Spitfires Sweep The Storm, Advance To Face Flint Firebirds In Round Two.
Windsor erupts for 11 goals in series-clinching blowout
GUELPH, ON — It wasn’t just a win. It was a statement. The Windsor Spitfires completed a sweep of the Guelph Storm on Thursday night at the Sleeman Centre, rolling to a dominant 11-3 victory in front of 3,743 fans to advance to the second round of the OHL playoffs, where they will face the Flint Firebirds.
From the opening puck drop, Windsor was on a mission. The Spitfires exploded for a jaw-dropping 11 goals on the night, with contributions up and down the lineup in what was a total team effort under head coach Greg Walters. Ethan Garden, Liam Greentree, and Cole Davis were named the three stars of the game — a fitting tribute to a night where nearly everyone in a Windsor sweater left their mark on the scoresheet.
Guelph would opening the scoring on a penalty shot tally from Ethan Miedema. Greentree got the Spitfires started at 14:09 of the first, finishing off a feed from Anthony Cristoforo to tie the scoring. The Storm would scoring again going up 2-1. Jack Nesbitt made it 2-2 late in the first on a goal assisted by Cristoforo and Greentree.
Then Windsor turned on the jets and never looked back.
The Spitfires outscored the Storm 5-0 in the second period, effectively ending the game as a contest. The barrage began just 60 seconds into the frame when John McLaughlin beat a scrambling Zach Jovanovski, and goals from Garden, Alex Pharand, and Carson Woodall — the latter a power play marker — followed in rapid succession. Davis then added a shorthanded goal at 14:06 to cap an absolutely breathtaking middle period. Guelph was forced to pull Jovanovski after the fifth goal, but backup Colin Ellsworth couldn’t slow the bleeding either.
Windsor kept their foot on the gas in the third, scoring four more times. Garden and Andrew Robinson struck just over a minute apart to push the lead to 9-2, Davis added his second of the night at 6:15, and Max Brocklehurst rounded out the scoring with the 11th goal late in the game. Tyler Hopkins added a consolation goal for the Storm at 18:13, but by that point the celebration was already well underway on the Windsor bench.
Joey Costanzo was steady as ever in goal for the Spitfires, turning aside 24 shots he faced across 60 minutes for his fourth win of the series. Windsor finished the night going 1-for-2 on the power play and the penalty kill was perfect throughout the series.
With the sweep complete, the Windsor Spitfires move on to the OHL’s second round where they will meet the Flint Firebirds.
Windsor Spitfires win the series 4-0. Second round opponent: Flint Firebirds.
