Series Preview: (2) Windsor Spitfires vs (7) Soo Greyhounds
WINDSOR, ON.
The Windsor Spitfires and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds are set to face off in what promises to be an exciting OHL matchup in Round 1 of the OHL Playoffs. Both teams are looking to assert themselves in the drivers seat for the series which starts Thursday.
- TV: YourTV Windsor
- Video Stream: OHL Live on CHL TV
- Radio: AM800
- Live Stats
- Tickets
Head-to-Head:
Thursday’s contest will be the 7th meeting this season between the two clubs. During the 2024-25 regular season, the Spitfires went 4-1-1 overall against the Greyhounds and are 11-4-1-0 at the WFCU Centre over the last 5 seasons.
During the last five seasons, the Spitfires have had the Greyhounds number with Windsor having a record of 21-8-2-0 while the Greyhounds are 10-17-3-0.
Scouting the Windsor Spitfires
The Spitfires come into the game with a solid mix of veteran leadership and young talent. Their offense has been clicking, led by their dynamic forwards, who have consistently pressured opposing defenses. Their power play is a major strength, and they’ll look to exploit any penalties taken by the Greyhounds.
Ilya Protas (Washington) has been leading the charge with 124 points in 61 games (50g, 74a). He was named player of the month on Wednesday (March 26th) and was second in OHL points. It will be his first OHL Playoff appearance.
Liam Greentree (LA Kings) held the team scoring lead for majority of the season and finished with 119 points in 64 games (49g, 70a). He has been out of the last two games with a suspension and will be looking forward to getting back into the lineup on Thursday. Greentree has played in 4 playoff games and has 1 assist.
Noah Morneau (32), Ryan Abraham (29), Jack Nesbitt (25), and Cole Davis (21) all provided some depth scoring throughout the season and all over the 20-goal-plateau.
Anthony Cristoforo led the defence with 61 points (12g, 49a) and will look to continue filling the stats sheet.
In goal, the Spitfires have used Joey Costanzo as the teams primary starter with 51 games played and 34 wins.
Scouting the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds
The Greyhounds, known for their speed and offensive creativity, will be looking to outpace Windsor with their transition game. Sault Ste. Marie’s forward group is young but skilled, and they have the ability to score in bunches.
Marco Mignosa led the Hounds offence with 85 points (36g, 49a) and he was followed up by Brady Martin who had 72 points (33g, 39a).
Chase Reid, the rookie defenceman led the Hounds scoring from the point with 40 points (7g, 33a).
In goal, the Soo have split time between Nolan LaLonde and Landon Miller.
Key Matchups
- Goaltending Battle: Both teams will need their netminders to be at their best, as this game could easily turn into a high-scoring affair.
- Special Teams: Windsor’s power play versus Soo’s penalty kill could be a deciding factor in the series.
- Pace of Play: Sault Ste. Marie’s speed against Windsor’s physical play will be a contrast worth watching. Whoever controls the tempo will have a significant advantage.
Over the Years – Playoff Matchups WSR vs SOO
| Series | Games | |||||||||
| Total | Won | Lost | Total | Won | Lost | Tied | Points | Percentage | For | Against |
| 5 | 3 | 2 | 24 | 12 | 12 | 0 | 24 | .500 | 71 | 86 |
| 1984 | Emms Division Quarter Final | |||||||||
| Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds won six point series 6-0, outscoring Windsor Spitfires 23-7. | ||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | Finish | |||
| Windsor Spitfires | 70 | 22 | 46 | 2 | 46 | 280 | 379 | 6th Emms | ||
| Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds | 70 | 38 | 28 | 4 | 80 | 373 | 321 | 3rd Emms | ||
| GM 1 WSR 3 @ SOO 6 GM 2 SOO 6 @ WSR 1 GM 3 WSR 3 @ SOO 11. | ||||||||||
| 1987 | Emms Division Quarter Final | |||||||||
| Windsor Compuware Spitfires won best of seven series 4-0, outscoring Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds 17-10. | ||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | Finish | |||
| Windsor Compuware Spitfires | 66 | 36 | 25 | 5 | 77 | 287 | 249 | 3rd Emms | ||
| Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds | 66 | 31 | 31 | 4 | 66 | 301 | 299 | 5th Emms | ||
| GM 1 SOO 2 @ WSR 5 GM 2 WSR 4 @ SOO 2 GM 3 SOO 2 @ WSR 3 GM 4 WSR 5 @ SOO 4 (OT). | ||||||||||
| 1994 | Emms Division Quarter Final | |||||||||
| Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds won best of seven series 4-0, outscoring Windsor Spitfires 16-7. | ||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | PTS | GF | GA | Finish | |||
| Windsor Spitfires | 66 | 25 | 36 | 5 | 55 | 253 | 298 | 7th Emms | ||
| Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds | 66 | 35 | 24 | 7 | 77 | 319 | 268 | 2nd Emms | ||
| GM 1 WSR 2 @ SOO 6 GM 2 WSR 2 @ SOO 5 GM 3 SOO 2 @ WSR 1 GM 4 SOO 3 @ WSR 2. | ||||||||||
| 2002 | Western Conference Quarter Final | |||||||||
| Windsor Spitfires won best of seven series 4-2, outscoring Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds 21-14. | ||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | Finish | ||
| Windsor Spitfires | 68 | 33 | 24 | 6 | 5 | 77 | 253 | 229 | 6th Western | |
| Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds | 68 | 38 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 86 | 237 | 200 | 3rd Western | |
| GM 1 WSR 2 @ SOO 4 GM 2 WSR 5 @ SOO 2 GM 3 SOO 3 @ WSR 6 GM 4 SOO 0 @ WSR 3 GM 5 WSR 0 @ | ||||||||||
| SOO 4 GM 6 SOO 1 @ WSR 5 | ||||||||||
| 2005 | Western Conference Quarter Final | |||||||||
| Windsor Spitfires won best of seven series 4-3, outscored by Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds 23-19. | ||||||||||
| GP | W | L | T | OTL | SL | PTS | GF | GA | Finish | |
| Windsor Spitfires | 68 | 26 | 29 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 65 | 223 | 253 | 7th Western |
| Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds | 68 | 33 | 25 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 76 | 210 | 188 | 2nd Western |
| GM 1 WSR 0 @ SOO 5 GM 2 WSR 1 @ SOO 3 GM 3 SOO 2 @ WSR 1 GM 4 SOO 3 @ WSR 4 (OT) GM 5 | ||||||||||
| WSR 6 @ SOO 5 (OT) GM 6 SOO 3 @ WSR 4 GM 7 WSR 3 @ SOO 2 (2 OT) | ||||||||||
