Windsor Spitfires by In Play! Magazine

RYCHEL'S HAT TRICK LEADS SPITS

2012-02-18T01:16:00.000-05:00

Kerby Rychel scored three times, leading the Spitfires to a huge, 4-1 win in London on Friday night.

Jaroslav Pavelka did the rest, making 39 saves in his best performance of the year. Nick Ebert chipped in a pair of assists and Nick Czinder (14) had the other goal for Windsor (25-27-3-2).

With the game tied at 1-1 late in the second period, Rychel deftly tipped a Derek Holden wrister from the point past Michael Houser. And the Spits never looked back.

Rychel increased the lead to two, banging home a Brandon Devlin rebound just 2:09 into the third.

With the London net empty, Rychel missed on his initial shot from just past centre ice, but hustled to follow up his own rebound before chipping home his third of the game and team-leading 36th of the season.

Former Spitfire Austin Watson had the only goal for London (41-12-0-1), which lost for the Spitfires at home for the second time this season.

The win moves the Spits within two points of Saginaw for sixth place in the Western Conference and, more importantly, six up on ninth place Guelph.

The Spitfires wrap the weekend up Saturday night, when the red-hot Owen Sound Attack - winners of five straight - visit the WFCU Centre.

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
WSR CZINDER (14) (KOKO, MACQUEEN) 15:35

SECOND PERIOD
LDN WATSON (23) (GRIFFITH, MCKEGG) 11:51 PP
WSR RYCHEL (34) (HOLDEN, EBERT) 19:47 PP

THIRD PERIOD
WSR RYCHEL (35) (DEVLIN, MARCHESE) 2:09
WSR RYCHEL (36) (JOHNSON, EBERT) 19:24 EN

SHOTS
WSR 14 - 12 - 14 = 40
LDN 9 - 14 - 11 = 34

PPS
WSR 1-FOR-5
LDN 1-FOR-4

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WHALERS 4 SPITS 3

2012-02-17T00:28:00.000-05:00

Colin MacDonald's first goal of the season with 2:25 to play spoiled a solid effort from the home side on Thursday night, as Plymouth dumped Windsor, 4-3, in front of 5,656 at the WFCU Centre.
Jordan Maletta, Nick Ebert and Jeff Braithwaite each had their fourth goals of the season, as the Spitfires 24-27-3-2) fired 41 shots at Matt Mahalak.

Tied at 2-2 after 40 minutes, the Spits got into penalty trouble. And Jamie Devane made them pay, scoring his 19th of the season during a 5-on-3 advantage at 7:24 of the third period.

But Braithwaite replied just 2:13 later on Windsor's 7th PP of the night, tying the game at 3-3.

MacDonald's winner was an unassisted floater from the point that beat John Cullen (20 saves) over the shoulder.

They're right back at it Friday night in London.

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
PLY NOESEN (26) (RAKELL, LEVI) 4:23 SH
WSR MALETTA (4) (DEVLIN) 5:21
WSR EBERT (4) (JOHNSON, VAIL) 12:40

SECOND PERIOD
PLY VANDERWIEL (11) (SCHMITZ, NOESEN) 12:57

THIRD PERIOD
PLY DEVANE (19) (RAKELL, MILLER) 7:24 PP
WSR BRAITHWAITE (4) (KOKO, MARCHESE) 9:37 PP
PLY C.MACDONALD (1) 17:35

SHOTS:
WSR 19 - 16 - 6 = 41
PLY 7 - 7 - 10 = 24

PPS:
WSR 1-FOR-8
PLY 1-FOR-4

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Chris Marchese Named Spitfires Player of the Week

2012-02-15T17:46:00.001-05:00

Windsor Spitfire Chris Marchese
Photo by Joe Lemire / In Play! Magazine

(Windsor) The Windsor Spitfires announced today that Chris Marchese has been named the Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week for the week ending Sunday, February 12th. Marchese had 4 points this week, 3 of those coming in an outstanding performance against his former team the Erie Otters by scoring a goal and adding two assists in a 5-0 Spits win Saturday Night. With those 4 points Marchese has now pushed his season totals to 15 goals and 34 points; 19 of those points were recorded after joining the Spitfires. This is Chris’ third player of the week award since being acquired by the Spitfires on December 13th, 2011.

The 17-year-old Woodbridge native has been a key contributor to the Spitfires since the moment he’s joined the team. Marchese has proven to be the offensive threat that scouts and coaches anticipated he would develop into. His talents have undoubtedly benefited the Spits greatly and will need to be put on full display as they make a playoff push heading into the final stretch of the season.

Great work Chris! Keep it up!

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Tournament to Benefit the Mickey Renaud Memorial Scholarship Fund

2012-02-13T15:31:00.001-05:00

Sutherland Global Services and Windsor Spitfires Tyke Hockey Tournament to Benefit the Mickey Renaud Memorial Scholarship Fund

(Windsor) In conjunction with Sutherland Global Services, the Windsor Spitfires are proud to announce the 3rd annual Sutherland Global Services and Windsor Spitfires Tyke Hockey Tournament to be held on Family Day in Windsor on Monday, February 20, 2012 from 10 – 1pm at the Green Shield Rink of the WFCU Centre. The tournament is a fundraising event which will allow the children from the McDonald’s Little Spits Tyke Program to participate in games at the WFCU Centre with Spitfire players and coaches acting as guest referees for the event. All participating children will also have the opportunity to have lunch with Spitfire players following the conclusion of their game.

Each player participating in the event will make a $20 donation to the Sutherland Global Services - Mickey Renaud Memorial Scholarship Fund. This fund awards $3,000 to a male and female athlete in Windsor, Essex County or Chatham-Kent. The money being raised at the Sutherland Global Services and Windsor Spitfires Tyke Hockey Tournament will allow scholarship recipients to apply for additional funding throughout their college career.

Co-sponsors from McDonald’s Restaurants and Parker Construction will also be making financial contributions and in-kind donations to the scholarship fund.

Bob Boughner, President and Head Coach of the Windsor Spitfires, says “The Windsor Spitfires are honoured to further the legacy of Mickey Renaud through the Sutherland Global Services Mickey Renaud Memorial Scholarship Fund that we have been involved with over the past few years and we are also very excited to participate in the Tyke Tournament on February 20th. We thank Sutherland Global Services for their support in again offering this fund to help students from our local area achieve their academic goals and look forward to providing kids from the McDonald’s Little Spits Program the opportunity to skate with our players again this season. We would also like to thank McDonald’s Restaurants and Parker Construction for their continued support, and also for their contributions to this event.”

“Our employees and company have a long standing history of generosity and support of the Windsor community. We are honored to sponsor the 3rd annual little tyke tournament to benefit the Sutherland Global Services – Mickey Renaud Memorial scholarship fund. “, says Mary Walsh, Associate Manager of Employee Engagement.

The Windsor Spitfires, Sutherland Global Services, McDonald’s Restaurants and Parker Construction invites the public to attend the event, admission is free. For more details about the scholarship fund, please visit: http://www.sutherlandglobal.com/aboutus_sr_charitable_schorlarship.aspx

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MAJORS OUTLAST SPITS

2012-02-12T22:55:00.000-05:00

(Mississauga) Riley Brace was in on every goal for the home side on Sunday afternoon, as the Majors beat the Spitfires, 3-1, in their only visit to the Hershey Centre this season.

Brady Vail scored the only goal for Windsor (24-26-3-2), which failed to reach the .500 mark with the loss.

Brace opened the scoring at 15:31 of the first period on a bizarre play. As Jaroslav Pavelka (17 saves) played a dump-in behind his goal, it became lodged between his skate and bottom of his pad, before falling out right onto Brace's stick for an easy tap-in.

Vail tied the game just 1:40 later, taking a nifty pass from Ben Johnson and beating Brandon Maxwell (28 saves) with a quick snapshot.

Sergey Kuptsov scored the eventual winner at 1:14 of the second period, sliding home a rebound after Pavelka couldn't control an innocent looking shot by Kristoff Kontos.

The Spits had four PP chances in the middle frame - including 59 seconds of 5-on-3 time - but couldn't tie the game. That ended up costing them in the final 20, as they tired and managed just four shots.

Brace rounded out the scoring with his 30th of the year at 16:28 of the third.

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD:
MISS BRACE (29) 15:13,
WSR VAIL (18) (JOHNSON, MARCHESE) 16:53

SECOND PERIOD:
MISS KUPTSOV (KONTOS, BRACE) 1:14

THIRD PERIOD:
MISS BRUCE (30) (KUPTSOV, KONTOS) 16:28

SHOTS:
WSR 16 - 9 - 4 = 29
MISS 5 - 7 - 8 = 20

PPS
WSR 0-FOR-5
MISS 0-FOR-1

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Spitfires Blank Erie Otters 5-0 at Home

2012-02-12T11:35:00.000-05:00

Chris Marchese let his play do the talking against his old team on Saturday night.

The former Otter had a goal and two assists, leading the Spitfires (24-25-3-2) to a 5-0 win over Erie before 5,890 at the WFCU Centre.

Jaroslav Pavelka stopped all 33 pucks he faced for his second shutout of the season.

Ben Johnson, Kerby Rychel and Brady Vail all had a goal and an assist, as Windsor pulled back within two points of Saginaw for sixth place in the Western Conference.

After a scoreless opening 20 minutes, the Spits took a 2-0 lead with goals by Zack MacQueen and Vail in a 61-second span of the second period.

Rychel pushed the lead to 3-0 with his team-leading 33rd of the season at 19:11.

Marchese was in on both goals in the third period; potting 15th of the season at 9:48 before setting up Johnson's 13th to round out the scoring at 16:20.

Since arriving in Windsor back on December 14th, Marchese has maintained a solid, point-per-game clip with nine goals and eight assists in 17 contests.

The Spits are right back at it Sunday afternoon in Mississauga.

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD:
NO SCORING

SECOND PERIOD:
WSR MACQUEEN (14) (RYCHEL, KOKO) 6:10 PP,
WSR VAIL (16) (MARCHESE, BATEMAN) 7:11,
WSR RYCHEL (33) (MACQUEEN, CLARKE) 19:11

THIRD PERIOD:
WSR MARCHESE (15) (JOHNSON) 5:48,
WSR JOHNSON (13) (MARCHESE, VAIL) 16:20

SHOTS:
WSR 11 - 26 - 8 = 45
ER 8 - 13 - 12 = 33

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

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SPITFIRES GET SMOKED, LONDON 5 WINDSOR 0

2012-02-10T10:18:00.000-05:00

Seth Griffith scored three times and Michael Houser made 25 saves for the shutout, in a 5-0 Knights win over the Spits on Thursday night at the WFCU Centre.
Josh Anderson and Jared Knight had the other goals for London (39-11-0-1).

Jordan DeKort was solid in his Spitfires debut, spelling Jaroslav Pavelka at the 13:34 mark of the first period. The rookie goaltender made 17 saves and was solid throughout.

Pavelka was victimized for three goals on just eight shots.

Former Spitfires forward Austin Watson and Tampa Bay prospect Vlad Namestnikov chipped in two assists each.

The loss leaves Windsor (23-25-3-2) two points back of Saginaw for sixth in the Western Conference.

The Spits are right back at it on Saturday night, as the Erie Otters head to town. Gametime is 7:05.

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
LDN KNIGHT (20) (MCKEGG, DOMI) 6:44
LDN ANDERSON (8) (NAMESTNIKOV, FERRY) 11:23
LDN GRIFFITH (37) (WATSON) 13:34 PP

SECOND PERIOD
LDN GRIFFITH (38) (HORVAT, TINORDI)

THIRD PERIOD
LDN GRIFFITH (39) (NAMESTNIKOV, WATSON) 11:34

SHOTS
WSR 5 - 12 - 8 = 25
LDN 11 - 5 - 12 = 28

PPS
WSR 0-FOR-2
LDN 1-FOR-3

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Kerby Rychel Named Precision Jewelers Spitfires Player of the Month

2012-02-09T00:09:00.000-05:00

Kerby Rychel Named Precision Jewelers Player of the Month (January 2012) and Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week

The Windsor Spitfires would like to announce that not only is Kerby Rychel our Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week for the period ended Sunday, March 5th, but for the second consecutive time, he's also our Precision Jewellers Player of the Month.

The 17-year-old Tecumseh native scored six times and added two assists with a +3 rating in nine games in January. Last week, he scored in all three of our games, totalling four goals and two assists with a +4 rating.

For the season, Rychel has played in all 52 games, scoring 32 goals and adding 26 assists. He leads the Spitfires in both categories. Those totals have him among impressive company. Among all OHL'ers, Kerby is: tied for 2nd in game-winning goals (6), 4th in goals (32), tied for 4th in power play goals (11) and tied for 16th in points (58).

Kerby Rychel in Shoot Out action.
Photo by Joe Lemire In Play! Magazine

Draft eligible in 2013, Rychel continues to catch the eye of NHL scouts.

Congratulations go out to Kerby from the staff at Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres and Precision Jewelers.

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VAIL, SPITS PREVAIL OVER MAJORS

2012-02-06T09:59:00.000-05:00

With the game tied late in the third period, Brady Vail went to work.
Windsor's second-year centre scored the game-winning goal on a 2-on-1 with 49 seconds to play, before setting up Kerby Rychel for an insurance marker just 11 seconds later, as the Spits beat Mississauga 5-3 on Sunday afternoon at the WFCU Centre.

Rychel had a pair of goals, giving him an impressive 32 on the season, and Jaroslav Pavelka made 39 saves for the win.

Ben Johnson and Zack MacQueen had the other goals for the Spitfires (23-24-3-2), who moved within two points of Saginaw and Owen Sound for fifth place in the Western Conference.

The victory gave the Spits four of a possible six points in a gruelling weekend that featured stops in Owen Sound and Plymouth.

Johnson's 12th of the season gave the home side its first lead of the afternoon on the power play at 18:30 of the second period.

Kristoff Kontos knotted things at 3-3 with his 14th, at 8:47 of the third.

The game looked headed for overtime. But Vail scooped up a loose puck at centre ice and busted into the Mississauga zone before beating Brandon Maxwell high to the glove side at 19:11.

Off the ensuing faceoff, Posa found Vail, who held on and fed Rychel to round out the scoring, sending the a crowd of 6,067 in to a frenzy.

