Windsor Spitfires Defeat Erie Otters 6-2 at the WFCU Centre in Game One, Round One of the 2010 OHL Playoff Western Conference Quarterfinals PHOTO and RECAP BY: Rob Adams, windsorspitfires.com

The Windsor Spitfires opened up the 2010 OHL Playoffs against the Erie Otters last night at the WFCU Centre in front of a crowd of 5,872. The last time these teams met in the playoffs was back in 2002 in the Western Conference final, when the Spitfires lost the series four games to one.

Eight years later, theSpitfires are now out to repeat as MasterCard Memorial Cup and OHL Champions. Coming into their game one of this series, in the regular season, Windsor has been the only team to appear in the CHL's top ten rankings for the entire regular season, having finished as the number three ranked team in the CHL.

Last night, Windsor, champions of the regular season in the Western Conference and the West's #1 seed faced the #8 seeded Erie Otters. Justin Shugg got the ball rolling for the Spits, scoring the only goal of the opening period at 10:59 to give Windsor an early 1-0 lead.

Erie would find an equalizer in the second period as Greg McKegg tied up the contest at 1-1, 5:19 into the second stanza. Windsor then took over the game as they scored the period's next three goals, with singles scored by Dale Mitchell (8:23), Zack Kassian (12:45) and Adam Henrique who scored the final goal of the period with just 17 seconds left to give Windsor a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.

In the third period, Windsor extended its lead to 5-1 as Adam Henrique scored his second goal of the contest 7:41 into the final frame. The Otters responded on an Anthony Luciani marker at 17:23 to narrow the deficit to 5-2 while both teams played with four men aside. Then, less than a minute later, Spits defenceman Marc Cantin scored the game's final goal at 18:13 to give the Spits a 6-2 victory and a 1-0 lead in the best of seven Western Conference Quarterfinal series.

The Spitfires swept the Penalty Box Three Stars selections as Adam Henrique was chosen as the Penalty Box's First Star of the Game, scoring a pair of goals to go along with an assist and a +2 plus-minus rating. Forward Taylor Hall was named the Penalty Box's Second Star of the Game as he chipped in with 3 assists and a +3 rating. Defenseman Marc Cantin was selected as the Penalty Box's Third Star of the Game, scoring one goal and registering a +3 rating, while providing the Spits with a steady presence on the blue line.

Spitfires netminder Phillip Grubauer, who was slated to be the team's starting goalie for the series, stopped 19 of the 21 shots faced and made several spectacular saves during the contest, as he stymied a potent Otters attack which featured 3 of the OHL's top 15 scorers in the regular season.

Otters goalie Adam Courchaine turned aside 42 of the 48 shots he faced in the loss. The series now heads to Erie and Tullio Arena for game two on Sunday afternoon at 4:30 pm, fans can follow the action on AM800 with Spitfire Play-by-Play Announcer Mike Miller or can listen to live audio of the game on TVCOGECO.

PENALTY BOX 3 STARS
1-A.HENRIQUE (WSR)
2-T.HALL (WSR)
3-M.CANTIN (WSR)


For more information on the game, please visit the following link

http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=16667

Spitfires' Game Notes: 2010 OHL Playoff Game One, Round One

• With the win, Windsor takes a 1-0 series lead over Erie in the best of seven game Western Conference Quarterfinal
• Forward Adam Henrique scored two goals along with one assist, he was named the Penalty Box first star of the game
• Forward Taylor Hall records three assists and was named the Penalty Box second star of the game
• Defenceman Marc Cantin scored one goal and was named the Penalty Box third star of the game
• Forward Zack Kassian scored the game's winning goal at the 12:45 mark of the second period
• Goaltender Philipp Grubauer stops 19 of 21 shots in the win
• Greg Nemisz and Saverio Posa missed the game due to injury

Spitfires' Upcoming Schedule

2010 Windsor Spitfires "CODE RED!" Playoff Run Round One

#1 Windsor vs. #8 Erie " OHL Western Conference Quarter-Final Series (Round One), 2010 OHL Playoffs
Game 1 Thursday, March 18^th - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Windsor wins 6-2)
Game 2 Sunday, March 21^st - Windsor at Erie, 4:30 pm
Game 3 Tuesday, March 23^rd - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm
Game 4 Thursday, March 25^th - Windsor at Erie, 7:00 pm
Game 5 Saturday, March 27^th - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm *
Game 6 Monday, March 29^th - Windsor at Erie, 7:00 pm *
Game 7 Tuesday, March 30^th - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm *

