Windsor Spitfires in 7!

In Play on Facebook

Spitfires to face off against the Saginaw Spirt in Round 2.

Game 2 will be hosted at the WFCU Centre; the date for Game 2 and the dates for the entire series will be announced tomorrow. 

windsorspitfires.com staff reports

He's had a big season for the Spitfires, leading the team in goals. But he took things to a whole new level on Tuesday.

Tom Kuhnhackl's team-leading fifth goal of the playoffs came with just 2:48 to play, as Windsor clipped Erie, 5-4, ending a hard-fought series in seven games.

The Spits led 4-2 heading into the final 20 minutes. But, as they did all series, the Otters stormed back, tying the game at 4-4 on goals by Greg McKegg and Tyler Hostetter. 

The winner started with a harmless looking Alexander Khokhlachev shot from the top of the right circle that Otter goalie Ramis Sadikov had a hard time controlling. It ended up landing at Kuhnhackl's feet.

And his swipe gave it just enough steam to get over the line.

It was Kuhnhackl's second goal of the night. KoKo, Ryan Ellis and Taylor Carnevale had the others.

Jack Campbell made 25 saves - many again spectacular - in goal for the Spits. Sadikov stopped 42.

The Spitfires open their Western Conference semi-final series with the Saginaw Spirit on Friday night.

#4 Windsor vs. #5 Erie – OHL Western Conference Quarter-Final Series (Round One), 2011 OHL Playoffs

Game 1                Thursday, March 24^th – Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Erie 2-1)

Game 2                Saturday, March 26^th – Windsor at Erie, 7 pm (Windsor 4-3, 2OT)

Game 3                Monday, March 28^th – Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Windsor 6-2)

Game 4                Wednesday, March 30^th – Windsor at Erie, 7 pm (Windsor 7-4)

Game 5                Friday, April 1^st – Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Erie 6-5, OT)

Game 6                Sunday, April 3^rd – Windsor at Erie, 4:30 pm (Erie 6-5, OT)

Game 7                Tuesday, April 5^th – Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Windsor 5-4)

Windsor wins the series 4-3

SCORING
FIRST PERIODERI Holden, (3) (Cazzola, McKegg), 1:46

WSR Khokhlachev, (4) (Ellis, Kuhnhackl), 3:06

WSR Kuhnhackl, (4) (Carrick), 9:33

SECOND PERIODERI McKegg, (3) (Cazzola, Hostetter), 5:59

WSR Ellis, (4) (Carnevale, Johnston), 12:30 (PP)

WSR Carnevale, (4) (Rychel, Ebert), 15:48

THIRD PERIODERI McKegg, (4) (Szydlowski), 1:05

ERI Hostetter, (2) (Cazzola, Szydlowski), 8:23

WSR Kuhnhackl, (5) (Khokhlachev, Brown), 17:12

SHOTSWINDSOR: 19 - 15 - 13 = 47

ERIE: 11 - 10 - 8 = 29

PPSWINDSOR: 1-FOR-3

ERIE: 0-FOR-2

Read In Play! Magazine Here

SPITFIRES COME OUT ON TOP AFTER NAIL BITER

In Play on Facebook

Brown Locks it down, Spits Win in Double OT

windsorspitfires.com staff reports – Erie, PA

As he roamed the hallways of the Tullio Arena a couple hours before the biggest game of the year, Jeff Brown wore his patented smile.

"Let's get this done," he chirped at a few passing teammates.

Two nights earlier, the veteran winger played in his first-ever OHL playoff game, at the ripe old age of 20. On Saturday night, he scored the goal of his life. Brown's second of the game ended a marathon battle at 11:09 of the second overtime period, giving the Windsor Spitfires a huge, 4-3 win over Erie on Saturday night.

The victory pulled the Spits even at a game apiece in their opening round series with the Otters.

"It's a dream come true," Brown told windsorspitfires.com, outside a jubilant Spitfires room.

Ryan Ellis and Jake Carrick had the other Windsor goals and Jack Campbell was outstanding once again, stopping 40 shots for his first playoff win as a Spitfire.

Brown's first goal of the night gave the Spitfires the lead nearly five minutes into the second period. It stood up until Shawn Szydlowski grabbed a Mike Cazzola faceoff win and slipped it under Campbell to even things at 3-3, at the 6:23 mark of the third.

Both teams had multiple chances to end the game in the first overtime session, which included two power play chances on each side.

With both teams looking exhausted, the line of Brown, Taylor Carnevale and Kerby Rychel took charge after a couple strong shifts in the second OT. Brown grabbed a blocked shot that had Erie goalie Ramis Sadikov moving the wrong way, and got it off his stick quickly, sending 4,818 fans home entertained, but disappointed.

"At that point, no one is really fresh," Brown said. "But, ya, I thought we still had some good jump at that point."

Game 3 of this series goes Monday night at the WFCU Centre.

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
ER - Cazzola, (1) (Szydlowski, Varone), 10:29 (PP)
WSR Carrick, (1) (Khokhlachev), 16:17
ER McKegg, (1) (Cazzola, Yogan), 17:36
WSR Ellis, (1) , (Johnston) 18:52

SECOND PERIOD
WSR Brown, (1) (Ellis, Campbell), 4:57

THIRD PERIOD
ER Szydlowski, (1) (Cazzola), 6:23

OVERTIME
NO SCORING

DOUBLE OVERTIME
WSR Brown, (2) (Carnevale), 11:09

SHOTS
WINDSOR: 9-11-10-11-8 = 49
ERIE: 10-6-9-14-4 = 43

POWER PLAYS
WINDSOR: 0-FOR-6
ERIE: 1-FOR-10

Read In Play! Magazine Here

Candice Marchand Wins Precision Jewellers $1,000 Challenge

In Play on Facebook

Yesterday evening, Precision Jewellers and the Windsor Spitfires were honoured to award Spitfire season ticket holder Candice Marchand, the first winner of the major prize for the “Precision Jewellers Last Minute to Play Challenge” a $1,000 gift certificate for Precision Jewellers. Candice was awarded the gift certificate by Precision Jewellers owners Dan Thomas and John Shiha in a special on-ice, pre-game ceremony before the opening faceoff of the Spitfires home game against the London Knights.

Candice won by virtue of Spitfire forward Taylor Carnevale’s goal, scored with exactly one minute remaining in the third period of Windsor’s 7-5 win over the Plymouth Whalers on February 18th, 2011 at the WFCU Centre.

Each Spitfire home game, when the Spitfires score with less than one minute left in each period, Precision Jewellers provides one lucky fan with a $50 Precision Jewellers gift certificate. If the Spitfires score with exactly one minute left in the period, the selected fan will received a $1,000 Precision Jewellers gift certificate.

Read In Play! Magazine Here