP

2ND PERIOD
LDN GRIFFITH (1) (MCKEGG, MAATTA) 18:53 PP
LDN GRIFFITH (2) (MAATTA, R. RUPERT) 19:38 PP

3RD PERIOD
LDN WATSON (1) 9:57

SHOTS
WSR 10 - 4 - 7 = 21
LDN 9 - 15 - 8 = 32

PPS
WSR 1-FOR-6
LDN 2-FOR-6

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OHL WCQF GAME ONE: KNIGHTS 3 SPITS 0

(London) Vlad Namestnikov scored the game-winning goal in the first period and added an assist, as the London Knights blanked the Spitfires 3-0 in Game One of their Western Conference quarter-final series Friday night at the John Labatt Centre.

Scott Harrington chipped in a pair of assists and Michael Houser made just 21 saves for the shutout, as the Knights took a 1-0 series lead, heading back to Windsor for Game Two on Sunday afternoon.

The stories of the night were Jaroslav Pavelka's outstanding play (33 saves) and Windsor's inability to generate offense. The Spits finished the night with just three scoring chances.

Namestnikov blew by Adam Bateman before beating Pavelka with a quick shot high to the glove side, opening the scoring at 7:13 of the first period.

Bo Horvat followed up with his first of the series, as he outmuscled Brandon Devlin and busted right in on to make it 2-0 at 12:21.

The teams played a scoreless second period, in which the Knights outshot the Spits 13-6.

Jared Knight made it 3-0 just seven seconds into a power play at 2:53 of the third period.

The Spits failed to convert with 1:56 of power play time later in the frame.

Winger Ty Bilcke left the game in the third period and did not return. His status for Sunday's game is unknown.


SCORING
1ST PERIOD
LDN NAMESTNIKOV (1) (GRIFFITH, HARRINGTON) 7:13
LDN HORVAT (1) (HOUSER) 12:21

2ND PERIOD
NO SCORING

3RD PERIOD
LDN KNIGHT (1) (HARRINGTON, NAMESTNIKOV) 2:53 PP

SHOTS
WSR 7 - 6 - 8 = 21
LDN 12 - 13 - 11 = 36

PPS
WSR 0-FOR-6
LDN 1-FOR-5

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WINDSOR SPITFIRES TOP KNIGHTS, QUALIFY FOR PLAYOFFS

Jaroslav Pavelka's 29-save, shutout performance backstopped a gutsy effort Thursday, as the Spits beat the London Knights 2-0 in their final home game of the season.

The win guarantees Windsor a playoff spot for the fifth-consecutive year.

Stephen Alonge's fifth of the season with 2:11 to play in the first period was the only goal the Spits would need.

Ben Johnson scored a shorthanded goal into an empty net at 19:33 of the third period, sending a crowd of 6,449 into a frenzy - the likes of unheard since last year's thrilling playoff series over Erie.

Michael Houser made 27 saves in goal for London, which remains two points back of Plymouth in the race of top spot in the OHL's Western Conference and overall standings.

The Spits reclaim 7th place with the victory, one up on Guelph. The Storm start a home-and-home series with Owen Sound Friday night at the Sleeman Centre, with a return engagement on Saturday at the Bayshore.

The Spits move on to Saginaw on Friday night and the Soo on Saturday.


SCORING

1ST PERIOD:
WSR ALONGE (5) (MALETTA, CLARKE) 17:49

2ND PERIOD:
NO SCORING

3RD PERIOD:
WSR JOHNSON (15) 19:33 SH

SHOTS:
WSR 11 - 9 - 9 = 29
LDN 11 - 9 - 9 = 29

PPS:
WSR 0-FOR-1
LDN 0-FOR-3

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Brady Vail Named Precision Jewellers Player of the Month

(Windsor) The Windsor Spitfires announced today that forward Brady Vail is the Precision Jewellers Player of the Month for the month of February 2012. Brady was a dominant force both offensively and defensively this month by not only racking up ten points but also often times shutting down the opposing teams top forward. Vail scored 4 goals and added 6 assists in February which pushed his season totals to 19 goals and 25 assists (as of March 1). Vail currently sits in third on the Spitfires in overall scoring with 47 points which is already 37 points more than his total points output from a year ago. Vail also was a +1 rating in the month of February and is a +3 for the season, which makes him one of only two with a plus rating on the team.