* If necessary

Ticket Prices for General Public Round One Games at WFCU Centre
Adult - $20
Student/Senior - $18
Youth - $14

Catch the action as the Spitfires defend their 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup and OHL Championship! Tickets for game three of the Spitfires first round series to be hosted at the WFCU Centre are available for sale to the general public and can be purchased in person at the TekSavvy.com Box Office (Gate 2) of the WFCU Centre, by contacting 1-866-969-WFCU or online at wfcu-centre.com

Spitfire fans are also encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game during the playoffs as part of the Spits "CODE RED!" theme for the 2010 OHL Playoffs.

Fans can also follow Spitfire home and road games on AM800 CKLW and TVCOGECO (Cable 11)

Windsor Spitfires Defeat Erie Otters 3-1 in Erie, Windsor Takes a 2-0 Lead in the best of seven Western Conference Quarterfinal Series (2010 OHL Playoffs) The Windsor Spitfires travelled to Erie to play the second game in their first round matchup against the Otters at Tullio Arena in front of a crowd of 2,810.

Windsor opened the scoring in the first period, as Taylor Hall scored his first goal of the series with 39 seconds left in the opening stanza to give Windsor a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes of play. Windsor was outshot 15-6 in the first period, but Spitfire netminder Philipp Grubauer stopped all 15 shots he faced to keep the Spits in the game early.

In the second period, Erie tied the game at one goal apiece as Zack Torquato registered his first goal of the series at the 4:10 mark. The Spitfires again took the lead towards the end of the period with Dale Mitchell scoring his second goal of the series at 17:28. Windsor took a 2-1 lead to the dressing room after 40 minutes of play.

With both teams continuing to play a defensive minded game, Taylor Hall scored the only goal of the third period with 42 seconds left in the game to give Windsor a 3-1 victory and a two games to none lead in the best of seven game Western Conference Quarterfinal series.

Spitfire goaltender Phillipp Grubauer stopped 30 of the 31 shots that he faced and made several spectacular saves throughout the course of the game, as he won his second game of the series while Erie netminder Adam Courchaine stopped 28 of 31 shots in the loss. Spits forward Dale Mitchell was named the first star of the game as he scored the game winning goal in the second period and Taylor Hall was selected as the game's second star with his two goal performance.

In the two games this series, Hall has two goals and three assists for five points while Dale Mitchell has scored one goal in each game to go along with two assists. Grubauer is tied for the OHL lead with a 1.50 goals against average and has the league's second best save percentage at .942.

The series now switches back to the WFCU Centre as game three will be played on Tuesday, March 22nd. Game time is set for 7:05 pm. 1,100 tickets are still available for the game and can be purchased at the TekSavvy.com Box Office (Gate 2) of the WFCU Centre, by contacting 1-866-969-WFCU or online at wfcu-centre.com

Spitfire fans are also encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game during the playoffs as part of the Spits "CODE RED!" theme for the 2010 OHL Playoffs.

RECAP BY: Rob Adams windsorspitfires.com

3 STARS
1-D.MITCHELL (WSR)
2-T.HALL (WSR)
3-D.HOLDEN (ERIE)

For more information on today's game, please visit the following link

http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=16677

Spitfires' Game Notes 2010 OHL Playoff Game Two, Round One

• With today's win, Windsor takes a 2-0 series lead over Erie in the best of seven game Western Conference Quarterfinal
• Forward Dale Mitchell scored the game winning goal with less than three minutes left in the second period and was selected as the game's first star
• Forward Taylor Hall scored two goals in the contest and was selected as the game's second star
• Goaltender Philipp Grubauer wins his second consecutive playoff start with Windsor, stopping 30 of 31 shots in the win
• Greg Nemisz and Saverio Posa missed the game due to injury

Spitfires' Upcoming Schedule

2010 Windsor Spitfires "CODE RED Playoff Run" Round One

#1 Windsor vs. #8 Erie OHL Western Conference Quarterfinal Series (Round One), 2010 OHL Playoffs
Game 1 Thursday, March 18^th - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Windsor wins 6-2)
Game 2 Sunday, March 21^st - Windsor at Erie, 4:30 pm (Windsor wins 3-1)
Game 3 Tuesday, March 23^rd - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm
Game 4 Thursday, March 25^th - Windsor at Erie, 7:00 pm
Game 5 Saturday, March 27^th - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm *
Game 6 Monday, March 29^th - Windsor at Erie, 7:00 pm *
Game 7 Tuesday, March 30^th - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm *

