The stage has been set. The 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) second round starts this week, and the Windsor Spitfires are ready to have a big test with the Kitchener Rangers.
After missing the playoffs last season, the Western Conference’s second-seeded Spitfires have been chomping at the bit for these playoffs. In Round 1, they beat the seventh-seeded Soo Greyhounds in five games. Now, they face a third-seeded Rangers team who finished with more points and eliminated the sixth-seeded Flint Firebirds in five games. The clubs have a rich history against each other, and this should be one we’ll remember for quite some time. Let’s break it all down.
The Vitals
Records:
Windsor Spitfires – 45-17-4-2 – 96 points – second Western Conference, first West Division
Kitchener Rangers – 47-15-4-2 – 100 points – third Western Conference, second Midwest Division
Home-and-Away Records:
Spitfires – (home) 29-4-0-1 – 59 points; (away) 16-13-4-1 – 37 points
Rangers – (home) 26-5-3-0 – 55 points; (away) 21-10-1-2 – 45 points
Goals For and Goals Against:
Spitfires – 309-223
Rangers – 254-183
Head-to-Head Record:
Spitfires – 2-1-0-1
Rangers – 2-2-0-0
- The Spitfires outscored the Rangers 21-13, including a 12-2 win at the WFCU Centre in Windsor in September.
Regular Season Leading Producers and Goaltending Stats
Top 3 Producers:
Spitfires –
- forward Ilya Protas (Washington Capitals) – 61 games, 50 goals, 74 assists, 124 points
- forward Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings) – 64 games, 49 goals, 70 assists, 119 points
- forward Noah Morneau – 68 games, 32 goals, 41 assists, 73 points
Rangers –
- forward Adrian Misaljevic – 67 games, 31 goals, 38 assists, 69 points
- forward Trent Swick (Vegas Golden Knights) – 60 games, 27 goals, 34 assists, 61 points
- forward Jack Pridham (Chicago Blackhawks) – 48 games, 27 goals, 27 assists, 54 points
Goaltender Stats:
Spitfires –
- Joey Costanzo – 51 games, 2,854 minutes, 34-10-3-1, 2.94 goals-against average (GAA), .892 save percentage (SV%)
- Carter Froggett – 21 games, 1,023 minutes, 8-7-1-1, 3.52 GAA, .879 SV%
Rangers –
- Jackson Parsons – 52 games, 3,082 minutes, 37-12-3-0, 2.24 GAA, .920 SV%
- Jason Schaubel – 18 games, 1,040 minutes, 10-3-1-2, 3.40 GAA, .878 SV%
Playoff Stats and the Clubs’ Journeys So Far
Top 3 Producers:
Spitfires –
- Greentree – five games, seven goals, eight assists, 15 points
- Protas – five games, three goals, 12 assists, 15 points
- Morneau – five games, eight goals, three assists, 11 points
Rangers –
- Swick – five games, four goals, five assists, nine points
- forward Christian Humphreys – five games, two goals, five assists, seven points
- Pridham – five games, three goals, two assists, five points
Goaltending Stats:
Spitfires –
- Costanzo – Five games, 306 minutes, 4-0-1, 2.15 GAA, .915 SV%
Rangers –
- Parsons – Five games, 304 minutes, 4-1-0, 1.58 GAA, .939 SV%
The Clubs’ Playoff Roads So Far
Spitfires –
- Round 1 – defeated (7) Greyhounds 4-1, outscoring 28-11
Rangers –
- Round 1 – defeated (6) Firebirds 4-1, outscoring 17-8
What the Rangers Bring to the Table
The Rangers are a club that can beat you in multiple ways. Offensively, they’re going to be a pain for Walters’ club. With Swick, Pridham, Misaljevic, Luca Romano, and Tanner Lam up front, plus Cameron Reid and Jakub Chromiak on the blue line, they’ve got offensive weapons you can’t ignore. The Spitfires saw that late in the season when the Rangers put up a seven-spot on them at home.
It should be noted that, per Rangers’ reporter Josh Brown, the Rangers may be without Misaljevic and Reid to start the series due to injuries (from ‘Rangers rested and ready for high-flying Spitfires,’ Waterloo Region Record, 4/8/25).
Defensively, captain Matthew Andonovski loves playing that physical brand, especially against the Spitfires. He’s been a thorn in their side all season. While they can put up the points as a group, they’re just as good at stopping them. They finished second in the OHL in goals against just behind the Knights. In goal, Parsons could be argued as the best in the league. When he’s hot, he could steal a few games, let alone one.
The Rangers can play a high-scoring game if you want. They can also stop the puck as well as anyone. The Spitfires found out both the hard way this season. When you include their home arena, the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium, which has some of the most passionate fans in the league, they’re a serious challenge to anyone.
What the Spitfires Bring to the Table
After missing the playoffs last season, the Spitfires have been itching to get into the postseason from almost day one. They’re a dynamic offensive team that was third in the OHL in goals scored and they’re ready to show that this is the real deal. From Protas to Greentree, Morneau to Cole Davis, Jack Nesbitt to Ryan Abraham, they have the size, speed, and offensive ability to beat you with three lines.