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
MIS PARTANEN (12) (BRACE, WISE) 5:42 PP,
MIS WISE (19) (DEMILO, KONTOS) 6:52 PP,
WSR RYCHEL (31) (MALETTA, BRAITHWAITE) 17:26

SECOND PERIOD
WSR MACQUEEN (13) (STUDNICKA, PAV) 11:52,
WSR JOHNSON (12) (KOKO) 18:30 PP

THIRD PERIOD
MIS KONTOS (14) 8:47, WSR VAIL (16) 19:11,
WSR RYCHEL (32) (VAIL, EBERT) 19:22

SHOTS
WSR 10 - 7 - 14 = 31
MIS 11 - 17 - 14 = 42

PPS
WSR 1-FOR-3
MIS 2-FOR-5

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OHL - WHALERS 5 SPITS 1

2012-02-05T01:28:00.000-05:00

(PLYMOUTH) The Whalers used two-goal efforts from Rickard Rackell and Jamie Devane to beat the Windsor Spitfires, 5-1, on Saturday night at the Compuware Arena.
Kerby Rychel scored his 30th goal of the season to spoil Scott Wedgewood's (34 saves) shutout bid late in the third period.

The game was contentious from the outset, featuring six fights and eight game misconducts.

Jaroslav Pavelka replaced starter John Cullen at 11:50 of the third period. Cullen was involved in an altertaction with Plymouth's Garret Meurs and both players were given misconducts - Cullen's a game and Meurs his second 10-minute misconduct of the night.

The Spits went just 1-FOR-8 on the power play.

We're right back at it Sunday afternoon at 2PM, as the Mississauga St Michael's Majors come calling.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD
PLY DEVANE (16) (BATHGATE, CROMBEEN) 4:58 PP
PLY BATHGATE (18) (MISTELE) 17:12

SECOND PERIOD
PLY RAKELL (24) (TRUTMANN, MEURS) 5:38

THIRD PERIOD
PLY RAKELL (25) (MILLER, NOESEN) 9:39 PP
PLY DEVANE (17) 13:18
WSR RYCHEL (30) (BRAITHWAITE, KOKO) 18:24 PP

SHOTS
WSR 14 - 10 - 11 = 35
PLY 11 - 11 - 13 = 35

PPS
WSR 1-FOR-8
PLY 2-FOR-9

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QUEENER A KING IN OT WIN FOR SPITFIRES

2012-02-04T11:21:00.000-05:00

QUEENER A KING IN OT WIN
(OWEN SOUND) Zack MacQueen's second goal of the game was the OT winner, as the Spits escaped Owen Sound with a thrilling, 6-5 win on Friday night.

Chris Marchese had a goal and two assists, and Nick Ebert chipped in with three helpers, as Windsor (22-23-3-2) moved within two points of the Attack for fifth place in the Western Conference.

The Spits fell behind 3-0 before the game was 10 minutes old. But Michael Clarke (12) and Chris Marchese (14) scored in an 85-second spurt late in the first period, cutting the lead to 3-2.

The teams traded a pair of goals in the middle 20, with Nick Czinder (13) and MacQueen (11) scoring for the Spits.
The Attack appeared to have made it a 6-4 game in the third period. But it was ruled Mike Halmo knocked a puck in with a high stick. That set the stage for Windsor to complete the comeback. Just 32 seconds later, Kerby Rychel's 29th of the season evened things at 5-5 at the 7:31 mark.

MacQueen's second of the night came 44 seconds into overtime, during Windsor's third power play of the game.
John Cullen was outstanding in goal after coming in cold, replacing Jaroslav Pavelka at 9:12 of the first period. Cullen made 35 saves for the win.

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
OS BRACE (17) (CATENACCI, HALMO) 6:06,
OS CATENACCI (24) (HALMO, GAVRUS) 7:52 PP,
OS HALMO (32) (CATENACCI, SMITH) 9:12 PP,
WSR CLARKE (14) (POSA, MARCHESE) 15:56,
WSR MARCHESE (14) (EBERT, BRAITHWAITE) 17:31 PP

SECOND PERIOD
OS ZWEEP (3) (ROSE, CHILDERLEY) 1:39,
WSR CZINDER (13) (POSA, EBERT) 7:46,
WSR MACQUEEN (11) (KOKO) 12:02,
OS BRACE (18) (HALMO, CUTTING) 13:53

THIRD PERIOD
WSR RYCHEL (29) (VAIL, MARCHESE) 7:31

OVERTIME
WSR MACQUEEN (12) (RYCHEL, EBERT) 0:45

SHOTS:
WSR 11 - 6 - 9 - 2 = 28
OS 22 - 17 - 13 - 0 = 52
PPS:
WSR 2-FOR-3
OS 2-FOR-5

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Spits Drop 8th Game in a Row! Offence Gone.

2011-11-04T23:25:00.000-04:00

STING 6 SPITS 2

A couple of former Spitfires came back to haunt their old mates on Friday night.

Craig Duininck had a goal and an assist and Taylor Carnevale also scored as Sarnia beat Windsor 6-2 at the RBC Centre.

The loss was Windsor's eighth straight.

Alexander Khokhlachev (5) and Saverio Posa (1) had the goals for Windsor (8-10-1-1).

Brett Thompson and Craig Hottot chipped in with a goal and an assist each as Sarnia won for the 12th time this season.

John Cullen took the loss in goal for the Spits, making 35 saves, including 18 in the second period.

The Spits will again look to snap their skid on Saturday night in Plymouth.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD
SAR CARNEVALE (13) (THOMPSON, BOUCHER) 1:00
SAR DUININCK (4) (YAKUPOV) 4:14WIN POSA (1) (VAIL) 8:45
SAR BASSO (2) (CHIARLITTI) 10:34

SECOND PERIODWIN KOKO (5) (POSA) 5:15
SAR HOTTOT (6) (CHIARLITTI, ALBERGA) 14:56

THIRD PERIOD
SAR THOMPSON (6) (DUININCK, HOTTOT) 11:19
SAR SARAULT (10) (RITCHIE, RUMSFELDT) 16:25 PP
SHOTS
WINDSOR 9 - 8 - 5 = 22
SARNIA 5 - 19 - 17 = 41
PPS
WINDSOR: 0-FOR-3
SARNIA: 1-FOR-5

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SPITS DROP SEVENTH STRAIGHT!

2011-11-04T00:39:00.000-04:00

Aaron Ekblad's return to Windsor was a triumphant one, as he and the Barrie Colts beat the Spitfires 5-2 at the WFCU Centre on Thursday night.

The 15-year-old Belle River native, who was granted a special exemption to enter the OHL this past summer, had a goal and an assist, while Ivan Telegin and Steven Beyers each had a goal and two helpers.

Kerby Rychel had both goals for Windsor (8-9-1-1), his team-leading 10th and 11th of the season.

The Spitfires have now lost a season-high seven straight games.

John Cullen made 26 saves in a losing cause, in his first game as the team's starting goalie following Jack Campbell's trade to the Soo Greyhounds on Wednesday.

The Spits will try to snap the skid in Sarnia on Friday, followed by date with the Whalers in Plymouth on Saturday night.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

WSR RYCHEL (10) (ROBERTSON, KOKO) 11:18 PP

BAR BEYERS (4) (EKBLAD, SCHEIFELE) 15:54 PP

BAR EKBLAD (3) (SCHEIFELE, PEARSON) 17:02 PP

SECOND PERIOD

BAR SUTCH (4) (HALL, TELEGIN) 3:31

WSR RYCHEL (11) (KOKO, ROBERTSON) 8:45

THIRD PERIOD

BAR TELEGIN (1) (BEYERS) 5:55

BAR HALL (13) (TELEGIN) 13:51

SHOTS

WINDSOR 15 - 12 - 15 = 42

BARRIE 13 - 10 - 8 = 31

PPS

WINDSOR 1-FOR-8

BARRIE 2-FOR-6

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Spitfires Trade Action Continues - Campbell Off to The Soo Greyhounds

2011-11-02T16:44:00.000-04:00

Windsor – Windsor Spitfires Vice-President and General Manager Warren Rychel announced this afternoon that the Spitfires have traded goaltender Jack Campbell to the Soo Greyhounds in exchange for defenseman Mackenzie Braid, defenseman Patrick Sieloff (currently playing with US Development in Ann Arbor, MI), Kingston’s 3^rd pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Draft, Windsor’s 2^nd pick in 2013, Windsor’s 3^rd pick in 2013, Owen Sound’s 2^nd pick in 2014, Saginaw’s 2^nd pick in 2014 and the Soo’s 2^nd pick in 2015.

Jack Campbell (#1) moves on to the Soo Grethounds
Photo by Joe Lemire / In Play! Magazine

“Jack was the ultimate professional with the Spitfires,” said Rychel. “His dedication and commitment to the team was amazing. It will make him an excellent pro with the Dallas Stars. This is another step in our rebuild and an opportunity for him to win a championship in the OHL. All the best to Jack with the Soo, Team

USA

and his future career!”

Campbell was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the 1^st round of the 2010 NHL draft (11^th overall) and currently has 6-3 record including a shutout against the Sarnia Sting. Jack maintains a 3.13GAA and a .0906 SAV% in twelve games between the pipes for Windsor this year.

Braid is currently scoreless in 4 games with the Soo this season and played 59 games with the Barrie Colts in 2010-11 scoring 5 goals for 12 points.

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Spitfires Trade Kuhnhackl to Niagara Ice Dogs

2011-11-02T13:23:00.001-04:00

Tom Kuhnhackl traded to the Niagra Ice Dogs
Photo by Joe Lemire / In Play! Magazine

Windsor – Windsor Spitfires Vice-President and General Manager Warren Rychel announced this afternoon that the Spitfires have traded forward Tom Kuhnhackl as well as their 2013 Import Pick (2^nd round) to the Niagara Ice Dogs in exchange for the rights of forward Phillip DiGiuseppe, goaltender Jaroslav Pavelka, Niagara’s 2^nd round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Draft, Niagara’s 2^nd round pick in 2014, Niagara’s 2^nd round pick in 2015, and Niagara’s 1^st round pick in the 2013 Import Draft

“Tom is a good kid who’s made a huge impact for us after coming here from Germany,” Rychel said. “He’s been an ambassador on and off the ice for the Windsor Spitfires. This trade is part of the rebuilding mode we’re in right now. Acquiring these picks is very important to the future of our club.”

Kuhnhackl was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 4^th round of the 2010 NHL draft (110^th overall) and currently has 1 goal and 4 points in as many games in his 2011-12. After scoring 39 goals for 68 points in 63 games last season, Tom scored 23 points with 11 goals in 18 games during the 2011 playoffs.

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Windsor Spitfire Jack Campbell Named Precision Jewelers Player of the Month

2011-11-02T12:47:00.000-04:00

Jack Campbell balances the puck on the end of his stick.
Photo by Joe Lemire In Play! Magazine

(Windsor) The Windsor Spitfires announced today that goaltender Jack Campbell is the Precision Jewelers Player of the Month for October 2011.

Jack is currently 6-3 including a shutout against the Sarnia Sting in late September and maintains a 3.13GAA and a .0906 SAV% in twelve games between the pipes for Windsor this year.

Campbell, the 19-year-old native of Port Huron, MI, is playing his second OHL season with the Spitfires after recording a 24-14 record in his 2010-2011 campaign, including a 3.80GAA and a 0.884 SAV%.

Congratulations Jack Campbell!

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Windsor Spitfire Adrian Robertson Named Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week

2011-11-02T12:42:00.000-04:00

Adrian Robertson has 12 points in 18 games.
Photo by Joe Lemire In Play! Magazine

(Windsor) The Windsor Spitfires announced today that captain Adrian Robertson is the Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week for the week ending October 30^thfor his solid defensive play and leadership as well as scoring a goal and an assist against Owen Sound and Kingston respectively over the weekend.

Robertson, the 20-year-old Mississauga, Ontario native is playing his second season with the Spitfires and is currently fourth in team scoring with 3 goals and 12 points in 18 games.

Congratulations Adrian Robertson!

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SPITFIRES TRADE DUININCK TO SARNIA FOR THREE PICKS

2011-10-31T17:38:00.000-04:00

Windsor Spitfires General Manager Warren Rychel announced today that the team has traded veteran defenceman Craig Duininck to the Sarnia Sting in exchange for Sarnia’s 2nd round pick in the 2014 OHL Priority Draft, Guelph’s 5th round pick in 2012 as well as Sarnia’s 14th pick in 2012.

Craig Duininck traded to the Sarnia Sting.
Photo by Joe Lemire In Play! Magazine

“I’d like to thank Craig for everything he’s done for the Spitfires Organization,” said Rychel. “He’s a solid player and a stand up citizen on and off the ice. Obviously this is a part of the rebuilding process for Windsor and we hope this trade will help him have the chance to win another Memorial Cup.”

Duininck currently has 3 goals and 5 points this season and a career total of 39 points in 141 games played in Windsor. Craig also helped the Spitfires win their second MasterCard Memorial Cup Championship in 2010.

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SPITS DROP SIXTH STRAIGHT

2011-10-30T21:14:00.000-04:00

(Owen Sound) Three third period goals blew the game wide open, as the Spitfires dropped a 5-1 decision in Owen Sound on Sunday afternoon.

Jarrod Maidens scored twice and Gemel Smith added three assists, as the Attack (8-8-1-1) moved into a tie for fourth place in the Western Conference with the Spits (8-8-1-1).

Adrian Robertson scored the lone goal for Windsor, which dropped its sixth straight game. The Spits last won two weeks ago in Brampton.

Scott Stajcer was outstanding in goal for the hometown club, making 39 saves. Jack Campbell stopped 34 pucks in a losing cause.

The Spits host the Barrie Colts on Thursday night at the WFCU Centre.

