Schools may be on March Break in Ontario but the Windsor Spitfires continue to learn a lesson or two as the playoffs approach. Despite a hot start, they almost hurt themselves on Tuesday before escaping with a win at home over a conference rival.
The 2024-25 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) playoffs start in a couple of weeks. Last week, the Spitfires clinched at least the second seed in the Western Conference by winning the West Division. It’s a huge accomplishment after finishing second last in the league last season. However, they can’t just assume any lead or game is safe because of a lower opponent. Tuesday night, they welcomed the fifth-seeded Erie Otters to town, a team that’s trying to get into the fourth seed and home ice for the first round. The visitors gave them a handful and showed that letting off the gas pedal isn’t something you want to play with. Here are three takeaways from the WFCU Centre.
Spitfires Must Hold Down the Gas Pedal
Historically, the Otters have given the Spitfires fits. If you take them lightly, they’ll hurt you.
After four of five on the road, the Spitfires were pumped to get home and went all-out early. Captain Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings) scored his 46th and 47th goals, while Jack Nesbitt, Ryan Abraham, and A.J. Spellacy (Chicago Blackhawks) made it a 5-0 lead. It was a shooting gallery.
However, a Dylan Edwards goal gave the Otters momentum entering the second. There, Edwards scored again, plus one from Pano Fimis, and it’s suddenly 5-3. A complete turnaround from the first period; the Otters frustrated them, created turnovers, and a comeback seemed possible. However, the Spitfires found their game late, the teams exchanged two goals each, and the home side took a 7-5 win.
The game was a reminder to the Spitfires that no lead is safe. The gas pedal must be pressed. Head coach Greg Walters said they started well, but then cheated themselves.
“We earned everything we got in the first period by playing the right way,” he said. “Then, we started cheating the game a little bit, going north without knowing for sure we had pucks, so we were turning pucks over. It’s normal but I don’t want it to be normal for this group. They heard it after the second and I thought they responded and played a good third period.”
Ilya Protas, Liam Greentree, Jack Nesbitt, and Anthony Cristoforo each had 3+ point nights as the Windsor #Spitfires squeezed out a 7-5 win over the Erie Otters at the WFCU Centre on Tuesday. #OHL pic.twitter.com/BJUsIuvUUV
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) March 12, 2025
Playing 60 minutes can be tough when you’ve already clinched the second seed. Defenceman Anthony Cristoforo, who had four assists, said it’s a good lesson.
“Our first period was one of the best periods of the season,” he said. “It’ll happen in the playoffs where we come out strong but we get a team’s wave. We have to be able to handle that. This was a learning experience for us.”
Line Juggling Can Benefit Spitfires
For much of the season, the Spitfires have put Ilya Protas and Greentree on the top line, along with various forwards including Abraham, Ethan Belchetz, and Noah Morneau. It’s worked very well as Greentree and Protas have combined for over 200 points, plus whoever they’re with tends to have a solid offence game, as well. However, on this night, Walters split the pair up to see what would happen.
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Protas was on the first line with Morneau and Spellacy while Greentree was on the second line with Nesbitt and Belchetz. It worked almost instantly as the two lines, along with a third line featuring Abraham, Luke McNamara, and Cole Davis, had chemistry the Otters couldn’t solve. However, as the visitors started to come back, Walters went back to the Protas-Greentree duo. After the game, he said he used an example from the Edmonton Oilers as inspiration.
“You see some line matchups that we tried today,” he said. “Moving Spellacy, Morneau, and Protas, more of a checking line frees up Greentree a little bit. It worked in the first period … I tend to look at the Oilers and how (head coach Kris) Knoblauch treats (Connor) McDavid and (Leon) Draisaitl. We can always go back to them in the third and we saw how dominant they were in the third.”
The result was the top line having two goals and five points while the second line had four goals and eight points. Walters said the team talks about getting the second seed properly, by getting past the Kitchener Rangers (currently five points ahead), not just by winning their division. If this means experimenting to get different combinations that work now and in the playoffs, it’s a nice tool to have. If needed, Walters has the Greentree-Protas combination in his back pocket.
Cristoforo Sliding Under the Radar
While players like Protas, Greentree, and others are getting much of the publicity, Cristoforo has slid under the radar. He entered the game with 12 goals and 43 assists in 62 games. He’s also a plus-51, which is a 94-point improvement on last season’s minus-43 rating.
Cristoforo has been paired mostly with veteran Tnias Mathurin, who came from the North Bay Battalion in August. Mathurin is more defensive, which complements Cristoforo’s offensive-minded game. They’ve become incredibly cohesive.
However, Mathurin was injured on the road earlier in March, so Cristoforo has been playing with veteran Wyatt Kennedy, who was acquired from the Battalion in January. On Tuesday, the pair were on the ice for five of the Spitfires’ seven goals, including twice on the powerplay. With the club wearing special Scooby-Doo jerseys, Cristoforo kept his game simple, creating offence and finishing with a career-high four assists. He has 47 assists and 59 points, both career highs, in 62 games. After the game, he said Walters’ trust is huge.
“I think offensively, I always felt I had that in my game,” he said. “This season, Walters made a system that lets me be free. He trusts me and I appreciate that. I don’t want to let him down.”
A look at the Windsor #Spitfires' Scooby-Doo Jerseys from Tuesday night against the Erie #Otters. #OHL #ScoobyDoo pic.twitter.com/F8WStnAv4w
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) March 12, 2025
Walters was full of praise for Kennedy and Cristoforo after the game. He said he was impressed with how they handled the Otters’ big guys.
“Cristoforo and Kennedy are elite defenders back there,” he said. “They did a real good job against a very potent line in Malcolm Spence, Sam Alfano, and Fimis”
Cristoforo is still developing and his defensive game has come a long way this season. However, Tuesday showed what he can do when he’s effective at both ends of the rink. That’s a big help to the Spitfires at the perfect time.
