Spitfires take title with 2-1 OT victory
WINDSOR, Ont. – Only for the Brampton Battalion was it sudden death. For the Windsor Spitfires, it was sudden celebration.
Taylor Hall scored on a power play at 2:09 of overtime Friday night to give the Spitfires a 2-1 decision over the Battalion and victory in the best-of-seven Ontario Hockey League Championship Series by four games to one.
Windsor captured the J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL champions for the second time, the first having come in 1988. The Troops were in the league final for the first time.
The Spitfires advance to the Memorial Cup national championship tournament, to be hosted May 15-24 by the Rimouski Oceanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The QMJHL champions and Western Hockey League titlists are to round out the field.
Referee Scott Hoberg assessed Matt Duchene a highly questionable penalty for checking from behind on Harry Young at 1:32 of overtime before Hall put Rob Kwiet’s rebound past goaltender Thomas McCollum.
Hall, who led postseason scorers with 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 20 games, received the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the most valuable player in the playoffs.
Dale Mitchell scored in the second period for the Spitfires, while Andrei Loktionov had two assists and Hall one. Goaltender Andrew Engelage made 37 saves before a Windsor Family Credit Union Centre crowd of 6,582.
Matt Kang scored for the Battalion late in the third period, while McCollum, who left Game 4 at Brampton on Wednesday night after being shaken up in a collision with Mitchell, faced 36 shots.
The Battalion played a second consecutive game without left winger Evgeny Grachev, who had a feared concussion and was among those who played with undisclosed injury or illness.
“It’s unfortunate we lost, because the kids competed so hard,” said coach Stan Butler, who was fully aware of the constraints under which the Troops battled in the final series. “The kids really competed, and that’s all I can ask of them. I’m really proud of the guys.”
Kang’s goal at 16:14 of the third period precipitated the first overtime of the series. Thomas Stajan won a faceoff to Engelage’s left, and Kang carried the puck across the goalmouth before tucking it inside the left post.
Duchene and Anthony Peluso had the best chances earlier in the period to tie it, in the 14th minute. Duchene got off a shot while falling forward in the slot and, seconds later, Peluso jabbed at the puck in the crease with Engelage down deep in his net.
Mitchell scored on the power play at 13:06 of the second period. Loktionov made a spin pass in the right-wing corner, and the puck glanced off Hall’s skate before Mitchell converted in front as defenders Alexander Eriksson and Stajan became entangled.
The Battalion’s Jason Dale missed wide right on a rush moments later, and Craig Moore failed to get his stick on a pass through the crease just after that.
McCollum got his left pad on a left-point shot by Young in the second minute. In the fourth, Kang jammed away without effect at the rebound of a shot by Sam Carrick.
McCollum sprawled to deny Hall cutting across the goalmouth after splitting the defence during a man advantage in the sixth minute. Kang was leveled without penalty, and Hall took exception to a check by Matt Clark seconds later at 8:20.
The Battalion had two early first-period power plays, with Scott Timmins sent off for slashing at 1:58 and Kwiet for high-sticking at 4:20, but the Troops failed to apply pressure.
Duchene was leveled at centre ice by Ryan Ellis at the 16-minute mark, and seconds later a breakaway pass to the far blue line sent Cody Hodgson in alone. Engelage got a piece of the shot with his glove and tried to sell a catch, but the puck actually got past him behind the net.
Other Battalion scratches were Kyle Pereira and Cameron Wind. Windsor scratched Ron Soucie, Adam Wallace, Ben Dubois, James Woodcroft and Patrick Moran.
BATTALION NOTEBOOK: Attendance included a busload of Battalion supporters from the Booster Brigade … The Battalion went 0-for-4 on the power play. Windsor was 2-for-5 … The first period was the first scoreless frame in the series … Hodgson has a club-record 40 career playoff points, made up of 17 goals and a club-record 23 assists, in 30 games. He set single-season club playoff records of 20 assists and 31 points while scoring 11 goals in 21 games … Duchene had the second-most prolific postseason in club history, with a record 14 goals and 12 assists for 26 points in 21 games … Listed lines included Hodgson centring left winger Kang and right winger Dale, Duchene skating between left winger Stephon Thorne and right winger Peluso and Carrick centring Stajan on left wing and right winger Scott Tanski. Moore centred left winger Derek Gregorack and right winger Andrew Merrett … Windsor, the Western Conference winners, eliminated the Owen Sound Attack in four games, the Plymouth Whalers in six and the London Knights in five to reach the OHL final. The Battalion, Eastern Conference champions, defeated the Peterborough Petes in four games, the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors in six and the Belleville Bulls in six … Striking members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees appeared to be flagging at the picket line they have maintained at the arena lot entrance … Face-painters, stilt-walkers and others entertained the arriving throng. At least three provocatively attired representatives of a men’s club solicited business by handing out cards, while some fans contented themselves with taking a sledgehammer to a Chrysler sedan the hood of which bore a Battalion crest.