SCORING
FIRST PERIODWIN ROBERTSON (3) (KUHNHACKL) 17:07

SECOND PERIOD
OS GAVRUS (8) (SMITH) 9:38
OS MAIDENS (8) (GILBERT, CATENACCI) 11:32
OS BLANDISI (3) (BRACE, SMITH) 18:14

THIRD PERIOD
OS MAIDENS (9) (CATENNACCI) 13:42 PP
OS BRACE (7) (SMITH, HALMO) 15:59 PP

SHOTS
WINDSOR 18 - 11 - 11 = 40
OWEN SOUND 6 - 17 - 16 = 39
PPS
WINDSOR 0-FOR-4
OWEN SOUND 2-FOR-6

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COLTS 5 SPITS 1

2011-10-30T09:27:00.000-04:00

(BARRIE) - Mark Scheifele had a goal and three assists and Colin Behenna scored twice as the Barrie Colts beat the Spits 5-1 at the Molson Centre on Saturday night.

Kerby Rychel had the lone goal for the Spitfires (8-7-1-1), who lost their fifth straight decision.

It didn't take the Colts long to jump on the Spits, as Scheifele opened the scoring just 48 seconds into the game. Two more goals followed by the time the period was 4:14 old.

John Cullen allowed three goals on the first four shots and was pulled in favour of Jack Campbell.

Barrie had 13 powerplay chances on the night.

The game featured a massive fight in the game's final minutes with multiple players from each side on the ice.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

BAR SCHIEFELE (2) (PEARSON, MCNEILL) 0:48

BAR PEARSON (12) (BEYERS, BEHENNA) 2:57

BAR BEYERS (3) (EKBLAD, SCHIEFELE) 4:13

BAR BEHENNA (8) (SCHIEFELE, BEYERS) 18:51

SECOND PERIOD

WIN RYCHEL (9) (WEBERMIN) 1:32

THIRD PERIOD

BAR BEHENNA (9) (PEARSON, SCHEIFELE) 5:12

SHOTS

WINDSOR 11 - 10 - 3 = 24

BARRIE 9 - 5 - 14 = 28

PPS

WINDSOR 0-FOR-4

BARRIE 3-FOR-13

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Windsor Spitfires Drop Fourth in a Row

2011-10-28T00:43:00.000-04:00

Ryan Spooner, Darcy Greenaway and Tyler J Brown each scored twice, as the Kingston Frontenacs took a surprising 6-2 decision over the Spitfires at the WFCU Centre on Thursday night.

The Eastern Conference’s last place team (2-10-1-1) held leads of 2-0 and 3-1 before Craig Duininck scored a seeing-eye goal with less than a minute left in the second period that closed the gap to 3-2 after 40 minutes.

Greenaway's goal at 18:02 of the second period was the eventual game winner.

He also assisted on Brown's 7th of the season at 5:10 of the third, and added his own second of the night, putting the game out of reach at 16:12.

Tom Kuhnhackl had the other Windsor goal.

Kuhnhackl returned after missing 13 games with a knee injury to pot his first of the season while playing on the top line with Alexander Khokhlachev and Brady Vail.

Jack Campbell made 30 saves in goal in a losing cause.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

KGN SPOONER (3) (MORBECK) 10:31

KGN BROWN (2) (HUTCHINSON, BERNAEK) 11:58

SECOND PERIOD

WIN KUHNHACKL (1) (VAIL, ROBERTSON) 5:29

KGN GREENAWAY (4) (SPOONER, MOFFAT) 18:03

WIN DUININCK (3) (WEBERMIN, KOKO) 19:13

THIRD PERIOD

KGN BROWN (7) (GREENAWAY) 5:10

KGN GREENAWAY (5) (CULL) 16:12

KGN SPOONER (4) (BROWN) 18:44

SHOTS

WINDSOR 8 - 21 - 15 = 44

KINGSTON 10 - 12 - 14 = 36

PPS

WINDSOR 0-FOR-4

KINGSTON 0-FOR-1

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NAMESTNIKOV, KNIGHTS DOUBLE SPITS

2011-10-23T20:04:00.002-04:00

Vlad Namestnikov scored twice and added an assist, as the London Knights doubled the Spits, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon at the WFCU Centre.

Dane Fox and Ryan Rupert each had a goal and a helper, as the country's top-ranked team won its 11th game of the season.

Nick Czinder continued his strong play with a goal (6) and an assist in a losing cause for the Spitfires (8-5-1-1), who lost their third straight game.

Jack Campbell took the loss in goal, despite making 32 saves.

Next Up: The Spits welcome the Kingston Frontenacs to the WFCU Centre on Thursday, October 27th.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

LON M RUPERT (6) (NAMESTNIKOV, MAATTA) 12:13 PP

WIN MACQUEEN (6) (ROBERTSON, EBERT) 14:41

LON MARTIN (3) (R RUPERT, FOX) 16:01

SECOND PERIOD

WIN WEBERMIN (1) (CZINDER, VAIL) 1:47

LON R RUPERT (7) (RAINE) 6:51

THIRD PERIOD

LON FOX (7) (M RUPERT, HARRINGTON) 1:19

WIN CZINDER (6) (JOHNSON, KOKO) 12:52 PP

LON NAMESTNIKOV (7) (GRIFFITH, FERRY) 14:15

LON NAMESTNIKOV (8) (KNIGHT, MAATTA) 15:29 PP

SHOTS

WINDSOR 11 - 9 - 10 = 30

LONDON 15 - 11 - 12 = 38

PPS

WINDSOR 1-FOR-5

LONDON 2-FOR-10

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STORM 4, SPITS 1

2011-10-22T12:04:00.000-04:00

Francis Menard and Cody McNaughton each had a goal and an assist and Garret Sparks made 26 saves as the Storm topped the Spitfires 4-1 in Guelph on Friday night.

Anthony Cortellessa had the lone goal for Windsor (8-4-1-1), his first Ontario Hockey League marker. Ty Bilcke and Stephen Alonge each recorded their first OHL points on the goal, which spoiled the home side's shutout efforts with just 55 seconds to play.

Menard's goal came at 18:59 of the first period and was the eventual game-winner.

Zack Mitchell kicked in two assists, while Hunter Garlent and Andrey Pedan had the other goals for Guelph (5-3-1-1).

John Cullen stopped 36 pucks in goal for Windsor in a losing cause.

The Spits wrap up the weekend Sunday afternoon, when the London Knights come to the WFCU Centre for a 2:05 matinee.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

GUE MCNAUGHTON (6) (HARPUR, MENARD) 12:56

GUE MENARD (4) (MCNAUGHTON, MITCHELL) 18:59

SECOND PERIOD

NO SCORING

THIRD PERIOD

GUE PEDAN (3) (MITCHELL, FINN) 1:03

GUE GARLENT (1) (HORVAT, WATLING) 14:31

WIN CORTELLESSA (1) (ALONGE, BILCKE) 19:05

SHOTS

WINDSOR 8 - 13 - 6 = 27

GUELPH 17 - 10 - 14 = 40

PPS

WINDSOR 0-FOR-4

GUELPH 1-FOR-4

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RANGERS TOP SPITS IN SHOOTOUT

2011-10-21T00:19:00.000-04:00

Radek Faksa scored in the sixth round of a shootout as the Kitchener Rangers escaped the WFCU Centre with a 4-3 win over the Windsor Spitfires on Thursday night.

Goals by Brady Vail, Zack MacQueen staked the Spits to a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes. Nick Czinder's fifth of the season put Windsor up with a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes. But a string of third-period penalties resulted in a pair of powerplay goals for the visitors and yet another overtime game; Windsor's sixth of the season and third in the last four games.

Jack Campbell made 34 saves in regulation and 3 more in OT, but took the loss for just the second time in eight starts.

Brady Vail's goal set a modern-day Spitfires record for the fastest goal to open a game. The previous record was held by Conor O'Donnell, who scored 8 seconds into a 5-4 SO win over the Ottawa 67s back on November 6, 2008.

The Spits are right back at it on Friday night, as they visit the Guelph Storm. Stay with windsorspitfires.com for all the action live from Guelph, starting with our Rockhead Game Blog lineups around 6:30.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

WIN VAIL (5) 0:07

WIN MACQUEEN (5) (KOKO, RYCHEL) 9:10

KIT THOMSON (3) (JASPER, SOL) 14:49

SECOND PERIOD

WIN CZINDER (5) (MCCANN, DUININCK) 18:11

THIRD PERIOD

KIT MARCANTUONI (2) (CRESCENZI, RIEDER) 4:07 PP

KIT CRESCENZI (5) (MELCHIORI) 9:30 PP

OVERTIME

No Scoring

SHOOTOUT WINNER

Radek Faksa

SHOTS

WINDSOR 16 - 5 - 9 - 2 = 32

KITCHENER 15 - 15 - 7 - 3 = 40

POWER PLAYS

WINDSOR 1-FOR-4

KITCHENER 2-FOR-6

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Brady Vail Named Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Spitfire Player of the Week

2011-10-18T22:37:00.000-04:00

Photo by Joe Lemire / In Play! Magazine

(Windsor) The Windsor Spitfires announced today that forward Brady Vail is the Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week for the week ending October 16^ndafter scoring three goals with a +3 rating in as many games including a pair in the Spits win against the Plymouth Whalers on Thursday night at the WFCU Centre.

Vail, the 17-year-old Palm City, Florida native is playing his second season with the Spitfires and is currently sixth in team scoring with 4 goals and 8 points in 12 games.

Congratulations Brady Vail!

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BATEMAN'S FIRST GOAL LIFTS SPITS TO SWEEP

2011-10-16T20:33:00.001-04:00

Adam Bateman's first career OHL goal was a huge one in Brampton.

The rookie Spitfires defenceman scored the game's only goal at 2:20 of overtime, lifting the club to a 1-0 win over the Battalion. The win completed a weekend sweep that included wins over Plymouth and Erie.

John Cullen was outstanding in goal, stopping all 28 pucks he faced for his second win and first shutout of the season.

By earning six points this weekend, the Spitfires are tied with the Sarnia Sting for top spot in the West Division and Western Conference.

Next up: The Spitfires host the Kitchener Rangers on Thursday night at the WFCU Centre.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

No Scoring

SECOND PERIOD

No Scoring

THIRD PERIOD

No Scoring

OTWIN BATEMAN (1) (EBERT, KOKO) 2:20

SHOTS

WINDSOR 6 - 2 - 8 - 4 = 20

BRAMPTON 8 - 12 - 7 - 1 = 28

POWER PLAYS

WINDSOR 0-FOR-5

BRAMPTON 0-FOR-5

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SPITS TOP WHALERS IN OT

2011-10-14T09:39:00.000-04:00

Craig Duininck scored at 3:27 of overtime, as the Spitfires pulled out a 4-3 win over the Plymouth Whalers at the WFCU Centre on Thursday night.

Brady Vail had a pair of goals (3,4) and Kerby Rychel scored his team-leading eighth of the season, as the Spits claimed sole possession of first place in the West Division and the Western Conference.

Jack Campbell won his fifth game in six starts, making 37 saves.

Austin Levi gave the Whalers their only lead of the night at the 19:59 mark of the first period.

Vail's second of the night squared things at 3-3 with a little more than two minutes to play in the middle 20.

In overtime, Plymouth's Tom Wilson was hobbled after blocking a shot and losing his stick, but couldn't make it to the bench. That left Duininck uncovered at the right point. He took a feed from Adrian Robertson and blasted one past Scott Wedgewood, who took the loss in goal for Plymouth (25 saves).

The Spits are on the road this weekend, with stops in Erie on Saturday and Brampton on Sunday afternoon.

SCORING

FIRST PERIODWIN Vail (3) (Johnson, Maletta) 1:29 PLY Aleardi (3) 8:17WIN Rychel (8) (MacQueen, Duininck) 11:28PLY Trutmann (2) (Bathgate, Malysa) 18:00 PLY Levi (1) (Miller, Trutmann) 19:59 SHG

SECOND PERIODWIN Vail (4) (KoKo, Czinder) 17:56

THIRD PERIOD
No Scoring

OT
Duininck (2) (Robertson, Rychel) 3:27

SHOTSWINDSOR 6 - 10 - 7 - 6 = 29PLYMOUTH 13 - 14 - 13 = 40
PPS
WINDSOR 0-FOR-4PLYMOUTH 0-FOR-2

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Michael Clarke Named Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week

2011-10-12T10:42:00.000-04:00

Michael Clarke in a game against the Saginaw Spirit Sept. 29, 2011.
Photo by Joe Lemire / In Play! Magazine

(Windsor) The Windsor Spitfires announced today that forward Michael Clarke is the Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week for the week ending October 9^ndafter starting off the weekend in style by scoring a hat-trick (four points) to help lead the Spitfires to a huge road win against the London Knights at the John Labatt Centre.

Clarke, the 17-year-old London native is playing his rookie season with the Spitfires and is currently 2nd in league scoring among rookies with 5 goals and 9 points in as many games.

Congratulations Michael Clarke!

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SPITS TAKE 5 OF 6 WEEKEND POINTS

2011-10-11T01:06:00.000-04:00

Dom Alberga scored in overtime as the Sarnia Sting topped the Spitfires, 4-3, on Thanksgiving Monday afternoon.

Nail Yakupov assisted on three goals, including the winner, and Ryan Kujawinski had a pair of goals.

The win pulled Sarnia (5-1-0-1) into a tie with Windsor (5-3-1-0) for first place in the West Division, just a single point ahead of Sault Ste Marie.

Michael Clarke (5), Nick Czinder (3) and Adrian Robertson (2) scored for the home side.

Jack Campbell played another outstanding game, but took the hard-luck loss (his fist of the season) in goal.

NEXT UP: PLYMOUTH AT WINDSOR THURSDAY OCTOBER 13TH

SCORING
FIRST PERIODWIN Czinder (3) (Posa, Ebert) 7:06
WIN Clarke (5) (Vail, Posa) 9:07
SECOND PERIODWIN Robertson (2) (Posa) 2:09
SAR Kujawinski (1) (Basso, Yakupov) 15:57
SAR Kujawinski (2) 19:22
THIRD PERIODSAR Latta (Yakupov, Basso) 12:23
OVERTIMESAR Alberga (Yakupov, Broussard) 2:29

SHOTS

WINDSOR 8 - 11 - 9 - 0 = 28
SARNIA 10 - 14 - 5 - 2 = 31

PPS

WINDSOR O-FOR-2
SARNIA 0-FOR-3

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SPITS BEAT GENERALS IN SHOOTOUT

2011-10-09T11:43:00.000-04:00

Kerby Rychel scored the only goal in a shootout, as the Spitfires escaped the WFCU Centre with a 5-4 win over the Oshawa Generals on Saturday night.