Defensively, they were sixth in the league in goals against, and that’s improved in the playoffs, allowing just 11 goals in five games. Only the Rangers (eight goals in five games) and Kingston Frontenacs (eight goals in four games) have bettered them. They keep it simple, Costanzo seems locked in, and everyone is on the same page.
The Greyhounds gave the Spitfires a solid test at both ends of the rink. However, head coach Greg Walters and his staff have systems in place, and the team has fully bought in. They believe in themselves, and it comes at the perfect time. With that said, there is one glaring issue which we’ll talk about in the X-factors below.
The X-Factors
Spitfires
In their first-round series, the biggest X-factor was the goaltending of Costanzo. He had an up-and-down season where his highs were incredible, but his lows were forgettable. He found his game against the Greyhounds, and it seems to be projecting upwards. In this series, there’s another major area of concern for the club – injuries.
The Spitfires came into the playoffs with multiple impact players on the sidelines, including defenceman Tnias Mathurin, 20, and rookie forward Ethan Belchetz, among others. During the Greyhounds’ series, they lost forward A.J. Spellacy (Chicago Blackhawks) and defenceman Anthony Cristoforo to upper-body injuries. It resulted in the club bringing up multiple players from lower levels to fill out the roster.
Cristoforo returned for Game 5, but defenceman Carson Woodall left the same game with a facial injury, and his status remains unknown. The list keeps growing. Maybe eliminating the Greyhounds in five games gives them a chance to heal up a bit. They’re going to need all hands on deck if they want to eliminate a very good Rangers club.
Rangers
The Spitfires have been an offensive dynamo at the WFCU Centre, not only during the regular season, but in the playoffs, too. If the Rangers are going to eliminate them, it may come down to the goaltending and Parsons.
The 20-year-old Embrun native has been near or at the top of the OHL goaltending categories all season. You would be hard pressed to find a goaltender who has been more consistent than him, and his stats against the Spitfires show that he’s not going away. While his first game against them was forgettable, allowing five goals on 11 shots, he has allowed just eight goals on 117 shots in over 180 minutes of action since then. This clip from the Firebirds’ series shows what he can do.
GAME SAVER, SERIES CLINCHER #RTown | #BattleBound pic.twitter.com/RdWBoLcHkf
— Kitchener Rangers (@OHLRangers) April 5, 2025
Simply put, Parsons was lights out against the Spitfires in the regular season. In the playoffs, he gave the Firebirds nothing to work with, allowing just five goals in his final four starts. If the Spitfires are going to take the series, they have to find a way past him.
Playoff History Between the Spitfires and Rangers
Over their storied histories, the playoff battles between the teams seem to be growing, and multiple series are still talked about to this day.
1988 – After a 50-win season (66-game schedule), the Spitfires beat the Rangers 4-0 in the first round. That started a dynamic playoff run with their only loss coming in heartbreaking fashion in the Memorial Cup Final.
1992 – The fourth-seeded Rangers took a 3-1 lead on the fifth-seeded Spitfires and eventually won the series in Game 7.
1999 – This wasn’t a playoff series but a dramatic tie-breaker game at the old Windsor Arena. On Saturday, March 20, 1999, they had a one-game battle for the eighth seed. It went into double overtime, where Blair Stayzer beat Reg Bourcier for a huge 2-1 Spitfires’ win.
Related: Saying Goodbye to an OHL Original: The Windsor Arena
2010 – In the Western Conference Final, the third-seeded Rangers jumped out to a surprising 3-0 lead on the top-seeded Spitfires (who were the defending Memorial Cup champions). However, the Spitfires won Game 4 before taking the series in seven games, taking the OHL Championship in four games, and going on to win the 2010 Memorial Cup.
2016 – The fourth-seeded Rangers jumped out to a 3-0 series lead on the fifth-seeded Spitfires before winning the series in five games.
2023 – This is right up there with the 2010 series in terms of future discussion. The top-seeded Spitfires were facing an eighth-seeded Rangers club that, on paper, was anything but an eighth seed. The underdogs refused to back down, outscored the favourites 20-7, and became the first eight seed to sweep the first seed in league history.
Prediction
This is going to be a real test for both clubs. The Spitfires boast one of the best offences in the league with a defence that has been improving all season. The Rangers are a dynamic defensive team with offence that can make you regret decisions if you give them any opportunity. The old saying is “defence wins championships” but can the Rangers’ defence stop a Spitfires’ offence that has become a well-oiled machine, especially at home? That’s a tough ask. With home ice, it’s hard to bet against Walters’ crew. Spitfires in 7.
The Schedule
Game 1 – Thurs., April 10 at Windsor – 7:05 p.m.
Game 2 – Sat., April 12 at Windsor – 7:05 p.m.
Game 3 – Mon., April 14 at Kitchener – 7:07 p.m.
Game 4 – Wed., April 16 at Kitchener – 7:07 p.m.
Game 5 – Fri., April 18 at Windsor – 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Game 6 – Sun., April 20 at Kitchener – 7:07 p.m. (if necessary)
Game 7 – Tues., April 22 at Windsor – 7:05 p.m. (if necessary)
Ticket Information
Tickets for the games at the WFCU Centre in Windsor range from $26.50 – $51.50. Tickets to the games at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium range from $27 – $31 and you can purchase them on the Auditorium’s website.
