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Windsor Spitfires Rally to Defeat London Knights in Thrilling Match

A.J. Spellacy’s short-handed goal just under nine minutes into the third period propelled the Windsor Spitfires to a 4-3 victory over the London Knights at the WFCU Centre on February 2. This marked Windsor’s comeback from a 3-0 deficit, leveling the season series at two wins apiece.

The Knights, known for their strong performance this season, faced only their second regulation loss in the calendar year of 2025.

The match commenced with a 5-on-3 power play for London, during which Easton Cowan set up Denver Barkey for a one-timer, putting the Knights on the scoreboard first at 16:24 in the opening frame. This assist extended Cowan’s remarkable point streak to 64 games.

Shortly after, at just 36 seconds, Kasper Halttunen scored, assisted by Barkey and Landon Sim, extending London’s lead to 2-0. The Knights continued to dominate as Jesse Nurmi pushed the score to 3-0 at 2:24 in the second period, capitalizing on a rebound. This prompted a change in goal for Windsor, with Joey Costanzo being replaced by Carter Froggett, who went on to stop all 13 shots he faced.

Scoring Action Continues

Windsor’s Noah Morneau finally got the Spitfires on the board with a power play goal at 8:19 in the second period. In a last-minute push of the second frame, Anthony Cristoforo assisted Ilya Protas, who finished off a play reminiscent of a basketball alley-oop as they headed into the third period with Windsor trailing by just one.

The Spitfires wasted no time in the final period, with Protas netting his second goal of the match only 53 seconds in, leveling the game at 3-3. The decisive moment came shortly after, as Spellacy converted on a short-handed opportunity. He seized a loose puck at center ice, dashing into the Knights’ zone and skillfully beating goaltender Austin Elliott to give Windsor a 4-3 lead.

This defeat marked a notable moment for Elliott, as it was his first loss in a Knights uniform, snapping an impressive 20-game winning streak for the Strathmore, Alberta native. Overall, Windsor outshot London 28-25, and both teams were even at two goals on the power play, each going 2-for-8.

Aleksei Medvedev Honored as OHL Goaltender of the Month

In other news from the OHL, 17-year-old Aleksei Medvedev of the London Knights has recently been acknowledged for his outstanding performance, being named the OHL Goaltender of the Month for January. This follows his earlier accolade as Rookie of the Month. With an impressive 1.99 goals against average and a .937 save percentage over six games, Medvedev achieved a record of 4-1-1 during that span.

Looking Ahead

The London Knights will look to rebound from this defeat in their next match against the Kitchener Rangers. This upcoming game, featuring two top teams in the Ontario Hockey League standings, is set for an early 6:30 p.m. start at Canada Life Place. Pre-game coverage will commence at 6 p.m. on 980 CFPL and the iHeart Radio and Radioplayer Canada apps.

Source
globalnews.ca