* If necessary

Ticket Prices for General Public Round One Games at WFCU Centre
Adult - $20
Student/Senior - $18
Youth - $14

Catch the action as the Spitfires defend their 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup and OHL Championship! Tickets for game three of the Spitfires first round series to be hosted at the WFCU Centre are available for sale to the general public and can be purchased in person at the TekSavvy.com Box Office (Gate 2) of the WFCU Centre, by contacting 1-866-969-WFCU or online at wfcu-centre.com

Spitfire fans are also encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game during the playoffs as part of the Spits "CODE RED!" theme for the 2010 OHL Playoffs.

Fans can also follow Spitfire home and road games on AM800 CKLW and TVCOGECO (Cable 11).

Windsor Spitfires Defeat Erie Otters 7-6 at the WFCU Centre, Windsor Takes a 3-0 Lead in the best of seven Western Conference Quarterfinal Series (2010 OHL Playoffs) Photo Credit: Dave Pickford Windsor Spitfires/OHL

The Windsor Spitfires returned to the WFCU Centre for game 3 of their opening round against the Erie Otters on Tuesday night in front of a crowd of 5,490. The game was a high scoring affair, with the Spitfires winning a hard fought 7-6 battle. Windsor now leads the best of seven game Western Conference Quarterfinal series three games to none and will look to wrap up the series when the team's meet on Thursday night in Erie.

The Spits and Otters were playing an evenly matched game in the better part of the first period until the Spits registered three straight power play goals in a span of 2:10 to end the period with a 3-0 lead. Justin Shugg, Taylor Hall and Mark Cundari scored for Windsor at the 15:00, 16:11 and 17:10 mark of the opening 20 minutes to give Windsor the early lead. Shugg's goal was his second of the series, while Hall netted his third goal of the first round matchup and Cundari scoring his first goal of the 2010 OHL Playoffs.

In the second period, the Spits would surrender three consecutive goals to the Otters. Greg McKegg scored Erie's first marker and his second of the series at 3:50 of the second stanza with Derek Holden registering his first goal of the series on the power play less than three minutes later. Otters defenceman Brett Cook tied the game with his first goal of the series at 13:23 to make it a 3-3 game. Windsor restored their lead as Kenny Ryan scored his first goal of the series at 16:17 of the second period but the lead would not last long. Just 26 seconds later, Erie forward Mike Cazzola tied the game up at 4-4, as he scored his first goal of the post-season. In the dying seconds of the middle frame and with the Spits on a powerplay, Zack Kassian scored the team's fourth power play goal of the night with 10 seconds left to give Windsor a 5-4 lead after 40 minutes of play.

The Spits would extend their lead to 6-4 in the third period, with Taylor Hall scoring his second goal of the game at 11:10 and his fourth tally of the series. Erie refused to quit and Otter Shawn Szydlowski would pull his team to within one goal, scoring an unassisted marker at 15:12 to narrow the Spits lead to 6-5. The Otters tied the game for the third time with just over three minutes left in the game, as Mike Cazzola scored his second goal of the game, evening the contest at 6-6.

With a stunned crowd watching the see saw battle, Spits forward Stephen Johnston scored the Windsor's seventh goal and the eventual game winner just eight seconds after the Otters tied the game to secure a 7-6 victory for the home side. Johnston's game winner was his first goal of the series and gave the Spitfires a commanding three games to none lead in the series.

Spitfires goaltender Philipp Grubauer won his third straight playoff game for Windsor, stopping 13 of the 19 shots that he faced in the contest. Erie gave Ramis Sadikov the start in goal and his first appearance of the playoffs, he stopped 51 of 58 shots for the Otters in the loss.

Mark Cundari was named the Penalty Box First Star of the game with a goal and an assist. Otter forward Shawn Szylowski was named the Penalty Box Second Star of the Game with a goal and three assist performance and Spitfire forward Zack Kassian was selected as the Penalty Box's Third Star of the game, scoring one goal and adding an assist in Windsor's victory.