Alexander Khokhlachev had two goals and two assists, and John Cullen won his first game of the season, as the upstart Spits boosted their record to (5-3-0-0). The win put the Spits in first place in the West Division and gave them a share of top spot in the Western Conference.

Goals by KoKo and Nick Czinder gave the Spits a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.

But things came undone a little in the second, as a pair of shorthanded goals in just 12 seconds, gave the Generals (2-5-0-0) a brief 3-2 lead.

Zack MacQueen's fourth goal of the season got the Spits back to even at 19:06.

KoKo gave the Spits a 4-3 lead at 1:43 of the third period. Cole Cassels tied things back up late in the period.

Cullen stopped all three attempts in the shootout.

SCORING

FIRST PERIODWIN KoKo (3) (Posa, Robertson) 5:35WIN Czinder (2) (Posa, KoKo) 15:20

SECOND PERIODOSH Thomas (2) (Jensen, Quinn) 1:31OSH Graves (2) (Suellentrop) 5:43OSH Thomas (3) (Laughton) 5:55WIN MacQueen (4) (Robertson, KoKo) 19:06

THIRD PERIODWIN KoKo (4) (Rychel, MacQueen) 1:43OSH Cassels (1) (Jenner) 14:31

OVERTIME
NO SCORING

SHOOTOUT WINNER
Rychel
SHOTS
WINDSOR 12 - 5 - 6 - 2 = 25
OSHAWA 11 - 16 - 12 - 4 = 43
PPS
WINDSOR 1-FOR-6
OSHAWA 0-FOR-4

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CLARKE DOES THE TRICK FOR THE SPITFIRES IN LONDON

2011-10-08T01:03:00.000-04:00

It was quite a homecoming Friday night for Spits centre Michael Clarke.

The London native had three goals and an assist, leading the Spits to a huge, 5-2 win over the Knights at the John Labatt Centre.

It was Windsor's first road win of the season. And it came at the expense of a previously undefeated London club ranked number one in the country.

Craig Duininck and Kerby Rychel had the other goals for the Spitfires (4-3-0-0). Rychel's was the game winner, his 7th of the year on his 17th year.

Jared Knight and Vlad Namestnikov had the London goals.

Jack Campbell was outstanding again in goal for the Spitfires, making 38 saves for his fourth win in as many starts this season.

The Spits are back at it Saturday night, when the Oshawa Generals visit the WFCU Centre. Gametime is 7:05.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD
LON Knight (4) (Raine, Domi) 14:19

SECOND PERIOD
WIN Clarke (3) (Maletta, Ebert) 6:06
WIN Duininck (1) (Clarke, Maletta) 19:59

THIRD PERIOD
WIN Rychel (7) (KoKo, Robertson) 11:15 PP
LON Namestnikov (4) (Domi, Knight) 18:45
WIN Clarke (4) (Vail) 19:19 EN
WIN Clarke (5) (Czinder) 19:47

SHOTS
WINDSOR 11 - 19 - 8 = 38
LONDON 14 - 14 - 12 = 40

PPS
WINDSOR 1-FOR-6
LONDON 0-FOR-3

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Jack Campbell Named Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week

2011-10-06T09:20:00.000-04:00

Jack Campbell warms up before game time.
Photo By Joe Lemire / In Play! Magazine

(Windsor) The Windsor Spitfires announced today that goaltender Jack Campbell is the Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week for the week ending October 2^nd after helping lead the Spitfires to two comeback wins at the WFCU Centre against the Saginaw Spirit and Ottawa 67’s.

Campbell, the 19-year-old native of Port Huron, MI, is playing his second OHL season with the Spitfires after recording a 24-14 record in his 2010-2011 campaign, including a 3.80GAA and a 0.884 SAV%.

Jack is currently 3-0 including a shutout against the Sarnia Sting and sits fourth in the OHL among goalies with a 1.65GAA and a .0947 SAV% in three games between the pipes for Windsor this year.

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SPITS MOUNT HUGE COMBACK OVER 67S IN OT!

2011-10-02T20:01:00.000-04:00

(Windsor) Alexander Khokhlachev capped a wild comeback with a breakaway goal in overtime, as the Windsor Spitfires beat the Ottawa 67s 4-3 in overtime on Sunday afternoon at the WFCU Centre.

Kerby Rychel, Adrian Robertson and Nick Czinder had the other goals for the Spits, who evened their record at three wins and three losses on the season.

Once again, it wasn't an easy outing for the home side.

After failing on three straight power plays, the Spits gave up a trio of Ottawa power play goals that resulted in a 3-0 deficit after 20 minutes.

But the Spits worked their way back into the game with PPGs from Rychel and Robertson in the middle frame.

The home side completed the comeback late in the third period, as Nick Czinder was rewarded for a strong shift with his first goal of the season, at 16:17.

That set the stage for Khoklachev's heroics. The speedy Russian centre picked a Ben Johnson pass out of mid-air before streaking in alone and sliding one past Petr Mrazek, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

The Spits are back at it Friday night in London. They then return home for a rare Saturday night match-up with the Oshawa Generals.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

OTT Ceci (2) (Monahan, Toffoli) 14:19 PP

OTT Monahan (6) (Ceci, Gustavsen) 16:48 PP

OTT Van Stralen (1) (Cardwell, Graovac) 19:35 PP

SECOND PERIOD

WIN Rychel (6) (KoKo, MacQueen) 1:47 PP

WIN Robertson (1) (MacQueen, Ebert) 17:50 PP

THIRD PERIOD

WIN Czinder (1) (Ebert) 16:17

OVERTIME

WIN KoKo (2) (Johnson) 1:48

SHOTS

WINDSOR 14 - 13 - 9 - 1 = 37

OTTAWA 13 - 11 - 9 - 2 = 35

PPS

WINDSOR 2-FOR-12

OTTAWA 3-FOR-8

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HOUNDS 6 SPITS 1

2011-10-01T12:37:00.000-04:00

(Sault Ste Marie) The Greyhounds rode a hot start to beat the Spitfires on Friday night.

Carson Dubchak had a pair of goals and an assist in a 6-1 win on opening night at the Essar Centre.

Dubchak and Colin Wilson put the Hounds up 2-0 in the first 3:53 of the game, and the Hounds never looked back.

Ryan Sproul and Brett Findlay each chipped in with three assists for the home side.

Kerby Rychel had the lone goal for the Spits, his fifth of the young season.

John Cullen took the loss in goal for Windsor.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD
SSM Miller (1) (Sproul) 2:13
SSM Dubchak (1) (Elsner) 3:53WIN Rychel (5) (KoKo) 5:00

SECOND PERIOD
SSM Cousins (1) (Findlay, Fritsch) 17:54 PP

THIRD PERIOD
SSM Rogalski (1) (Dubchak) 7:38
SSM Cousins (2) (Findlay, Sproul) 12:11 PP
SSM Fritsch (1) (Sproul, Findlay) 15:05 PP

SHOTS
WINDSOR 10 - 6 - 4 = 20
SSM 8 - 10 - 8 = 26
PPS
WINDSOR 0-FOR-4
SSM 3-FOR-11

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RYCHEL'S PAIR BREAKS SAGINAW’S SPIRIT

2011-09-29T23:26:00.000-04:00

Kerby Rychel's second goal of the game proved to be the winner, as the Windsor Spitfires knocked off another powerful Western Conference club on Thurday night, in a 3-2 win over Saginaw.

Alexander Khokhlachev assisted on both of Rychel's goals and Jack Campbell was outstanding again in goal, making 29 saves in the win.

The Spits fell behind 2-0 early, as John McFarland capitalized on two different turnovers.

The lead held up after 20 minutes, but Rychel got the Spits on the board on the PP at 6:34 of the second, on a nifty three-way passing play with Khokhlachev and Adrian Robertson.

The Spits tied the game in the first minute of the third period, on Brady Vail's first of the season.

That set the stage for Rychel's dramatic winner at 16:30.

SUMMARY

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD
SAG McFarland (2) (Fine) 3:29
SAG McFarland (3) 5:51

SECOND PERIODWIN Rychel (3) (KoKo, Robertson) 6:34

THIRD PERIODWIN Vail (1) (Maletta, Clarke) 0:54WIN Rychel (4) (KoKo, MacQueen) 16:30
SHOTS
WINDSOR 12 - 10 - 13 = 35
SAGINAW 8 - 12 - 11 = 31
PPS
WINDSOR 1-FOR-7
SAGINAW 0-FOR-3

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Kerby Rychel Named Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week

2011-09-27T17:14:00.000-04:00

(Windsor) The Windsor Spitfires announced today that forward Kerby Rycel is the Tecumseh & South Walkerville Vision Centres Player of the Week for the week ending September 25^th after scoring two goals for six points in three games including the game winning goal in Windsor’s 2-0 win over the Sarnia Sting on Sunday afternoon at the WFCU Centre.

Kerby Rychel - Player of the Week.
Photo by Joe Lemire / In Play! Magazine

Rychel, a 16-year-old native of Tecumseh, ON, is playing his second OHL season with the Spitfires after recording 21 points in 62 games last season.

Kerby is currently third in the OHL in scoring behind only Barrie's Tanner Pearson (5G, 3A) and Colin Behenna (1G, 6A).

Kerby is the season's first recipient of the Tecumseh & South Walkerville Player of the Week honours.

SEPT 22ND versus Guelph: 2 assists

SEPT 23RD at Kitchener: 1 goal, 1 assist

SEPT 25TH versus Sarnia: GWG and 1 assist

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SPITS SMOTHER STING IN 2-0 WIN

2011-09-25T17:29:00.002-04:00

The Spitfires had a game plan to shut down Nail Yakupov and the Sting and executed it to perfection on Sunday afternoon.

Kerby Rychel and Alexander Khokhlachev took care of the offense, with a goal and an assist each, and Jack Campbell was outstanding in net, making 28 saves for the shutout in a 2-0 win over Sarnia.

It was Windsor's first win of the year, after two disappointing losses to Guelph and Kitchener.

The Spits got on the board on the power play in the first, as Rychel tipped home a KoKo wrister from the right circle, to make it 1-0 Spits. The two combined again with the man advantage in the second. Rychel spotted KoKo at the right post from behind the net and fed him a perfect pass to put the Spitfires up 2-0.

It was all the offense they would need, as Jack Campbell stymied the high-powered Sting offense time and time again.

The Spits are back at it Thursday night, when they host the Saginaw Spirit at the WFCU Centre at 7:05.

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST PERIOD

WIN Rychel (Khokhlachev, Robertson) 14:55 PP

SECOND PERIOD

WIN Khokhlachev (Rychel, Ebert) 9:23 PP

THIRD PERIOD

No Scoring

SHOTS

WINDSOR 11 - 9 - 7 = 27

SARNIA 9 - 8 - 11 = 28

PPS

WINDSOR 2-FOR-4

SARNIA 0-FOR-4

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Spits Shattered In Third By Rangers

2011-09-24T01:25:00.000-04:00

(Windsor) Tobias Rieder scored with 91 seconds to play, spoiling a solid Spits effort in a 4-3 Rangers win Friday night at the Aud in Kitchener.

The game featured the return of Tom Kuhnhackl, who was injured in the third period after an awkward looking collision with Kitchener defenceman Jon Jaspers.

Kuhnhackl had to be helped from the ice and did not return.

Michael Clarke, Zack MacQueen and Kerby Rychel scored for the Spitfires (0-2-0-0). Rychel's powerplay goal put Windsor up 3-2 early in the second period.

The Spits looked to be in control early in the third period, until a pane of glass shattered next to the Spits bench, causing a near 30-minute delay.

When play resumed, Curtis Meighan tied the game near the midway mark with his first of the year.

Rieder's winner came on a two-on-two rush chance immediately after a scoring chance by Windsor's Brenden McCann.

John Cullen took the loss in goal for Windsor, making 29 saves.

SCORING SUMMARY

FIRST PERIOD

KIT Pedersen (1) (Meighan, McEneny) 2:00

KIT Thomson (1) (McEneny, Catenacci) 10:25 PPG

WIN MacQueen (3) (Rychel, Kuhnhackl) 14:58 PPG

SECOND PERIOD

WIN Clarke (2) (Maletta, Ebert) 2:19

WIN Rychel (1) 4:21 PPG

THIRD PERIOD

KIT Meighan (1) (Hasson, Gilbert) 9:46

KIT Reider (1) (Catenacci, Thomson) 18:29

SHOTS

WINDSOR 8 - 19 - 12 = 39

KITCHENER 14 - 9 - 10 = 33

PPS

WINDSOR 2-FOR-8

KITCHENER 1-FOR-7

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Columbus Blue Jackets Announce Resignation of Assistant Coach Bob Boughner

2011-05-18T13:26:00.000-04:00

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The Columbus Blue Jackets announced today that Bob Boughner has resigned from his position as an assistant coach with the National Hockey League club. Boughner, who is also the president of the Windsor Spitfires hockey club joined the Blue Jackets organization in July 2010 after also serving as the Spitfires head coach from 2006-2010.

“Today’s decision has been an extremely difficult one to say the least,” said Boughner. “It was made for many reasons, most importantly being family. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Columbus. It was an unbelievable experience. I would like to thank the entire Blue Jackets organization for the opportunity. Moving forward, I will take some time with my family to decide what my plans for the future might be.”

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Spitfires Pick Maletta 13th Overall, 11 Players Selected by Spits in 2011 OHL Priority Selection

2011-05-07T21:58:00.001-04:00

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Spitfires Pick Maletta 13^th Overall, 11 Players Selected by Spits

in 2011 OHL Priority Selection, Presented by State Farm

Dave Ducharme
windsorspitfires.com staff reports

The Spits selected Jordan Maletta with the 13th pick of the first round this morning. He's a 6’2" right-handed shooting centre that played for the St. Catherines Falcons Midgets last year.

"The kid has pro potential," said GM Warren Rychel. "We love his size. He's a very good shooter and skater. We were very surprised to get him at 13."

With their second round pick, the Spitfires picked Jordan Dekort, a 6'4" goalie from the Markham Majors Minor AAA program.

With the 39th pick overall, Rychel turned to a local boy - hulking winger Hunter Smith, who played for the Windsor Jr. Spitfires last season. According to the team's stats, he 6'6" and listed 210 pounds.