The 18-year-old Palm City, Florida native has emerged as a star this season for the Spitfires and is primed and ready to be selected early in the upcoming NHL draft. His two-way style of play and willingness to be a team player has not only made him a more effective player but has made his teammates around him better as well.

Great work Brady! Keep it up!

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WINDSOR 7 SARNIA 5

Michael Clarke and Kerby Rychel each had four points, as the upstart Spitfires erased three Sarnia leads on their way to a 7-5 win over the Sting, before 5,881 at the WFCU Centre on Sunday afternoon.

Rychel scored twice (37, 38), Clarke had a goal (14) and three assists and 11 different Spits hit the scoresheet, including John Bowen with his first-ever OHL point.

On his 18th birthday, Brady Vail scored the game winner, his 20th of the season, at 12:39 of the third period.

Jaroslav Pavelka made 25 saves for the win.

The Spits trailed 2-0, but goals by Stephen Alonge (4) and Zack MacQueen (18) in a 1:15 span of the first period got the Spits even at 2-2.

Rychel tied the game twice: at 3-3 at the 8:33 mark of the second and again at 5-5 just 50 seconds into the third period. The goal chase Brandon Hope from the game in favour of JP Anderson.

But he faired no better.

Vail's winner came on a 2-on-1, on which he faked a slapper before roofing one past JP Anderson.

Rychel later set up Ben Johnson's empty-net goal (16) at 19:45 to round out the scoring.

SCORING
1ST PERIOD:
SAR SARAULT (19) (SPOONER) 11:46 PP,
SAR BOUCHER (27) (SARAULT, THOMPSON) 13:02,
WSR ALONGE (4) (CLARKE, MALETTA) 13:51,
WSR MACQUEEN (18) (POSA, VAIL) 15:06,
SAR MURPHY (8) (SARAULT, LATTA) 18:46 PP

2ND PERIOD:
WSR RYCHEL (37) (EBERT, CLARKE) 8:33,
WSR CLARKE (14) (RYCHEL, BATEMAN) 15:02,
SAR SARAULT (20) (THOMPSON, BOUCHER) 15:18,
SAR RENSFELDT (SPOONER, ALBERGA) 17:44

3RD PERIOD:
WSR RYCHEL (38) (CLARKE, BATEMAN) 0:50,
WSR VAIL (20) (EBERT, MARCHESE) 17:39,
WSR JOHNSON (16) (RYCHEL) 19:45 EN

SHOTS:
WSR 8 - 15 - 14 = 37
SAR 12 - 8 - 10 = 30

PPS:
WSR 0-FOR-1
SAR 2-FOR-4

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Ben Johnson Named Spitfires Player of the Week

(Windsor) Playing in our group of Top-6 forwards, winger Ben Johnson has been outstanding of late.

His strong play last week has earned him Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week honours.

On a line with Brady Vail and Chris Marchese, Johnson was electric in a 5-2 win over Brampton on Thursday night, scoring twice and adding an assist.

The rest of the weekend didn't go as well for the Spits, who lost 2-0 in Plymouth on Saturday night and then 7-1 at home to Saginaw on Sunday afternoon. But Johnson's relentless effort in both games was undeniable.

The 17-year-old native of Calumet, Michigan, is widely regarded as one of the top emerging talents in the OHL, thanks in large part to his superior skating, tenacity and playmaking skills.

Johnson has played in all 63 games this season, scoring 15 goals and adding 19 assists. Those numbers rank him eighth in goals and seventh in points among OHL rookies.

He is also sixth on the Spits in goals and seventh in points.

Johnson is a highly-regarded prospect for this summer's 2012 NHL Entry Draft in Pittsburgh; ranked 49th among North American skaters in NHL Central Scouting's mid-term report.