Windsor will try to sweep the series on Thursday, as they play game four of their first round matchup against Erie on Thursday in Erie. Game time is set for 7 pm at the Tullio Arena in Erie. Spitfire fans can follow the game live on AM800 with Spitfire Play-by-Play Announcer Mike Miller or can listen to the AM800 broadcast on TVCOGECO. Fans can also watch the game on pay-per-view by purchasing the contest from the Ontario Hockey League website at http://livestream.ontariohockeyleague.com

PENALTY BOX 3 STARS
1-M.CUNDARI (WSR)
2-S.SZYDLOWSKI (ERIE)
3-Z.KASSIAN (WSR)

Recap: Rob Adams windsorspitfires.com

For more information on the game, please visit the link below.

http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=16686

Spitfires' Game Notes: 2010 OHL Playoff Game Three, Round One
- With tonight's win, Windsor takes a 3-0 series lead over Erie in the best of seven game Western Conference Quarterfinal. Windsor outshot Erie 58-19 in the victory and can clinch a series win if they defeat the Otters in Erie on Thursday.

- Defenceman Mark Cundari scored one goal and registered two assists, he was selected as the Penalty Box First Star of the Game. Cundari is ranked third amongst OHL defencemen with five points in three playoff games.

- Forward Zack Kassian scored one goal and added one assist, he was named the Penalty Box Third Star of the Game. Kassian has two goals and one assist in three playoff games.

- Windsor scored their first power play goals of the series, scoring four power play markers on five opportunities. The team's power play is now ranked second overall in the OHL, operating at a 30.8% clip during the playoffs.

- Taylor Hall scored two goals and added one assist tonight. He has enjoyed multi-point performances in each of the three Spitfire playoff wins and Hall is currently tied for the OHL playoff scoring lead with four goals and four assists for eight points in three playoff games. His four goals in the series and +5 plus-minus rating also have him tied for second in the OHL plus-minus and goal scoring departments during the playoffs. He is also tied for sixth in the OHL in assists with teammate Ryan Ellis and Eric Wellwood, registering four assists in three playoff games.

- Forward Stephen Johnston scored the game winning goal for Windsor with less than three minutes left in the third period and also registered one assist in the game.

- Forwards Kenny Ryan and Justin Shugg also scored one goal each in the contest.

- Goaltender Philipp Grubauer wins his third consecutive playoff start with Windsor.

- Greg Nemisz and Saverio Posa missed the game due to injury.



Spitfires' Upcoming Schedule

2010 Windsor Spitfires "CODE RED!" Playoff Run Round One

#1 Windsor vs. #8 Erie: OHL Western Conference Quarterfinal Series (Round One), 2010 OHL Playoffs
Game 1 Thursday, March 18^th - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Windsor wins 6-2)
Game 2 Sunday, March 21^st - Windsor at Erie, 4:30 pm (Windsor wins 3-1)
Game 3 Tuesday, March 23^rd - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Windsor wins 7-6)
Game 4 Thursday, March 25^th - Windsor at Erie, 7:00 pm
Game 5 Saturday, March 27^th - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm *
Game 6 Monday, March 29^th - Windsor at Erie, 7:00 pm *
Game 7 Tuesday, March 30^th - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm *

* If necessary

Spitfire fans are also encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game during the playoffs as part of the Spits "CODE RED!" theme for the 2010 OHL Playoffs.

Windsor Spitfires Defeat Erie Otters 5-1 and Sweep the Best of Seven Game Western Conference Quarterfinal Series Four Games to None in the 2010 OHL Playoffs The Windsor Spitfires beat the Erie Otters 5-1 at the Tullio Arena with a crowd of 2,342 on hand. With the win, the Spits swept the best of seven Western Conference Quarterfinal series four games to none.

Windsor opened the scoring at 7:50 of the first period, as Taylor Hall scored a power play marker and his team leading fifth goal of the series to give the Spits an early 1-0 lead. Otters forward Anthony Luciani evened the score at one goal apiece with his second tally of the series at the 9:12 mark. From this point on, the Spitfires took over the game as Eric Wellwood scored his first goal of the playoffs at 11:30 and Taylor Hall extended Windsor's lead to 3-1, netting his second power play marker of the period to give the Spits a two-goal advantage after 20 minutes of play.

The first half of the second period was played evenly by both teams before Windsor forward Scott Timmins scored a shorthanded goal and his first marker of the playoffs midway through the middle frame to increase the Spitfire lead to 4-1. The Spitfires attack was not done as Adam Wallace scored his first goal of the series, extending the Spits lead to 5-1 as both teams headed to the dressing room for the second intermission.