The Spitfires stayed home with their 5th round pick, selecting Sun County Panthers centre Sam Studnicka.
"I thought for sure he'd go in the third round. But we held our breath until the fifth. He's a kid I know real well. He has size, he's a very smart player. We're glad to add him. He's going to be a real good hockey player."

The Spits added some speed and scoring in the 7th round in the form of Dylan Wallace, a 5'10" left winger that had 72 points in 72 games for the York Simcoe Express Minor Midgets last season.

Windsor took a flyer with their 10th round pick, selecting Will Butcher in the 10th round. He's a puck moving defenceman that played for the Madison Capitals Midgets in Wisconsin last season. He's committed to the US National Team Development Program for two years, but has huge upside should he decide to join the Spits after that.

With their 11th round pick, acquired from Sarnia yesterday, the Spitfires took Mitchell Graham, a right winger from the Burlington Eagles.

Mark Friedman, a right defenceman with the Don Mills Flyers, was taken in the 13th round, 255th overall.
With the 13th pick of the 14th round (275th overall), the Spits selection Liam Clare, a defenceman that played with the Halton Hurricanes last season. Just six picks later, with the 281th pick of the draft, they took Andrew McLean, a left defenceman from the Detroit Little Caesar's U16s.

Finally, in the 15th round, the Spitfires selected Evan Allen, a centre from the Detroit Honeybaked Under 16s.

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Windsor Spitfires 2011 Draft Class

Rnd.	No.	OHL Team	Player Name	Team Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Birthdate
1	13	Windsor Spitfires	Jordan Maletta	St. Catharines Falcons	RC	6.02	200	04/30/1995
2	8	Windsor Spitfires	Jordan Dekort	Markham Majors	G	6.04	185	08/08/1995
2	17	Windsor Spitfires	Hunter Smith	Windsor	RW	6.04	190	09/11/1995
5	4	Windsor Spitfires	Sam Studnicka	Sun County Panthers	RC	6.00	170	01/15/1995
7	13	Windsor Spitfires	Dylan Wallace	York Simcoe Express	LW	5.10	150	03/20/1995
10	13	Windsor Spitfires	Will Butcher	Madison Capitals	LD	5.10	190	01/06/1995
11	4	Windsor Spitfires	Mitchell Graham	Burlington Eagles	RW	5.08	155	07/05/1995
13	13	Windsor Spitfires	Mark Friedman	Don Mills Flyers	RD	5.09	175	12/25/1995
14	13	Windsor Spitfires	Liam Clare	Halton Hurricanes	RD	5.09	145	07/14/1995
14	19	Windsor Spitfires	Andrew McLean	Detroit Little Caesars U16's	LD	6.00	165	01/12/1995
15	7	Windsor Spitfires	Evan Allen	Detroit Honeybaked U16's	RC	5.10	175	02/03/1995

Spitfires Forward Alexander Khokhlachev Among the 61 CHL Players Invited to 2011 NHL Combine

2011-05-06T15:45:00.000-04:00

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61 CHL Players Invited to 2011 NHL Combine

Friday May 6, 2011

Toronto, ON – The Canadian Hockey League is pleased to announce that 61 CHL players have been invited to the 2011 NHL Combine held May 30 to June 4 in Toronto, ON. The 2011 NHL Combine features the top 102 prospects eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Among the invites are Ryan Nugent-Hopkins of the Red Deer Rebels who is the top-ranked North American Skater eligible for the draft, along with the second ranked forward Gabriel Landeskog the Kitchener Rangers, and Jonathan Huberdeau of the Saint John Sea Dogs who is ranked third overall by NHL Central Scouting.

The event gives NHL clubs a chance to evaluate the NHL’s future stars less than a month before the 2011 NHL Entry Draft at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The first round of the draft will take place on Friday, June 24 and the subsequent rounds (two through seven) on Saturday, June 25.

The 61 CHL players represents over 70% of all North American invites, with 28 players from the Ontario Hockey League, 19 from the Western Hockey League, and 14 from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

SCOUTING COMBINE INVITATION LIST – CHL PLAYERS

NORTH AMERICAN SKATERS
NAME	TEAM	LEAGUE	POS.	HT	WT
Olivier Archambault	Val d'Or	QMJHL	LW	5-foot-11	170
Sven Baertschi	Portland	WHL	LW	5-foot-10	181
Nathan Beaulieu	Saint John	QMJHL	D	6-foot-2	174
Myles Bell	Regina	WHL	D	6-foot	214
Austen Brassard	Belleville	OHL	RW	6-foot-2	191
Daniel Catenacci	Sault Ste. Marie	OHL	C	5-foot-10	183
Nick Cousins	Sault Ste. Marie	OHL	C	5-foot-11	166
Sean Couturier	Drummondville	QMJHL	C	6-foot-4	197
Joseph Cramarossa	Mississauga St. Michael's	OHL	C	6-foot	188
Phillip Danault	Victoriaville	QMJHL	LW	6-foot	170
Joel Edmundson	Moose Jaw	WHL	D	6-foot-5	191
Travis Ewanyk	Edmonton	WHL	LW	6-foot-1	178
Dougie Hamilton	Niagara	OHL	D	6-foot-4	187
Jonathan Huberdeau	Saint John	QMJHL	C	6-foot-1	170
Colin Jacobs	Seattle	WHL	C	6-foot-1	197
Boone Jenner	Oshawa	OHL	C	6-foot-1	204
Nicklas Jensen	Oshawa	OHL	LW/RW	6-foot-2	187
Tomas Jurco	Saint John	QMJHL	RW	6-foot-2	187
Alexander Khokhlachev	Windsor	OHL	C/LW	5-foot-10	188
Gabriel Landeskog	Kitchener	OHL	LW	6-foot-1	207
Maximilien LeSieur	Shawinigan	QMJHL	RW	6-foot-2	203
Lucas Lessio	Oshawa	OHL	LW	6-foot-1	197
Luke Lockhart	Seattle	WHL	RW	5-foot-10	180
Adam Lowry	Swift Current	WHL	LW	6-foot-4	186
Mark McNeill	Prince Albert	WHL	C	6-foot-2	201
Joseph Morrow	Portland	WHL	D	6-foot	197
Ryan Murphy	Kitchener	OHL	D	5-foot-11	166
David Musil	Vancouver	WHL	D	6-foot-3	198
Vladislav Namestnikov	London	OHL	C	6-foot	166
Marcel Noebels	Seattle	WHL	LW	6-foot-3	195
Stefan Noesen	Plymouth	OHL	RW	6-foot	195
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	Red Deer	WHL	C	6-foot-1	164
Scott Oke	Saint John	QMJHL	LW	6-foot-3	185
Xavier Ouellet	Montreal	QMJHL	D	6-foot	174
Stuart Percy	Mississauga St. Michael's	OHL	D	6-foot-1	186
Zack Phillips	Saint John	QMJHL	C	6-foot-1	178
Shane Prince	Ottawa	OHL	C	5-foot-10	174
Matt Puempel	Peterborough	OHL	LW	6-foot	196
Alan Quine	Peterborough	OHL	C	5-foot-11	178
Jonathan Racine	Shawinigan	QMJHL	D	6-foot-1	182
Rickard Rakell	Plymouth	OHL	RW	6-foot	191
Ty Rattie	Portland	WHL	RW	5-foot-11	163
Tobias Rieder	Kitchener	OHL	C	5-foot-11	173
Brett Ritchie	Sarnia	OHL	RW	6-foot-3	210
Brandon Saad	Saginaw	OHL	LW	6-foot-1	208
Reece Scarlett	Swift Current	WHL	D	6-foot-1	164
Mark Scheifele	Barrie	OHL	C	6-foot-2	182
Logan Shaw	Cape Breton	QMJHL	RW	6-foot-3	197
Duncan Siemens	Saskatoon	WHL	D	6-foot-3	192
Ryan Sproul	Sault Ste. Marie	OHL	D	6-foot-3	175
Michael St. Croix	Edmotnon	WHL	C	5-foot-11	176
Ryan Strome	Niagara	OHL	C	6-foot	175
Ryan Tesink	Saint John	QMJHL	C	5-foot-11	157
Vincent Trocheck	Saginaw	OHL	C	5-foot-10	184
Tyler Wotherspoon	Portland	WHL	D	6-foot-1	203
Zachary Yuen	Tri-City	WHL	D	6-foot	205

NORTH AMERICAN GOALTENDERS
Jordan Binnington	Owen Sound	OHL		6-foot-1	156
Laurent Brossoit	Edmonton	WHL		6-foot-3	193
Christopher Gibson	Chicoutimi	QMJHL		6-foot-1	193
Matt Mahalak	Plymouth	OHL		6-foot-2	183
Michael Morrison	Kitchener	OHL		6-foot	177

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Spitfires Exchange Picks with Sarnia and Owen Sound

2011-05-06T15:41:00.000-04:00

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Windsor Spitfires Vice-President and General Manager Warren Rychel today announced that the Spitfires have acquired a second round pick (39^th overall) and an 11^th round pick (206^th overall) for tomorrow’s OHL Priority Selection (Presented by State Farm) from the Sarnia Sting.

In exchange, Windsor sent their second round pick in the 2016 OHL Priority Selection and their third round pick in 2014 to the Sting.

“After three really good seasons which include two MasterCard Memorial Cup Championships, I’m very happy to have three picks in the top 40 (13^th, 30^th and 39^th overall picks) for tomorrow’s draft,” said Warren Rychel.

Additionally, the Spitfires received Owen Sound’s 14^th round pick in tomorrow’s Priority Selection and sent their 13^th round pick in 2012 to the Attack.

The Windsor Spitfires will be taking part in the 2011 OHL Priority Selection, presented by State Farm tomorrow (Saturday, May 7^th) starting at 9 am.

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Spitfires’ Ryan Ellis Wins Red Tilson Trophy as OHL’s Most Outstanding Player of the Year

2011-05-04T13:47:00.000-04:00

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Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that defenceman Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires is the 2010-11 recipient of the Red Tilson Trophy awarded to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player of the Year as voted by the writers and broadcasters that cover the league.

Ellis, who scored 101 points in 58 games with 24 goals and 77 assists became the first defenceman in 17 years to score more than 100 points in a season. He is just the fourth defenceman in the 67-year history of the Red Tilson Trophy to win the award following Brian Campbell (Ottawa, 1999), Bryan Fogarty (Niagara Falls, 1989), and Ron Howell (Guelph, 1956). He is also just the third member of the Windsor Spitfires to win the award and first in 30 years following Ernie Godden in 1981 and Glenn Hall in 1951.

“This is a great honour and very exciting for me,” said Ellis. “The guys who have their names on this trophy have done some great things for hockey. The fans in Windsor have been instrumental to our success over the years and I want to thank everyone for the best four years anyone could ask for.”

The 20-year-old from Freelton, ON, was selected by the Spitfires in the second round, 22 overall in the 2007 OHL Priority Selection. He adds to an already impressive list of OHL awards including the Max Kaminsky Trophy as Defenceman of the Year earned this season as well as in 2008-09. He is a three-time All-Star named twice to the First Team this season and in 2008-09, and was a Second Team All-Star last season. Ellis was also named to the OHL’s All-Rookie team in 2007-08 the same season he was recognized as the Bobby Smith Trophy winner as the OHL’s Scholastic Player of the Year.

“On behalf of the Windsor Spitfires we are very excited for Ryan,” said Spitfires Vice-President and General Manager Warren Rychel. “He leads by example and while his on-ice accolades are clear it is also his character off the ice that has been tremendous and instrumental in helping our younger players with their development this season. He has given so much to the community. It will be tough moving forward without Ryan Ellis but he will be remembered as one of the greatest and one of the players that helped put the Windsor Spitfires on the map.”

A winner throughout his four-year junior career with the Spitfires, the 2009 first round pick of the Nashville Predators captured two OHL and Memorial Cup titles and was named to the MasterCard Memorial Cup All-Star Team in 2009. Internationally, Ellis is the only player in the history of Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence to win Gold at each of the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge (2008), IIHF World Under-18 Championship (2008), Memorial of Ivan Hlinka (2008), and the IIHF World Junior Championship (2009). He also earned silver medals with Canada at the 2010 World Junior Championship and again in 2011 in Buffalo, NY, when he served as Team Captain and was named Best Defenceman of the tournament setting a new IIHF and Team Canada record for most career-points by a defenceman with 25 in 20 games.

“True and simple Ryan Ellis is a winner,” said Predators President and General Manager David Poile. “I love players that are able to compete in April and in May and Ryan has shown his ability to be one of the best when his teams are competing for a championship. He has had a fabulous junior career, but equally important is how he has conducted himself as not just a special player but a great person.”

With 314 points in 226 career games, Ellis is just the third defenceman in OHL history to record 300 career points and trails only Rick Corriveau who recorded 329 points in 260 games with London and Niagara Falls from 1987-92, and Denis Potvin who recorded 330 in 257 games with the Ottawa 67’s from 1967-73 for career points by an OHL defenceman.

The Red Tilson Trophy is the most prestigious individual award presented by the Ontario Hockey League. Accredited media were asked to select their top three choices from the 20 nominees representing all 20 member clubs. Players received five points for a first place selection, three points for second place and one point for a third place selection.

In the 75 ballots collected, Ellis received 245 points in the voting process and was listed as the number one choice on more than 50% of all ballots. He finishes ahead of Top Scorers Tyler Toffoli of the Ottawa 67’s who received 135 voting points, and Jason Akeson of the Kitchener Rangers who finished in third place with 74 points.

The trophy is named in honour of Albert "Red" Tilson, who was killed in action in Europe during World War II. Tilson was the OHA scoring champion for the 1942-43 season after scoring 19 goals and 38 assists for 57 points in 22 games with the Oshawa Generals.

Other winners of the Red Tilson Trophy include Frank Mahovlich (Toronto 1957), Mike Foligno (Sudbury, 1979), Doug Gilmour (Cornwall 1983), Eric Lindros (Oshawa 1991), David Legwand (Plymouth 1998), Brad Boyes (Erie 2001 & 2002), Corey Perry (London 2005), and John Tavares (Oshawa 2007), with Tyler Seguin of the Plymouth Whalers receiving the award last season.

