The Windsor Spitfires are coming home with a chance to end the series.

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Windsor Spitfires is back home and has a chance to end the series.

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Overcoming the dry lineup, Spitfires won a 4-1 road-beating defeat to Sault Ste. Marie had a crowd of 4,202 people at the GFL Memorial Garden on Wednesday.

Winning, the second-seed Spitfires now leads with a seventh best in the Western Conference quarterfinals’ seventh-seeded Racing Dogs.

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“To be honest, it’s the proudest moment I’ve been as a coach all season,” said Spitfires head coach Greg Walters. “I’m very proud of these guys fighting, stopping shots, paying attention to the details and going out with seven guys.”

AJ Spellacy, Anthony Cristoforo, Tnias Mathurin, Ethan Belchetz, JC Lemieux and Tanner Winegard are no longer in lineup due to injuries. And, after falling to the Greyhounds in Game 3 overtime on Monday, Spitfires could easily let some suspicion spread.

“It’s definitely an idea in your head, but we played a great game (Monday) and that would do whatever it would be,” said Spitfires defensive player Wyatt Kennedy. “We knew we were a great team and we could beat them on any given night.”

But this is the first time in this series, the Greyhounds passed Windsor goalkeeper Joey Costanzo in a game where Travis Hayes shot at Amherstburg native Keegan Gillen.

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However, when Noah Morneau crossed the defender, stepped onto the second defender and 1-1 1 after 20 minutes, leading only 24 seconds.

“It’s huge for our team,” Morno said. “Their crowd is right in it and we can get one, and it’s huge to tie it to the second stage.”

Before this period ended, the greyhound lost Larond in injury. Windsor defenseman Carter Hicks tried to stuff the loose puck from the glacier into the crease and tangled with Grayhounds’ defensive player Chase Reid, who sent the airborne into Lalonde and drove him into the outpost.

“Unfortunately, this happened,” Walters said. “It’s so good (Laronde).

Early in the second phase, Spitfires would also take a break when Brodie McConnell-Barker rebounded Costanzo. Windsor challenged the goalkeeper intervention, and after a long period of evaluation, potential marching goals were exempted.

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“We’re kind of calling,” Kennedy said. “There are a lot of (targets) canceling from our perspective lately.”

During this time, Spitfires controls things. Ilya Prota, who scored 50 goals in the regular season, beat the rebound in the first game of the playoffs, while Morneau scored his second goal in the power play, with 80 seconds left in the period, taking a 3-1 lead with Windsor.

“I just wanted to do my best,” Morno said. Morno had three points in the game and had a playoff lead in the OHL. “If (the goal) comes, it’s good and it feels great, but I have a lot of trust in this team and how we get it done and the game. We are so ruthless.”

Costanzo won the game with 24 saves, scoring an empty net goal in the third point of the game. He scored a lead in the OHL playoffs, scoring 11 points in four games.

“Our best players are our best players, and Joey Costanzo is incredible,” Walters said. “In four games, a lot of savings were huge. Really, really proud of him.”

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Now, Spitfires is back home with a chance to end the series on Friday and win the club’s first playoff victory since reaching the league final in 2022. The match time at WFCU Center is 7:05 pm

“The fifth game is big,” Morno said. “We don’t want to come back here for Game 6, and when the game goes into Game 6, it’s anyone’s series. We want to be able to end and have a break.”

jpparker@postmedia.com

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Game Summary

Wednesday’s results

Spitfires 4 Greyhounds 1

Windsor 1 2 1 – 4

Sault Star. Mary 1 0 0-1

Issue 1: 1. SaultSte. Marie, Hayes 3 (Mignosa, Gillen) 15:01, 2. Windsor, Morneau 6 (Helpless) 15:25. Punishment: North S (match delay) 2:57, Hicks W (goalkeeper interference) 17:18, Protas W (interference) 18:49.

Phase 2: 3. Windsor, Nister, Greenree 16:07, 4. Punishment: Abraham W (rough), cloutier s (rough) 3:58, Walton W (rough), Charron S (rough) 6:18, Charron S (Holding) 17:55.

Stage 3: 5. Windsor, Paters 2 (Single) 19:39 (en). Punishment: Clouthier S (match delay) 6:46, Kennedy W (match delay) 14:32.

Game Statistics – SOG – Windsor 10 9 6 – 25 Sault Ste. Mary 9 7 8 – 24 Target (lens) – Windsor: Costanzo (W, 3-0-1) (24-23). Sault Ste. Mary: Larond (10-9), Miller (17:18 of Phase I) (L, 0-1-0) (14-12). Powerful match (goal chance) – Windsor 1-3. Sault Ste. Mary 0-3. referee: Joe Monette and Marcus Policicchio. Informer: Joshua Houslander and Luke Pye. arrive. : 4,202 at GFL Memorial Garden.

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