They’re bruised up, but the second-seeded Windsor Spitfires are moving on. A depleted lineup found a way to beat the seventh-seeded Soo Greyhounds in Game 5 on Friday, taking a 4-1 series win in their 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) first-round playoff match.
Coming into the series, the Spitfires knew this would be a battle. The underdog Greyhounds are gritty, physical, and hungry to prove they can hang with the contenders. The two clubs have fought tooth and nail all season, and this series was no different. After splitting Games 3 and 4 in Sault Ste. Marie, the clubs headed back to the WFCU Centre in Windsor with the home side up three games to one. This one lived up to the hype. Here are three takeaways.
Special Teams Dominate Special Game
In Games 1 and 2, the Spitfires outscored the Greyhounds 14-3, showing the dynamic offence and strong defence we’ve seen all season. However, Games 3 and 4 showed the grittier, defensive side of the Greyhounds, which was expected. Unfortunately for the visitors, that trend didn’t continue.
While the Greyhounds kept the Spitfires off the board early in the first, that didn’t last. Forward Jack Nesbitt opened the scoring midway through the first. Then, the visitors got into penalty trouble, including multiple majors, and the home side went to work. Captain Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings) and Ryan Abraham both capitalized for a 3-0 lead. While Carson Andrew made it 3-1 off a shorthanded tally, Greentree and Ilya Protas (Washington Capitals) added more with the man advantage. Noah Morneau put home another, while Brady Martin scored for the visitors on the power play with 0.1 seconds left for a 6-2 Spitfires lead after 20.
The Greyhounds added two more, including another power-play goal from Martin. However, that was countered by Abraham’s second, on the power play, and Greentree’s third into the empty net, again, on the power play, for an 8-4 Spitfires final. That clinched the series, 4-1. After the game, Spitfires head coach Greg Walters said they wanted to end this at home.
“We wanted to finish it off,” he said. “(Greyhounds head coach) John Dean is one of my best friends, and we know what each guy’s tendencies are. It just comes down to who wants it more, and execution. Through injuries and losing a lot of guys, we were led by our best players. It’s a pleasure to be around them.”
A few shots from the Windsor #Spitfires' 8-4 win on Friday night over the Soo #Greyhounds in Game 5 of their first-round series. It clinched a 4-1 series win. #OHL pic.twitter.com/slRF4dwN9L
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) April 5, 2025
This was a game of special teams; nine of the 12 goals were scored with special teams. The Spitfires went a remarkable 6-for-9 on the power play, which is their highest total this season. Their previous high was going 4-for-7 on Saturday, Nov. 23, against the Ottawa 67’s. After the game, Walters said the credit goes to assistant coach Casey Torres and their best players being their best players.
“Torres does an amazing job with our guys, breaking down the other team’s penalty kill,” he said. “At the end of the day, when you can put Protas, Morneau, Greentree, Nesbitt, (Anthony) Cristoforo, and (Carson) Woodall over the boards, it makes our job a lot easier. So proud of these kids.”
Greyhounds Showed No Quit
While the Greyhounds couldn’t find a way to solve the Spitfires’ onslaught of talent, they have plenty to be proud of. This was a team that came together late in the season, showed significant heart and determination throughout the series, and didn’t quit when things got tough.
When you lose Games 1 and 2 by a combined 14-3 score, it would be easy to go home and just enjoy Games 3 and 4, regardless of the outcome. Instead, they showed the Spitfires that this wasn’t going to be an easy four wins.
That continued on Friday. They were down a few goals, and frustration got the better of them, resulting in lengthy power-play chances for the Spitfires. However, they regrouped at the intermission and played a strong final 40 minutes. They gave the home side everything it could handle, which is what both teams needed. For Walters’ club, it was a realization that you can’t just sit back, regardless of the lead. For the Greyhounds, it showed that you can never quit. They made a game of it until late in the third period.
The Greyhounds were a tough team to face all season. With players like Martin, Justin Cloutier, Travis Hayes, and Chase Reid, there’s plenty of optimism for the future. They gave the Spitfires fits throughout the series, and Friday was no exception. Despite the loss, officially, it’s something they can build off for the future.
Related: Brady Martin: 2025 NHL Draft Profile
After the game, Greentree said the Greyhounds weren’t going to quit, and he gave a nod to the fans, as well.
“We know them, and we knew they would come out hard and not give up,” he said. “We gave them a good first, but then kind of slowed down in the second. I think we got a little too comfortable. We got it back in the third, and the fans played a huge part in that. They were really loud and it makes it easier to come out with that fire.”
Spitfires Need Rest, Healing
Every team goes through injuries or suspensions, and it’s been the Spitfires’ life since Christmas. From defenceman Tnias Mathurin in early March to rookie forward Ethan Belchetz being sidelined in the last game of the season, plus several others, it’s been a rough go for the club. This series has just added to it, including Friday night.
Earlier in the series, they lost veteran forward A.J. Spellacy (Chicago Blackhawks) to an upper-body injury, and he hasn’t returned yet. They also lost Cristoforo, but he returned on Friday, along with rookie forward Jean-Christoph Lemieux, who hadn’t played since early March.
It’s been a whirlwind, and the scratches have forced the club to call up several players. The injury list grew on Friday as Woodall left the game with an upper-body injury and didn’t return. Fortunately, everyone has stepped up when they’re needed most.
Now, with a few days off before their next series will likely begin, everyone can take a breather and heal up. Walters said they’re taking advantage of it.
“They will (need a couple of days’ rest), for sure,” he said. “They (players) have the easy job, they just go play (laughs). We (coaches) have to keep watching the game over and over and then breaking it down. We’ll give these guys a couple of days off, they deserve it.”
This is the Spitfires’ first playoff series win since they beat the Flint Firebirds in the 2021-22 Western Conference Final. Now, they go head-to-head with the third-seeded Kitchener Rangers for the first time since the Rangers, then the eighth-seed, swept the first-seeded Spitfires in the first round in 2022-23. We’ll give a preview of this next series soon!