Ellis will be the OHL’s nominee for the Canadian Hockey League Player of the Year Award presented at the CHL Awards Ceremony during the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Mississauga.

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OHL Announces 2010-11 All-Star Teams

2011-05-02T20:18:00.000-04:00

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Monday May 2, 2011

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced the All-Star teams for the 2010-11 OHL regular season.

The Owen Sound Attack, who recently captured the Wayne Gretzky Trophy as Western Conference Champions, are represented the most on the First All-Star Team with two players including Colorado Avalanche first round pick Joey Hishon at centre, with captain and Florida Panthers prospect Garrett Wilson listed at left wing. Matt Leyden Trophy winner Mark Reeds, the OHL’s Coach of the Year, is also on the first team. Also representing the Attack as an All-Star is Toronto Maple Leafs prospect defenceman Jesse Blacker named to the third team.

The Eastern Conference Champions and Bobby Orr Trophy winners the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors lead the way with four players represented in total including San Jose Sharks prospect JP Anderson in goal for the Second All-Star Team, along with Boston Bruins prospect Marc Cantin on defence. Majors’ captain and New York Islanders prospect Casey Cizikas earned a spot on the Third All-Star Team at centre, as did defenceman and Washington Capitals prospect Brett Flemming. Head Coach Dave Cameron appears behind the bench on the second team for the second straight year.

Windsor Spitfire Ryan Ellis received
the most votes with 91
Photo by Joe Lemire/In Play! Magazine

Max Kaminsky Trophy winner and Nashville Predators prospect Ryan Ellis is the only player on any of the three All-Star teams who is a repeat winner. He appears on the first team just as he did in 2008-09 when he last captured Defenceman of the Year honours. Last season he was listed on the second All-Star team. Joining Ellis on the point for the first team this season is 2011 NHL Entry Draft prospect Ryan Murphy, while Top Scorer and co-recipient of the Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy and Los Angeles Kings prospect Tyler Toffoli of the Ottawa 67’s is listed at right wing. Rounding out the first team in goal is OHL Goaltender of the Year and Phoenix Coyotes first round pick Mark Visentin of the Niagara IceDogs.

The OHL All-Star Teams were selected by the OHL’s General Managers. Players were voted on by position and received five points for a first place vote, three for a second place vote, and one for a third place vote. In the case of defencemen, the top two selections received five points, the third and fourth selections received three points, and the fifth and sixth selections each received a single point.

2010-11 OHL All-Star Teams (voting points in brackets):

First Team:

Centre – Joey Hishon, Owen Sound Attack (63)

Left Wing – Garrett Wilson, Owen Sound Attack (61)
Right Wing – Tyler Toffoli, Ottawa 67’s (47)
Defence – Ryan Ellis, Windsor Spitfires (91)
Defence – Ryan Murphy, Kitchener Rangers (71)

Goaltender – Mark Visentin, Niagara IceDogs (63)
Coach – Mark Reeds, Owen Sound Attack (60)

Second Team:

Centre – Ryan Strome, Niagara IceDogs (48)

Left Wing – Marcus Foligno, Sudbury Wolves (41)
Right Wing – Jason Akeson, Kitchener Rangers (39)
Defence – Dougie Hamilton, Niagara IceDogs (43)
Defence – Marc Cantin, Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (33)

Goaltender – JP Anderson, Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (59)
Coach – Dave Cameron, Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (56)

Third Team:

Centre – Casey Cizikas, Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (34)

Left Wing – Josh Shalla, Saginaw Spirit (36)

Right Wing – Christian Thomas, Oshawa Generals (35)

Defence – Brett Flemming, Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors (30)

Defence – Jesse Blacker, Owen Sound Attack (28)

Goaltender – Petr Mrazek, Ottawa 67’s (24)

Coach – Michael Vellucci, Plymouth Whalers (20)

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Spits Historic Run Comes to an End

2011-04-27T22:46:00.000-04:00

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windsorspitfires.com staff reports

A team that many counted out at the start of the 2011 OHL Playoffs, Windsor fans have reason to be proud of the performance put forth by the Spitfires over the past month.

One of the greatest runs in junior hockey history came to an abrupt end earlier tonight as the Owen Sound Attack defeated the two-time defending MasterCard Memorial Cup and Rogers OHL Champion Spitfire squad 10-4 in Owen Sound.

The Attack took the series four games to one and have earned the Wayne Gretzky trophy as Rogers Western Conference Champions and will move on to the Rogers OHL Championship Series against the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors. Owen Sound also earned a berth to the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup in Mississauga.

Windsor opened the scoring 2:12 into the contest, with Alex Khokhlachev converting a Nick Czinder rebound to take an early lead. Matt Petgrave tied the game for Owen Sound three minutes later on an odd man rush, beating Campbell blocker side. The Spits again took a 2-1 lead on a Brady Vail wrist shot from the right circle at 9:38 of the opening frame before Joey Hishon tied the affair for the Attack on an exceptional individual effort. The period ended with both teams tied at 2-2.

The second period was evenly played for the first 15 minutes before Petgrave netted two goals to record a hat-trick and provide Owen Sound a 4-2 lead, putting the Spits on the ropes with possibly 20 minutes left in their season.

Mike Halmo and Garrett Wilson gave Owen Sound a four-goal lead early in the third period. Brady Vail gave the Spits hope just 14 seconds later, crashing the Attack net and scoring his second goal to make it a 6-3 game.

After a few good shifts by the Spits, Andrew Shaw scored two goals, Halmo netted his second of the period and Jarred Maidens scored Owen Sound’s final goal to put the game out of reach for the Attack. Brady Vail rounded out the scoring for the Spits on a shorthanded marker for his first career hat-trick but it was too little, too late. Owen Sound ended the series with a 10-4 win.

SCORING
FIRST PERIOD

WSR Kuhnhackl, (12) (Czinder), 2:12

OS Petgrave, (1) (Schemitsch, Mignardi), 5:31

WSR Vail, (2) (Ellis), 9:38

OS Hishon, (4) (Wilson, Petgrave), 12:27

SECOND PERIOD

OS Petgrave, (2) (Wilson, Hishon) 14:41

OS Petgrave, (3) (Schemitsch) 19:44 (PP)

THIRD PERIOD

OS Halmo, (2) (Brace, Shaw), 4:32

OS Wilson, (9) (Fritsch, Wilson), 5:48

WSR Vail, (3) (MacQueen), 9:02

OS Shaw, (7) (Halmo), 7:11

OS Shaw, (8) (Mignardi, Halmo), 11:03 (PP)

OS Halmo, (3) (Shaw, Gilbert), 15:31 (PP)

OS Maidens, (3) (Petgrave, Schemitsch), 16:22 (PP)

WSR Vail, (4) (MacQueen), 17:06 (SH)

SHOTS

WINDSOR 13 – 14 – 11 = 38

OWEN SOUND 11 – 8 – 15 = 34

PPS

WINDSOR 0-FOR-7

OWEN SOUND 4-FOR-7

#1 Owen Sound vs. #4 Windsor – Rogers Western Conference Championship Series Schedule (Round Three)

2011 OHL Playoffs

Game 1 – Tuesday April 19 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound (Owen Sound 8-1)

Game 2 – Thursday April 21 at 7:05 pm at Windsor (Windsor 4-2)

Game 3 – Saturday April 23 at 7:30 pm at Owen Sound (Owen Sound 6-4)

Game 4 – Monday April 25 at 7:05 pm at Windsor (Owen Sound 3-2)

Game 5 – Wednesday April 27 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound (Owen Sound 10-4)

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Saverio Posa – The Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres Windsor Spitfires Player of the Week

2011-04-26T18:30:00.000-04:00

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windsorspitfires.com staff reports

The Windsor Spitfires most improved player this season, rearguard Saverio Posa just keeps getting better and better…

His four assists and +4 rating in Windsor’s three games against Owen Sound in the West Finals this week earned him the Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres Windsor Spitfires Player of the Week honours for the period ending Sunday, April 24^th.

After a difficult game one for the whole Spitfire squad, Posa played solid defence on the back end and assisted on the Spitfires’ game-winning goal while posting a +2 rating in a 4-2 victory for Windsor in game two at the WFCU Centre. This evened the series at 1-1.

Two nights later, he recorded three assists and his defensive work was again highlighted with an impressive +3 rating in Windsor’s 6-4 game three loss to the Attack in Owen Sound.

Posa has played steady two-way hockey during the 2011 OHL playoffs, registering seven assists in 17 games and a +8 rating.

The entire staff at Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres congratulates Saverio for his outstanding performances this week. He will receive a $50 gift certificate courtesy of Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres, honouring his efforts.

Game five of the Rogers Western Conference Final series will be played Wednesday night (April 27^th) as the Spitfires travel to Owen Sound, ready to take on the Attack. Game time is set for 7 pm at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.

Owen Sound currently leads the series three games to one and Windsor must win to extend the series. Fans can catch the game live on TVCOGECO or listen to the action with Mike Miller, the Voice of the Spits on AM800.

2010-2011 Windsor Spitfires’ Players of the Week

Saverio Posa – Apr. 18 – Apr. 24, 2011

Jake Carrick – Apr. 11 – Apr. 17, 2011

*Tom Kuhnhackl – Apr. 4 – Apr. 10, 2011

Adrian Robertson – Mar. 28 – Apr. 3, 2011

Jack Campbell – Mar. 21 – Mar. 27, 2011

Ryan Ellis – Mar. 14 – Mar. 20, 2011

Jack Campbell – Mar. 7 – Mar. 13, 2011

Craig Duininck – Feb. 28 – Mar. 6, 2011

Ryan Ellis – Feb. 21 – Feb. 27, 2011

Jeff Brown – Feb. 14 – Feb. 20, 2011

Taylor Carnevale – Feb. 7 – Feb. 13, 2011

Tom Kuhnhackl – Jan. 31 – Feb. 6, 2011

Alexander Khokhlachev – Jan. 24 – Jan. 30, 2011

Ryan Ellis – Jan. 17 – Jan. 23, 2011

Jake Carrick – Jan. 10 – Jan. 16, 2011

Kenny Ryan – Jan. 3 – Jan. 9, 2011

Saverio Posa – Dec. 27, 2010 – Jan. 2, 2011

Craig Duininck – Dec. 13 – Dec. 19, 2010

*Nick Ebert – Dec. 6 – Dec. 12, 2010

Troy Passingham – Nov. 29 – Dec. 5, 2010

Eric Locke – Nov. 22 – Nov. 28, 2010

Ryan Ellis – Nov. 15 – Nov. 21, 2010

Tom Kuhnhackl – Nov. 8 – Nov. 14, 2010

Tom Kuhnhackl – Nov. 1 – Nov. 7, 2010

Jack Campbell – Oct. 25 – Oct. 31, 2010

Tom Kuhnhackl – Oct. 18 – Oct. 24, 2010

Eric Locke – Oct. 11 – Oct. 17, 2010

Zack Kassian – Oct. 4 – Oct. 11, 2010

Kyle Tarini – Sep. 27 – Oct. 3, 2010

Alexander Khokhlachev – Sep. 21 – Sep. 27, 2010

* Player was selected as the OHL Player of the Week

** Player was selected as the OHL and CHL Player of the Week

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OHL ANNOUNCES DISCIPLINARY ACTION FOR KASSIAN HIT

2011-04-26T17:22:00.000-04:00

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GAME OF SATURDAY, APRIL 23^RD, 2011

WINDSOR AT OWEN SOUND

Tuesday, April 26^th, 2011

Toronto, ON - The Ontario Hockey League today announced the results of a review of an incident which occurred in a game played in Owen Sound on the 23^rd of April, 2011 involving the Attack and the visiting Windsor Spitfires.

The incident reviewed was a match penalty infraction assessed to player Zack Kassian of the Windsor Spitfires Hockey Club.

Based on such review, it is the position of the League that player Zack Kassian shall be suspended for a total of four (4) games.

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Spitfires’ Ryan Ellis Named OHL Defenceman of the Year

2011-04-26T13:43:00.000-04:00

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Tuesday April 26, 2011

Toronto, ON – The Ontario Hockey League today announced that for the second time in his career Ryan Ellis of the Windsor Spitfires is the recipient of the Max Kaminsky Trophy awarded to the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenceman of the Year.

Ryan Ellis - 2011 OHL Defenceman of the Year
Photo by Joe Lemire / In Play! Magazine

Ellis led all defencemen in scoring and finished tied for fourth overall in the OHL with 101 points in 58 games scoring 24 goals and 77 assists. He became the first defenceman to score 100 points in a season since Jamie Rivers of the Sudbury Wolves recorded 121 points in his award-winning 1993-94 campaign. A three-time finalist, Ellis won the award for the first time in his sophomore 2008-09 season and becomes just the third defenceman in OHL history to win the award twice following Denis Potvin (Ottawa 1972 and 73), and Bryan Berard (Detroit 1995 and 96).

“It’s very exciting for me to win this award for the second time,” said Ellis. “I’d like to thank all those who voted for me and to be named the OHL’s Top Defenceman with so many worthy candidates within our league is an honour and something that means a great deal to me personally.”

Ellis, a 20-year-old from Freelton, ON, set career-high numbers in goals, assists, and points competing in his fourth season with the Spitfires. With 314 points in 226 career games, Ellis became just the third defenceman in OHL history to record 300 career points and trails only Rick Corriveau who recorded 329 points in 260 games with London and Niagara Falls from 1987-92, and Denis Potvin who recorded 330 in 257 games with the Ottawa 67’s from 1967-73 for career points by an OHL defenceman. Ellis also ranks second all-time in Spitfires scoring behind Bill Bowler who produced 467 points in 250 career games.

“I’m not sure where you start with Ryan, he’s been a great ambassador for the Windsor Spitfires during his time with us and he’s competed at every level and on the biggest stages, winning every championship imaginable in junior hockey,” said Spitfires’ Head Coach Bob Jones. “He’s led and represented our team exceptionally well, and in my opinion has been the top player in both the OHL and CHL this season. What Ryan has done for our team and accomplished in the past four seasons is truly remarkable. The Windsor Spitfires are very proud of what he’s accomplished, and he is a very deserving winner of the OHL’s Top Defenceman award this season.”

