BIG TEST FOR SPITS
Two undefeated teams meet
The rest of the Canadian Hockey League is learning what the Windsor Spitfires and Erie Otters have known all season about the Ontario Hockey League’s Western Conference.
The 99th edition of the Memorial Cup has been dominated by the two Ontario Hockey League Western Conference rivals, who each take a 2-0 record into Wednesday’s final game of the round robin at the WFCU Centre.
The winner will receive a bye into Sunday’s final.
“(Erie) and Windsor are by far the two best teams we’ve seen this year,” said Saint John head coach Danny Flynn, whose team rolled through the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League playoffs with just one regulation loss and one in overtime in 18 playoff games and finished third in the national rankings.
Some were questioning whether Windsor deserved a spot in the tournament after the
club finished fifth in the Western Conference and was bounced in the first round of the playoffs by the London Knights.
“Everyone pegged us as the underdog coming in,” Spitfires goalie Michael DiPietro said. “I don’t think people, really, truly understood how hard the Western Conference was.
“We can always talk about it, but once you experience it and once you could see it for yourself first-hand, wow, it was tough coming out.”
Western Conference foes Erie, Sault Ste. Marie, Owen Sound and London all finished in the national rankings to end the season and even the Spitfires, who finished fifth, received an honourable mention.
“Windsor’s a great team and they’re better than where they ended up,” Erie forward Alex DeBrincat said. “They brought London to seven games (in the playoffs) and London brought us to seven (games).”
In fact, Erie needed an overtime goal over London in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinal just to advance.
“You go to Game 7 and overtime and we get a fortunate bounce or we don’t even get here,” Erie centre Dylan Strome said. “It was tough to get here and Wednesday will be tough.”
The Spitfires are the first team in OHL history to record 90 points in a season and not get home-ice advantage for at least one round of the playoffs.
The club managed to do that despite losing 138 man games to injuries and playing more than one-third of its regular season and playoff games (27 of 75 games) against those nationally ranked teams.
“It was extremely hard and difficult all year,” Spitfires head coach Rocky Thompson said. “With the injuries we had, I was really happy we were able to get 90 points and 41 wins.”
Through two games at the Memorial Cup, the Spitfires have redeemed themselves in the eyes of many in the CHL.
“We regret the way the playoffs went,” Spitfires centre Logan Brown said. “We think that we could have done better. But in this Memorial Cup, it’s time for us to redeem ourselves and (prove) that we’re better than what we accomplished.”
While the Otters are the OHL champs and won three-of-four meetings against the Spitfires this season, they are taking nothing for granted heading into Wednesday’s game.
“They’re a good team,” Strome said. “They’re playing well. They implemented a game plan coming into this tournament and they’re doing it.
“They’re letting everyone know they’re not just the host here. They’re playing for real and playing good.
“We’re going to need our best game of the tournament.”
I don’t think people really, truly understood how hard the Western Conference was.