The entire staff at Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres congratulates Ben on a great week and a fantastic rookie season.

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Alexander Khokhlachev Injury Status

“Due to an injury sustained on March 3rd in the game versus Plymouth, Alexander Khokhlachev will be unavailable for the remainder of the OHL season,” said Spitfires Athletic Therapist Joey Garland. “He has been diagnosed with a lacerated kidney, and although there is no timeline for his return, he is expected to make a full recovery.”

Photo by Joe Lemire / In Play! Magazine

No further comments are being made by the Windsor Spitfires at this time.

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WHALERS 2 SPITS 0

Matt Mahalak stopped 35 pucks and the home side made two first period goals stand up, as the Whalers beat the Spitfires, 2-0, in front of 3,933 at the Compuware Arena in Plymouth on Saturday night.
Stefan Noesen and Jamie Devane scored in a four-minute span, as the Whalers moved within four points of London for top spot in the Western Conference.

Jaroslav Pavelka was outstanding in goal for the Spitfires, making 47 saves in a losing cause.

Trailing 2-0, the Spits had four power play chances in the second and third periods: including a lengthy 5-on-3 midway through the final 20, during which the Spits were unable to muster much more than a couple chances from the perimeter.

The loss keeps the Spits in seventh place in the Western Conference, two points up on both Sault Ste Marie and Guelph.

The Spits are right back at it on Sunday afternoon at 2pm, as Saginaw visits the WFCU Centre in a key four-point game. The Spirit sit sixth in the conference, four points up on Windsor (27-30-4-2).

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD:
PLY NOESEN (32) (SCHMITZ, HEARD) 11:29 PP,
PLY DEVANE (20) (ALEARDI, BATHGATE) 15:30

SECOND PERIOD:
NO SCORING

THIRD PERIOD:
NO SCORING

SHOTS:
WSR 10 - 15 - 10 = 35
PLY 25 - 12 - 12 = 49

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SPITFIRES 5, BATTALION 2

Ben Johnson scored twice and added an assist, as the Spitfires took a 5-2 decision over the visiting Brampton Battalion Thursday night before 5,709 at the WFCU Centre.

It was nothing short of a must-win scenario for the home side: with both Sault Ste Marie and Guelph just two points back in the standings, the Spits needed to take care of business against an Eastern Conference opponent that plays a stifling, defensive style.

And they did just that.

All even at 2-2 after 20 minutes, Johnson went to work in the second.

His 14th goal of the season came as a surprise to Brampton goalie Matej Machovsky, who looked unprepared and out-of-position as Johnson whipped a quick shot from the right-wing halfboards that slid home for the eventual game-winner.

With less than a minute to play in the middle 20, Johnson picked up a deft defensive zone clearing play from Vail, raced in on a 2-on-1 and fed Chris Marchese, who beat Machovsky with a quick wristshot to give the home side a 4-2 advantage.

Johnson added an empty-netter to round out the scoring at 18:59 of the third period.

Jaroslav Pavelka had a rough start but finished strong with 35 saves for the win.

The win pulled the Spitfires (27-28-4-2) within two points of Saginaw for sixth in the Western Conference. The Spirit lost 2-1 in Niagara.

Next up is a trip to Plymouth on Saturday night.

SCORING
1ST PERIOD
WSR CZINDER (15) (RYCHEL, KOKO) 1:28
BRA MILLER (5) (LEWIS, MACLEOD) 1:47
WSR KOKO (25) (EBERT, HOLDEN) 7:20 PP
BRA BELL (4) (MACLEOD, LEWIS) 19:59


2ND PERIOD
WSR JOHNSON (14) (EBERT) 1:27
WSR MARCHESE (18) (JOHNSON, VAIL) 19:11

3RD PERIOD
WSR JOHNSON (15) (POSA) 18:59

SHOTS
WSR 8 - 11 - 4 = 23
BRA 15 - 15 - 7 = 37

PPS
WSR 1-FOR-3
BRA 0-FOR-3

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