Ellis in Western Conference Finals action.
Photo by Joe Lemire In Play! Magazine

A Nashville Predators prospect selected in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, 11^th overall, Ellis was named the OHL Defenceman of the Month three times (November, January, and February). He was named Best Offensive Defenceman for the third straight year in the Western Conference Coaches Poll, and also finished first in voting in the Smartest Player and Hardest Shot categories. Ellis recorded 30 multi-point games this season including a career-high six-point game with a goal and five assists as first star of a 7-1 win over the Kitchener Rangers on January 28.

The Max Kaminsky Trophy is awarded each year to the Most Outstanding Defenceman as selected by OHL General Managers. Teams were not permitted to vote for their own nominee. Players received five points for a first place vote, three points for a second place vote and one point for a third place vote.

Ellis received an incredible 93 of a maximum 95 points in the voting process ahead of Ryan Murphy of the Kitchener Rangers who finished second with 47 points. Dougie Hamilton of the Niagara IceDogs finished in third place with 15 points.

Darryl Shannon is the only other member of the Spitfires to claim the award winning in 1987-88, with other notable winners including Al MacInnis (Kitchener 1982-83), Chris Pronger (Peterborough 1992-93), Brian Campbell (Ottawa 1998-99), James Wisniewski (Plymouth 2003-04), Marc Staal (Sudbury 2006-07), and Drew Doughty (Guelph 2007-08). Jacob Muzzin of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds won the award last season.

The award is named in recognition of Max Kaminsky, who enjoyed a 10-year professional playing career that included four years in the NHL with Ottawa, Boston, and Montreal. After he retired from playing, Kaminsky enjoyed a 15-year coaching career that was capped by winning the Memorial Cup with the St. Catherine's Teepees in 1960.

Ellis will be formally presented with the Max Kaminsky Trophy at the OHL Awards Ceremony which takes place on Wednesday June 8, 2011, at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. He will also be the OHL’s nominee for CHL Defenceman of the Year.

2010-11 OHL Award Winners:

Rookie of the Year – Nail Yakupov, Sarnia Sting

Coach of the Year – Mark Reeds, Owen Sound Attack

Overage Player of the Year – Jason Akeson, Kitchener Rangers

Scholastic Player of the Year – Dougie Hamilton, Niagara IceDogs

High School Academic Player of the Year – Andrew D’Agostini, Peterborough Petes

Post-Secondary School Player of the Year – Derek Lanoue, Windsor Spitfires

Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year – Jason Akeson, Kitchener Rangers

Humanitarian of the Year – Jack Walchessen, Peterborough Petes

Defenceman of the Year – Ryan Ellis, Windsor Spitfires

Goaltender of the Year – TBA

OHL All-Star Teams – TBA

Mickey Renaud Captain’s Trophy winner – TBA

Executive of the Year – TBA

Bill Long Award winner – TBA

Most Outstanding Player of the Year - TBA

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Attack Push Spits to the Brink

2011-04-25T23:43:00.000-04:00

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windsorspitfires.com staff reports

Roman Berdnikov's breakaway goal stood up as the winner Monday night, as the Owen Sound Attack took a 3-1 lead in the Rogers Western Conference final, with a 3-2 win at the WFCU Centre.

The teams exchanged first period power play goals - Robby Mignardi for the visitors at 6:36, then Tom Kuhnhackl's 10th of the playoffs, on a bullet slapshot, at 15:59.

The second period was all about Jack Campbell, who made 22 saves in the frame, including an outstanding glove save off Andrew Shaw just shy of the nine-minute mark.

Jack's handywork was the sole reason the Spits headed to the room tied at 1-1.

But it didn't take the Attack long to take a lead in the third. A Roman Berdnikov shot kicked out by Campbell bounced right onto the stick of Garrett Wilson, who potted the rebound into an empty net for a 2-1 lead at 2:52.

Berdnikov extended the lead to 3-1 just past the midway mark. After Adrian Robertson whiffed on a keep-in attempt at the Owen Sound blueline, the speedy Russian flew down the left wing, scooped up the puck and swooped in alone, beating Jack high glove side.

With Campbell on the bench, creating a 6-on-4 advantage, Tom Kuhnhackl's second of the game cut the lead to 3-2 at 17:23.

Shaw's goaltender interference penalty at 18:40 gave the Spits another power play, and another 6-on-4 with Campbell pulled again. But the Spits couldn't find the equalizer.

Windsor now faces elimination on Wednesday night in Owen Sound.

If necessary, Game Six will be played back at the WFCU Centre on Friday night.

Fans are encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game as part of the Spits “Mission 9-10-11” theme for the 2011 OHL Playoffs.

SCORING
FIRST PERIODOS Mignardi, (9) (Hishon, Wilson), 6:36 (PP)

WSR Kuhnhackl, (10) (Carrick, Carnevale), 15:59 (PP)

SECOND PERIODNo Scoring

THIRD PERIODOS Wilson, (8) (Berdnikov, Hishon), 2:52

OS Berdnikov, (6) (Blacker) 10:24

WSR Kuhnhackl, (11) (Carrick), 17:23 (PP)

SHOTSWINDSOR: 13 - 6 - 11 = 30

OWEN SOUND: 10 - 22 - 12 = 44

PPSWINDSOR: 2-FOR-5

OWEN SOUND: 1-FOR-3

#1 Owen Sound vs. #4 Windsor – Rogers Western Conference Championship Series Schedule (Round Three)

2011 OHL Playoffs

Game 1 – Tuesday April 19 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound (Owen Sound 8-1)

Game 2 – Thursday April 21 at 7:05 pm at Windsor (Windsor 4-2)

Game 3 – Saturday April 23 at 7:30 pm at Owen Sound (Owen Sound 6-4)

Game 4 – Monday April 25 at 7:05 pm at Windsor (Owen Sound 3-2)

Game 5 – Wednesday April 27 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound

Game 6 – Friday April 29 at 7:05 pm at Windsor*

Game 7 – Sunday May 1 at 2:00 pm at Owen Sound*

*if necessary

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Wilson’s Late Game Heroics Secure Game Three Win for Attack

2011-04-23T23:50:00.000-04:00

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With Windsor up one goal late in the game, a pair of ill advised penalties by the Spitfires led to consecutive goals by Attack captain Garrett Wilson, including the game winner with just over three minutes left to give the Attack a 6-4 win on Saturday night in Owen Sound. The Attack now lead the Rogers Western Conference Championship series two games to one, with game four being played in Windsor on Monday night.

A failed clearing attempt by the Spits allowed the Attack to open the scoring, with Andrew Shaw roofing a back hand on the first shot recorded by either team to make it 1-0 6:56 into the game. Windsor scored shorthanded to tie the game at 9:44 of the opening frame with an unlikely combination striking as Craig Duininck drove to the net and tipped a point shot from Saverio Posa to score his first of the post-season.

Less than two minutes later, Owen Sound regained the lead on a Mike Halmo marker in a goal mouth scramble for a 2-1 Attack advantage. Both teams played the rest of the period with a physical edge and headed to the dressing room with the Attack preserving their one goal lead.

Early in the second period, Attack netminder Scott Stacjer misplayed a Spits dump in and Jeff Brown scored on a bad angle shot to tie the game at 2-2. The back and forth lead changes continued and Owen Sound would take their third lead of the game at the 3:25 mark, as Liam Heelis was allowed to walk into the Spits zone unmarked and scored on a wrist shot from the slot, making it 3-2.

Moments later, Windsor went on the power play and Zack MacQueen tipped an Adrian Robertson shot from the left circle to score his first of the playoffs and tie the game yet again at 3-3. The physical play continued from both sides and Jack Campbell made several big saves for the Spits to keep the game tied after two periods of play.

The Spitfires got off to a good start in the third period. On an Owen Sound clearing attempt, Saverio Posa pinched in to keep the play alive in Attack zone and the puck rolled to Tom Kuhnhackl who made a beautiful pass to Alex Khokhlachev in the slot. Koko unleashed a laser shot to score his eighth goal of the playoffs at 4:17, giving Windsor their first lead of the game at 4-3.

Windsor hung onto the lead for the majority of the period before ill advised penalties by Jake Carrick and Zack Kassian gave the Attack two late power plays. Owen Sound converted on each opportunity with Attack captain Garrett Wilson scoring both goals less than two minutes apart to give the home side a 5-4 advantage.

Windsor pulled their goalie with one minute left in the contest and Bobby Mignardi scored on a partial breakaway into an empty net to give Owen Sound a 6-4 win.

Game four of the Rogers Western Conference Championship Series between the Spits and Attack will be played on Monday, April 25^th at the WFCU Centre.

Fans are encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game as part of the Spits “Mission 9-10-11” theme for the 2011 OHL Playoffs.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

OS Shaw, (6) (Halmo), 6:58

WSR Duininck, (1) (Posa, Carnevale), 9:44 (SH)

OS Halmo, (1) (Shaw, Schemitsch), 11:01

SECOND PERIOD

WSR Brown, (5) (Posa, Ellis) 1:14

OS Heelis, (5) (Blacker), 3:25

WSR MacQueen, (1) (Robertson, Kassian) 4:46 (PP)

THIRD PERIOD

WSR Khokhlachev, (8) (Kuhnhackl, Posa), 4:17

OS Wilson, (6) (Hishon, Stanisz), 15:27 (PP)

OS Wilson, (7) (Hishon, Stanisz), 16:56 (PP)

OS Mignardi, (8) (Blacker, Wilson), 19:42 (EN)

SHOTS

WINDSOR – 6 – 8 – 7 = 21

OWEN SOUND – 9 – 15 – 11 = 35

PPS

WINDSOR 1-FOR-3

OWEN SOUND 2-FOR-6

#1 Owen Sound vs. #4 Windsor – Rogers Western Conference Championship Series Schedule (Round Three)

2011 OHL Playoffs

Game 1 – Tuesday April 19 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound (Owen Sound 8-1)

Game 2 – Thursday April 21 at 7:05 pm at Windsor (Windsor 4-2)

Game 3 – Saturday April 23 at 7:30 pm at Owen Sound (Owen Sound 6-4)

Game 4 – Monday April 25 at 7:05 pm at Windsor

Game 5 – Wednesday April 27 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound

Game 6 – Friday April 29 at 7:05 pm at Windsor*

Game 7 – Sunday May 1 at 2:00 pm at Owen Sound*

*if necessary

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Kuhnhackl, Carny Lead Spitfires to Game 2 Win

2011-04-21T23:44:00.000-04:00

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Tom Kuhnhackl scored a pair of goals - one in the opening minute and one in the final minute - as the Spitfires grinded out a huge, 4-2 win over the Owen Sound Attack in Game Two of the Rogers Western Conference final at the WFCU Centre in Windsor on Thursday night. With the win, the Spits have now evened the series at 1-1.

Taylor Carnevale assisted on all four Windsor goals. Kerby Rychel and Zack Kassian also scored for the Spits.

Rychel's turned the tide in the second period.

The Spits were shorthanded four times in the frame, including a full two-minute, 5-on-3 that led to Jesse Blacker's go-ahead goal at 8:07.

But the home side managed to fend off a third goal, and Rychel got them even at 2-2 with a strong rush to the net, tipping home a tape-to-tape pass from Carnevale at 16:14.

Kassian's sixth of the playoffs and fourth in two games put Windsor up for good just 1:49 into the third. The big fella waltzed out of the left corner and let a harmless looking wrister go that hit a stick and eluded Scott Stajcer.

The Attack did everything they could to get back in it, peppering Campbell late with an empty net.

But Kuhnhackl's ninth of the playoffs put the win on ice. The lanky winger hit the post dead-on, before picking up his own rebound and putting a backhander home, rounding out the scoring at 4-2.

Jack Campbell was outstanding in the Windsor goal, making 33 saves for his ninth win of the playoffs.

The series now shifts back to Owen Sound for Game three on Saturday night at 7:30 pm. For game by game coverage, visit the Spits live blog at windsorspitfires.com or via twitter @GO_SPITS_GO. Fans can also tune into TVCOGECO to watch each game or catch the action live with Mike Miller, the Voice of the Spits on AM800.

Game four of the Rogers Western Conference Championship Series between the Spits and Attack will be played on Monday (April 25) at the WFCU Centre. Game time is set for 7:05 pm.

Fans are encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game as part of the Spits “Mission 9-10-11” theme for the 2011 OHL Playoffs.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

WSR Kuhnhackl, (8) (Carnevale, Khokhlachev), 0:43 (PP),

OS Mignardi, (7) (Wilson, Heelis), 19:50

SECOND PERIOD

OS Blacker, (4) (Stanisz), 8:07 (PP)

WSR Rychel, (2) (Carnevale, Ellis), 16:14

THIRD PERIOD

WSR Kassian, (6) (Carnevale, Posa), 1:49

WSR Kuhnhackl, (9) (Carnevale, Ryan), 19:21 (EN)

SHOTS

WINDSOR: 7 - 8 - 8 = 23

OWEN SOUND: 6 - 20 - 9 = 35

PPS

WINDSOR: 1-FOR-4

OWEN SOUND: 1-FOR-5

#1 Owen Sound vs. #4 Windsor – Rogers Western Conference Championship Series Schedule (Round Three)

2011 OHL Playoffs

Game 1 – Tuesday April 19 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound (Owen Sound 8-1)

Game 2 – Thursday April 21 at 7:05 pm at Windsor (Windsor 4-2)

Game 3 – Saturday April 23 at 7:30 pm at Owen Sound

Game 4 – Monday April 25 at 7:05 pm at Windsor

Game 5 – Wednesday April 27 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound*

Game 6 – Friday April 29 at 7:05 pm at Windsor*

Game 7 – Sunday May 1 at 2:00 pm at Owen Sound*

*if necessary

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Owen Sound Routs the Windsor Spitfires 8-1 in Game One

2011-04-19T21:39:00.000-04:00

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A fresh Attack squad took full advantage of the Spitfires on Tuesday night, as the Western Conference’s top ranked team routed Windsor 8-1 in the opening game of the Rogers Western Conference Championship series in Owen Sound.

