“…with the journey hoping to culminate some time in May with the Memorial Cup.” http://distinctkickingmotion.com/2009/03/18/ready-for-take-off/
Those were the words the Bench Boss spoke now more than two months ago when the Windsor Spitfires were beginning the OHL playoffs, and as fate would have it, that is exactly what happened. Yesterday, the Spitfires beat the Kelowna Rockets 4-1 to claim the franchise’s first Memorial Cup championship as the best team in Canadian junior hockey. The victory also marked the first time that a team went on to win the title after losing their first two games of the tournament. The Spitfires did so by beating Kelowna in their final round robin game to force a tie-breaker game against host Rimouski in which they defeated the Oceanic 6-4. In the semi-final, Windsor beat the Quebec league champs Drummondville Voltigeurs on an Adam Henrique overtime goal to set up a rematch against Kelowna in Sunday’s final. Playing their fourth game in six days, the Spits showed no signs of fatigue, jumping out to a quick 3-0 first period lead. From there, the game was never really in doubt with Windsor going on to win 4-1. Windsor forward Taylor Hall was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, proving why he is considered to be the top prospect for the 2010 NHL Draft.
