Hosts hoist Memorial Cup

Windsor holds on to beat Erie 4-3 in all-OHL championship game

WINDSOR, Ont. — The Windsor Spitfires are Memorial Cup champions for the third time in franchise history.

Jeremy Bracco capped a three-point effort by setting up Aaron Luchuk’s winner early in the third period as the Spitfires beat the Erie Otters 4-3 on Sunday for the Canadian Hockey League championship. Windsor also won in 2009 and 2010.

Bracco, Logan Stanley and Graham Knott also scored for the host Spitfires. Michael DiPietro made 32 saves for the win.

Dylan Strome, Warren Foegele and T.J. Fergus scored for the Otters, the Ontario Hockey League champions. Troy Timpano stopped 18 shots in defeat. Strome was named the tournament MVP. Windsor is the first team that didn’t win their league title to capture the Memorial Cup since the 2012 Shawinigan Cataractes.

Bracco opened the scoring on a Windsor power play in the first period, only to have Strome respond 49 seconds later.

Strome put a shot on net that went in off Foegele’s skate for a power-play goal at 5:35 of the second. But Erie didn’t hold its lead for long, either, as Stanley tied the game 52 seconds later.

Fergus made it 3-2 for Erie with 7:14 left in the second, but Gabriel Vilardi found Knott at the side of the net for another equalizer.

Bracco then fed a streaking Luchuk for a 4-3 lead 5:07 into the final frame.

The Canadian Press Windsor Spitfires forward Aaron Luchuk, who scored the game-winning goal, raises the trophy after defeating the Erie Otters to win the Memorial Cup in Windsor, Ont., on Sunday.