Both teams were getting a feel for things in the early going and few chances were had in the game’s first ten minutes. The Attack eventually opened the scoring, after Jarrod Maidens converted a Bobby Mignardi rebound into an empty cage at 14:17. With 19 seconds left in the opening stanza, Joey Hishon increased Owen Sound’s lead to 2-0 on a shorthanded marker, beating Campbell with a wrist shot from the slot on a two-on-two counter attack.

Windsor opened the second frame on a positive note, with Adrian Robertson continued his hot post-season run, scoring a power play goal on a blast from the point to make it a 2-1 contest at the 6:49 mark.

Just 22 seconds later, Andrew Shaw restored the Attack’s two goal on an odd man rush lead to make it 3-1. Midway through the frame, the Attack capitalized again on the special teams, as Hishon roofed a wrist shot on the power play for his second goal of the game and a 4-1 lead.

Owen Sound’s onslaught continued, with captain Garrett Wilson banging in a rebound on the power play at 14:47 to make it 5-1 and Brandon Childerley scored one minute later to make it 6-1. Andrew Shaw of the Attack made it 7-1 with 21 seconds left in the second period, converting a bad bounce off the back board to end a nightmarish 20 minutes for Windsor.

With the outcome already decided, Owen Sound made it 8-1 on the power play midway through the third period on a Roman Berdnikov marker.

Game two of the Rogers Western Conference Championship Series between the Spits and Attack will be played on Thursday (April 21) at the WFCU Centre.

Fans are encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game as part of the Spits “Mission 9-10-11” theme for the 2011 OHL Playoffs.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD

OS Maidens, (2) (Mignardi, Gilbert), 14:17

OS Hishon, (2) (Wilson), 19:41 (SH)

SECOND PERIOD

WSR Robertson, (3) (Khokhlachev, Kuhnhackl), 6:39 (PP)

OS Shaw, (4) (Brace), 7:01

OS Hishon, (3) (Wilson, Stanisz), 10:24 (PP)

OS Wilson, (5) (Stanisz, Mignardi), 14:47 (PP)

OS Childerley, (4) (Gilbert, Maidens), 15:49

OS Shaw, (5) (Petgrave, Schemitsch), 19:39

THIRD PERIOD

OS Berdnikov, (5) (Shaw, Halmo) 10:36 (PP)

SHOTS

WINDSOR 10 – 19 – 10 = 39

OWEN SOUND 10 – 15 – 8 = 33

PPS

WINDSOR 1-FOR-6

OWEN SOUND 3-FOR-8

#1 Owen Sound vs. #4 Windsor – Rogers Western Conference Championship Series Schedule (Round Three)

2011 OHL Playoffs

Game 1 – Tuesday April 19 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound (Owen Sound 8-1)

Game 2 – Thursday April 21 at 7:05 pm at Windsor

Game 3 – Saturday April 23 at 7:30 pm at Owen Sound

Game 4 – Monday April 25 at 7:05 pm at Windsor

Game 5 – Wednesday April 27 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound*

Game 6 – Friday April 29 at 7:05 pm at Windsor*

Game 7 – Sunday May 1 at 2:00 pm at Owen Sound*

*if necessary

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Jake Carrick – The Tecumseh and South Walkerville Player of the Week

2011-04-19T10:52:00.002-04:00

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windsorspitfires.com staff reports

Jake Carrick Player of the Week.
Photo by Joe Lemire/In Play! Magazine

After Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinal series in Saginaw, Jake Carrick said he'd played his 'worst game of the playoffs'. He was -2 with 13 penalty minutes in a 5-2 loss to the Spirit.

So he went to work and turned his play around, helping lead the Spitfires to three consecutive wins and a trip to the OHL's final four and earning himself Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres Windsor Spitfires Player of the Week honours for the period ending Sunday, April 17th.

In Game 4 on Thursday, back in Windsor, Carrick had a pair of goals and a +1 rating in a key 6-2 Spits win that knotted the series at two games apiece.

Two nights later, he vindicated himself back in Saginaw - again scoring two goals with a +2 rating, in a come-from-behind, 5-3 win over the Spirit.

Carrick wrapped up the week with a solid two-way performance, as the Spits won the series in six games on Sunday night with a 5-0 victory.

Jake Carrick in round two action against the Saginaw Spirit.
Photo by Joe Lemire / In Play! Magazine

It's been an outstanding playoff season for Carrick; who leads the Spitfires in goals with nine. Jake also ranks fifth on the team and eighth overall in the OHL in post-season points (14).

The entire staff at Tecumseh and South Walkerville Vision Centres congratulates Jake on an outstanding week, and wishes he and the Spitfires all the best of luck in their quest for a third straight Memorial Cup title!

Game one of Rogers Western Conference Final series starts tonight as the Spitfires are currently in Owen Sound, ready to take on the Attack. Game time is set for 7 pm at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre. Fans can catch the game live on TVCOGECO or listen to the action with Mike Miller, the Voice of the Spits on AM800.

Game two of the series will be played at the WFCU Centre this Thursday at 7:05 pm.

Fans are encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game as part of the Spits “Mission 9-10-11” theme for the 2011 OHL Playoffs.

2010-2011 Windsor Spitfires’ Players of the Week

Jake Carrick – Apr. 11 – Apr. 17, 2011

*Tom Kuhnhackl – Apr. 4 – Apr. 10, 2011

Adrian Robertson – Mar. 28 – Apr. 3, 2011

Jack Campbell – Mar. 21 – Mar. 27, 2011

Ryan Ellis – Mar. 14 – Mar. 20, 2011

Jack Campbell – Mar. 7 – Mar. 13, 2011

Craig Duininck – Feb. 28 – Mar. 6, 2011

Ryan Ellis – Feb. 21 – Feb. 27, 2011

Jeff Brown – Feb. 14 – Feb. 20, 2011

Taylor Carnevale – Feb. 7 – Feb. 13, 2011

Tom Kuhnhackl – Jan. 31 – Feb. 6, 2011

Alexander Khokhlachev – Jan. 24 – Jan. 30, 2011

Ryan Ellis – Jan. 17 – Jan. 23, 2011

Jake Carrick – Jan. 10 – Jan. 16, 2011

Kenny Ryan – Jan. 3 – Jan. 9, 2011

Saverio Posa – Dec. 27, 2010 – Jan. 2, 2011

Craig Duininck – Dec. 13 – Dec. 19, 2010

*Nick Ebert – Dec. 6 – Dec. 12, 2010

Troy Passingham – Nov. 29 – Dec. 5, 2010

Eric Locke – Nov. 22 – Nov. 28, 2010

Ryan Ellis – Nov. 15 – Nov. 21, 2010

Tom Kuhnhackl – Nov. 8 – Nov. 14, 2010

Tom Kuhnhackl – Nov. 1 – Nov. 7, 2010

Jack Campbell – Oct. 25 – Oct. 31, 2010

Tom Kuhnhackl – Oct. 18 – Oct. 24, 2010

Eric Locke – Oct. 11 – Oct. 17, 2010

Zack Kassian – Oct. 4 – Oct. 11, 2010

Kyle Tarini – Sep. 27 – Oct. 3, 2010

Alexander Khokhlachev – Sep. 21 – Sep. 27, 2010

* Player was selected as the OHL Player of the Week

** Player was selected as the OHL and CHL Player of the Week

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The Attack will see adversity for the first time in the post-season

2011-04-19T10:19:00.000-04:00

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By David Clark
In Play! Magazine

Owen Sound has been waiting for Windsor. The Memorial Cup winning Windsor Spitfires will come into their house and try to finish off the team that secured the top spot in Western Conference at the end of the regular season. Guys like Hishon, Wilson and Blacker are three good reasons to respect the Attack who also have three good goalies to choose from for game 1. It is likely that over-ager Scott Stajcer who has four playoff wins under his belt already will probably get the call.

Regarding the Spitfires, they now have a record for winning ten straight playoff series in the history of the Ontario Hockey League by defeating the Saginaw Spirit who just seemed to fold at the end. Windsor celebrates the win but the Attack are ready and in the dressing room already, looking at video, discussing the match-ups and figuring out the best way to get done in their favour. The Spitfires prepared themselves for the Attack by beating clubs like Erie and Saginaw who were considered favourites but the Spitfires proved them wrong.

If Zack Kassian stays hot for the Spitfires that would make a huge difference in this upcoming series. He is red-hot, coming off his first hat-trick in the playoffs against Saginaw. His physical presence is understood out there by all opposing teams who move as far away from him as possible because he brings on the pain. When he’s on the ice, they know it.

The most decorated defenceman in OHL history, Ryan Ellis is tied for second in the playoff scoring race. In fact, Windsor has five other Spitfires joining him in the top ten in scoring for the 2011 playoffs. Kuhnhackl and Johnston are even with Ellis at 16 points and Khoklachev just one point shy from the others has 15. Some of the muscle on the team including Carrick and Kass are at 14. Carrick leads the team with nine goals and sits in 8^th overall in the OHL at the moment.

Another defenceman, Adrian Robertson who came from the Peterborough Petes in the big trade is showing up for every game, and scoring in a few. He is a scrappy defender for sure but he has 13 points additionally.

Jack Campbell has been outstanding since he started this campaign in a winning fashion in Game 2 against a very offensive Erie team who had a few snipers who knew how to finish. Campbell kept Windsor in it, stopping the Luciani’s, McKegg’s and Varone’s most of the time.

Near the end, Campbell had outplayed Sadikov in this tight series. Saginaw had an even harder time solving him but Shalla gave him fits. Campbell is one of the main reasons the Spits are going to the conference finals. Campbell is a big game goalie from the US National Junior Development System and is playing to the max right now, like the two World Junior Tournament medals including a gold he received for a winning performance. This is his A game and fans happy to see it.

The coaching staff in Windsor are very experienced at winning titles, particularly Bob Jones who has a winning system to work with, inherited from part owner and former coach Bob Boughner. Jones has his own way of doing things too with the help of D.J. Smith and David Matsos, showing the team how to win.

In the upcoming series against a formidable Owen Sound team, the players are buying into the system Jones has implemented. The team also shows they know how to cope with the pressure associated with going far into the playoffs, a task for the coaching staff has instilled on them.

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Rogers Western Conference Championship Series Schedule vs. Owen Sound Announced

2011-04-17T23:19:00.000-04:00

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Following Windsor’s 5-0 victory over the Saginaw Spirit tonight, the Spitfires have won the OHL’s Western Conference Semi-Final Series four games to two. The Spitfires will advance to the Rogers Western Conference Championship Series for the third consecutive season, as they take on the top seeded Owen Sound Attack.

Windsor set an OHA and OHL record tonight, winning their 10^th consecutive series in the past three seasons, breaking their tie with the Peterborough Petes 1978-1980 championship squads who won nine straight series.

The Rogers Western Conference Championship Series schedule is as follows:

#1 Owen Sound vs. #4 Windsor – Rogers Western Conference Championship Series Schedule (Round Three)

2011 OHL Playoffs

Game 1 – Tuesday April 19 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound

Game 2 – Thursday April 21 at 7:05 pm at Windsor

Game 3 – Saturday April 23 at 7:30 pm at Owen Sound

Game 4 – Monday April 25 at 7:05 pm at Windsor

Game 5 – Wednesday April 27 at 7:00 pm at Owen Sound*

Game 6 – Friday April 29 at 7:05 pm at Windsor*

Game 7 – Sunday May 1 at 2:00 pm at Owen Sound*

*if necessary

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Kass Trick Eliminates Spirit

2011-04-17T23:17:00.000-04:00

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Tickets for the first two home games of the Rogers Western Conference Final series against the Owen Sound Attack go on sale Monday morning at 10AM to Season Ticket Holders and at 12 noon for the General Public. STH have until Tuesday at 6PM to purchase their tickets before they are released to the general public.

Game 2 of the series will be this Thursday night at 7:05. Visit windsorspitifres.com for the complete series schedule.

Fans are encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game as part of the Spits “Mission 9-10-11” theme for the 2011 OHL Playoffs.

windsorspitfires.com staff reports

Zack Kassian was dominant on Sunday night, scoring a goal in each period as the Spitfires took a 5-0 win over the Saginaw Spirit in Game Six of the Western Conference semifinal.

The victory gave Windsor a 4-2 series win, and punched its ticket back to the Rogers Western Conference final for a third straight year, where they will face the top seeded Owen Sound Attack.

Kassian and Alexander Khokhlachev scored power play goals in the first period, staking the home side to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.

Kass was back at it in the second; this time scoring on a breakaway for his fourth of the playoffs, to make it 3-0.

By the time Jeff Brown extended the lead to 4-0 at 14:39, the Spits had what they needed.

Kassian completed the hat trick with an unassisted goal at 6:31 of the third period.

Jack Campbell made 25 saves for his second shutout of the series.

The Spitfires set a modern day record for most consecutive series wins tonight, with 10. The previous record was held by the Peterborough Petes.

Fans are encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game as part of the Spits “Mission 9-10-11” theme for the 2011 OHL Playoffs.

SCORING

FIRST PERIOD
WSR Khokhlachev, (7) (Kuhnhackl, Robertson), 7:19 (PP)

WSR Kassian, (3) (Johnston, Carnevale), 19:17 (PP)

SECOND PERIODWSR Kassian, (4) (Ryan), 8:58

WSR Brown, (4) (Posa), 14:39

THIRD PERIODWSR Kassian, (5) , 6:31

SHOTS

WINDSOR: 13 - 13 - 12 = 38

SAGINAW: 6 - 10 - 9 = 25

PPS

WINDSOR: 2-FOR-4

SAGINAW: 0-FOR-2

#2 Saginaw vs. #4 Windsor – OHL Western Conference Semi-Final Series (Round Two), 2011 OHL Playoffs

Game 1 – Friday, April 8^th @ Saginaw – 7:11 pm (Windsor 3-0)

Game 2 – Sunday, April 10^th @ Windsor – 2:05 pm (Saginaw 5-4, OT)

Game 3 – Tuesday, April 12^th @ Saginaw – 7:11 pm (Saginaw 5-2)

Game 4 – Thursday, April 14^th @ Windsor – 7:05 pm (Windsor 6-2)

Game 5 – Saturday, April 16^th @ Saginaw – 7:11 pm (Windsor 5-3)

Game 6 – Sunday, April 17^th @ Windsor – 7:05 pm (Windsor 5-0)

Windsor wins series four games to two

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