In the final frame both teams would be held off of the scoreboard for a scoreless period. Spitfire goaltender Philipp Grubauer extended his record to 4-0-0-0 in the playoffs, stopping 16 of 17 shots faced. Otters Ramis Sadikov made his second consecutive start for Erie, stopping 31 of the 36 shots in the loss.

Windsor will wait to find out who they will face in the second round of the playoffs, with their schedule and opponent to be announced in the upcoming days. Tickets for the first two home games of the Spitfires second round series to be hosted at the WFCU Centre are available for sale to the general public. Tickets can be purchased starting this Saturday (March 27, 2010) at 10 am from the TekSavvy.com Box Office (Gate 2) of the WFCU Centre, by contacting 1-866-969-WFCU or online at wfcu-centre.com

Spitfire season ticket holders have until the Tuesday, March 30^th 6 pm deadline to purchase their tickets for round two, after which time the said tickets will be released for sale to the general public.

Spitfire fans are encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game during the playoffs as part of the Spits "CODE RED!" theme for the 2010 OHL Playoffs.

3 STARS
1-T.HALL (WSR)
2-Z.KASSIAN (WSR)
3-A.LUCIANI (ERIE)

RECAP CREDIT: Rob Adams - windsorspitfires.com

For more information on tonight's game, please visit the following link

http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/stats/game-summary.php?game_id=16690

Spitfires' Game Notes: 2010 OHL Playoff Game Four, Round One

• With tonight's win, Windsor swept the best of seven game Western Conference Quarterfinal four games to none.
• Forward Taylor Hall scored two power play goals tonight and was selected as the game's First Star. Hall has enjoyed multi-point performances in each of the Windsor four playoff wins and Hall is currently tied for the OHL playoff scoring lead and goal scoring lead with six goals and ten points in four playoff games. His +6 plus-minus rating also has him tied for second in the OHL plus-minus rating department during the playoffs.
• Forward Zack Kassian registered three assists tonight and was selected as the game's second star. Kassian scored two goals and six points in the series.
• Forward Eric Wellwood scored the game winning goal for the Spitfires midway through the first period. Wellwood scored one goal and recorded five points in the series.
• Windsor scored two power play goals on six power play opportunities tonight. The team's power play is ranked second overall in the OHL, operating at a 35.7% clip during the series against Erie.
• Windsor killed all nine of Erie''s power play opportunities tonight. The Spitfires are ranked fourth in the OHL, killing 90.5% of their penalties during the first round series against Erie.
• Forwards Scott Timmins and Adam Wallace also scored one goal each in the contest, with Timmins€™ marker being a shorthanded tally midway through the second period.
• Goaltender Philipp Grubauer won his fourth consecutive playoff start with Windsor, stopping 16 of the 17 shots that he faced.
• Greg Nemisz and Saverio Posa missed the game due to injury.

Spitfires' Series Recap

2010 Windsor Spitfires "CODE RED!" Playoff Run Round One

#1 Windsor vs. #8 Erie: OHL Western Conference Quarterfinal Series (Round One), 2010 OHL Playoffs
Game 1 Thursday, March 18^th - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Windsor wins 6-2)
Game 2 Sunday, March 21^st - Windsor at Erie, 4:30 pm (Windsor wins 3-1)
Game 3 Tuesday, March 23^rd - Erie at Windsor, 7:05 pm (Windsor wins 7-6)
Game 4 Thursday, March 25^th - Windsor at Erie, 7:00 pm (Windsor wins 5-1)

Catch the action as the Spitfires defend their 2009 MasterCard Memorial Cup and OHL Championship! Tickets for the first two home games of the Spitfires second round series to be hosted at the WFCU Centre are available for sale to the general public. Tickets can be purchased starting this Saturday at 10 am from the TekSavvy.com Box Office (Gate 2) of the WFCU Centre, by contacting 1-866-969-WFCU or online at wfcu-centre.com

Ticket Prices for General Public Round Two Games at WFCU Centre
Adult - $21
Student/Senior - $19
Youth - $15

Spitfire season ticket holders have until the Tuesday, March 30^th6 pm deadline to purchase their tickets for round two, after which time the said tickets will be released for sale to the general public.

Spitfire fans are also encouraged to wear red for each Spitfire home game during the playoffs as part of the Spits "CODE RED!" theme for the 2010 OHL Playoffs.

Fans can also follow Spitfire home and road games on AM800 CKLW and TVCOGECO (Cable 11).