The Windsor Spitfires are coming home with a chance to end the series.

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The Windsor Spitfires are coming home with a chance to end the series.

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Overcoming a depleted roster, the Spitfires earned 4-1 road win over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Wednesday before a crowd of 4,202 at the GFL Memorial Gardens.

With the win, the second-seeded Spitfires now hold a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series against the seventh-seeded Greyhounds in Western Conference quarter-final play.

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“To be honest, it’s the proudest moment for me as a coach this whole season,” Spitfires’ head coach Greg Walters said. “What these guys battled through, blocking shots, paying attention to details and with seven guys out, I’m just so proud.”

A.J. Spellacy, Anthony Cristoforo, Tnias Mathurin, Ethan Belchetz, J.C. Lemieux and Tanner Winegard all remained out of the lineup due to injury. And, after falling to the Greyhounds in overtime in Game 3 on Monday, it would have been easy for the Spitfires to allow some doubt to creep into their game.

“It’s definitely a thought in the back of your head, but we played a good game (on Monday) and it could have gone either way,” Spitfires’ defenceman Wyatt Kennedy said. “We know we’re a good team and we can beat them on any given night.”

But for the first time in this series, it was the Greyhounds opening the scoring as Travis Hayes tipped a point shot by Amherstburg native Keegan Gillen past Windsor goalie Joey Costanzo.

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However, that lead would last just 24 seconds as Noah Morneau raced past a defender, stepped around a second defender and whipped a shot past Greyhounds’ goalie Nolan Lalonde to tie the game at 1-1 after 20 minutes.

“That was huge for our team,” Morneau said. “Their crowd was in it right away and us being able to get one and tie it up heading to the second period was huge.”

And before the period ended, the Greyhounds lost Lalonde to an injury. Windsor defenceman Carter Hicks tried to jam home a loose puck in the crease and got tangled with Greyhounds’ defenceman Chase Reid, who went airborne into Lalonde and drove him into the post.

“It’s unfortunate that that happened,” Walters said. “(Lalonde’s) been real good.”

The Spitfires also got a break early in the second period when Brodie McConnell-Barker put a rebound past Costanzo. Windsor challenged the play for goaltender interference and, after a long review, the potential go-ahead goal was waived off.

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“We were kind of due for a call our way,” Kennedy said. “A lot (of goals) called off from our part lately.”

Late in the period, the Spitfires took control of things. Ilya Protas, who had 50 goals in the regular season, hammered home a rebound for his first of the playoffs and Morneau got his second on a power-play goal with 80 seconds left in the period for a 3-1 Windsor lead.

“I’m just trying to do whatever I can,” said Morneau, who had three points in the game and noved into the lead in the OHL for playoff goals with seven. “If (goals) are what comes, that’s good and it feels great, but I just have so much trust in this team and how we complete and play. We’re so relentless.”

Costanzo was solid down the stretch with 24 saves and Protas sealed the win with an empty-net goal for his third point of the game. He moved into the lead in OHL playoff scoring with 11 points in four games.

“Our best players were our best players and Joey Costanzo has been unbelievable,” Walters said. “Huge saves in big moments throughout the four games. Really, really proud of him.”

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Now, the Spitfires head home with a chance to wrap the series up on Friday and earn the club’s first playoff series win since going to the league final in 2022. Game time at the WFCU Centre is 7:05 p.m.

“Game 5 is huge,” Morneau said. “We don’t want to come back here for Game 6 and when it gets to a sixth game, it’s anyone’s series. We want to be able to close out and give ourselves a rest.” 

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Game Summary

Wednesday Result

Spitfires 4 Greyhounds 1

Windsor 1 2 1 – 4

Sault Ste. Marie 1 0 0 – 1

First period: 1. Sault Ste. Marie, Hayes 3 (Gillen, Mignosa) 15:01, 2. Windsor, Morneau 6 (unassisted) 15:25. Penalties: North S (delay of game) 2:57, Hicks W (goaltender interference) 17:18, Protas W (interference) 18:49.

Second period: 3. Windsor, Protas 1 (Greentree, Morneau) 16:07, 4. Windsor, Morneau 7 (Nesbitt, Garden) 18:40 (pp). Penalties: Abraham W (roughing), Cloutier S (roughing) 3:58, Walton W (roughing), Charron S (roughing) 6:18, Charron S (holding) 17:55. 

Third period: 5. Windsor, Protas 2 (Greentree) 19:39 (en). Penalties: Clouthier S (delay of game) 6:46, Kennedy W (delay of game) 14:32.

Game stats – SOG – Windsor 10 9 6 – 25 Sault Ste. Marie 9 7 8 – 24 Goal (shots-saves) – Windsor: Costanzo (W,3-0-1) (24-23). Sault Ste. Marie: Lalonde (10-9), Miller (17:18 of first period) (L,0-1-0) (14-12). Power play (goals-chances) – Windsor 1-3. Sault Ste. Marie 0-3. Referees: Joe Monette and Marcus Policicchio. Linesmen: Joshua Houslander and Luke Pye. Att.: 4,202 at the GFL Memorial Gardens.

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