The Windsor Spitfires earned at least a day to celebrate.

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The Windsor Spitfires earned at least a day to celebrate.

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Winning in the playoffs, regardless of a team’s record, is never easy and often painful.

So, for a Windsor team battling through injuries, winning the club’s first playoff series in 2022 was a moment to be savoured.

“I think that’s really big for the group,” Spitfires’ goalie Joey Costanzo said. “I think it was one of the key goals going into the season, win a playoff series.

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“I think for a lot of guys, it’s three years coming. It’s a good feeling, but we’re still hungry and we’re ready for our next opponent.”

The second-seeded Spitfires took out the seventh-seeded Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Friday with an 8-4 win before 4,942 at the WFCU Centre. With it, the Spitfires claimed the best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final series 4-1 and will now meet Kitchener, which eliminated Flint in five games, in the semifinals.

“I think that was a huge series win for us,” Spitfires’ captain Liam Greentree said of the Greyhounds. “I’m super proud of the guys. I’m excited to see what we can do against Kitchener.”

Wyatt Kennedy, Ryan Abraham and Luke McNamara were the only players in the Windsor lineup to boast a playoff series win before Friday. Even head coach Greg Walters, who has never had a losing season coaching in the OHL, earned his first playoff series win on the bench since 2019.

“It’s huge,” Walters said. “To win a series is something special.”

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On Friday, the Spitfires were lethal on the power play with six power-play goals, including four in the opening period, to seize control of the game.

“So proud of these kids,” Walters said. “Our first period was unbelievable.”

Sault Ste. Marie actually had seven of the game’s first 10 shots, but Costanzo was solid and the Spitfires countered with three goals on the team’s next four shots.

Jack Nesbitt opened the scoring with Greentree and Abraham following with power-play goals to put Windsor up 3-0.

Carson Andrew took advantage of a turnover to get the Greyhounds on the board, but Ilya Protas and Noah Morneau added power-play goals and Greentree got his second to put Windsor up 6-1 late in the first period.

“Down eight guys at one point, but we have a resilient group of guys and we know what we have to do to win and we play a good, hard game,” said Greentree, who had five points in the game.

But fatigue and that short bench seemed to catch up to the Spits. Brady Martin’s power-play goal with one second left in the opening period made it a 6-2 game.

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Brady R. Smith had the lone goal of the second period and Martin’s second of the game, on a Greyhounds power play, made it a 6-4 match with over 12 minutes left in the third period.

“So proud of these kids,” Walters said. “Being down eight guys at one point, our guys played  a lot of minutes. Through injuries and losing a lot of guys and Joey Costanzo was amazing and obviously we were led by our best players. We wanted to finish it off. “

Penalties would haunt the Greyhounds to the end. A too many men call opened the door for Abraham’s second to give Windsor some breathing room and after a slashing call to Martin in the final minute, Greentree completed his hat-trick performance with a tap-in goal into an empty net after Cristoforo hit the post from his end of the ice.

“Exciting, my first series win and I’m just ready to win more,” said Costanzo, who made 28 saves. “I like this feeling and I want to keep feeling it.”

jpparker@postmedia.com

twitter.com/winstarparker

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Game Summary

Friday Result

Spitfires 8 Greyhounds 4

Sault Ste. Marie 2 1 1 – 4

Windsor 6 0 2 – 8

First period: 1. Windsor, Nesbitt 1 (Davis, Garden) 9:23, 2. Windsor, Greentree 5 (Nesbitt, Protas) 10:36 (pp), 3. Windsor, Abraham 1 (Woodall, Lemieux) 11:35 (pp), 4. Sault Ste. Marie, Andrew 1 (Hayes, McConnell-Barker) 11:54 (sh), 5. Windsor, Protas 3 (Greentree, Morneau) 13:14 (pp), 6. Windsor, Morneau 8 (Greentree, Nesbitt) 14:29 (pp), 7. Windsor, Greentree 6 (Protas, Robinson) 18:23, 8. Sault Ste. Marie, Martin 1 (Allard, Nordh) 19:59 (pp). Penalties: Kennedy W (roughing) 6:32, Carlisle S (cross checking) 10:09, Charron S (cross-checking major, game misconduct) 10:41, Hayes S (double minor high sticking) 13:54, Cristoforo W (roughing) 18:44.  

Second period: 9. Sault Ste. Marie, BR Smith 1 (Nordh, Evans) 16:56. Penalties: Carlisle S (fighting major, game misconduct) 7:11, Cloutier S (roughing), Nesbitt W (roughing) 14:43.

Third period: 10. Sault Ste. Marie, Martin 2 (Allard) 7:46 (pp), 11. Windsor, Abraham 2 (Hicks, Protas) 15:51 (pp), 12. Windsor, Greentree 7 (Cristoforo, Abraham) 19:26 (pp/en). Penalties: Gaymes W (tripping) 1:44, Greentree W (tripping) 7:42, Abraham W (delay of game) 12:14, Hilton S (too many men) 14:25, Martin S (slashing) 19:08. 

Game stats – SOG – Sault Ste. Marie 11 14 7 – 32 Windsor 16 10 4 – 30 Goal (shots-saves) – Sault Ste. Marie: Miller (L,0-2-0) (29-22). Windsor: Costanzo (W,4-0-1) (32-28). Power play (goals-chances) – Sault Ste. Marie 2-5. Windsor 6-9. Referees: Sean Kimmerly and Mac Nichol. Linesmen: Dan Kovachik and Justin Noble. Att.: 4,942 at the WFCU Centre.

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