Somehow the Windsor Spitfires continue to march on.

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Somehow the Windsor Spitfires continue to march on.

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While the Spitfires continue to struggle with injuries, it has not slowed the club’s success in the playoffs.

Time and again, the Spitfires have found someone to step in and fill the void and often it’s been one of the club’s 2008-born players taken in the 2024 OHL Draft.

A month ago, defenceman Andrew Robinson wasn’t even on the team, but on Thursday he got the game scoring going. His first OHL goal got the Windsor offence rolling in what would turn into a 5-1 win by the Spitfires over the Kitchener Rangers before a crowd of 4,292 at the WFCU Centre in the opener of the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.

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“I don’t remember most of it to be honest,” said the 17-year-old Robinson, who crept in from the point and took a cross-ice feed from Ryan Abraham. “I remember going backdoor, seeing the puck pop through, tapping it in and after that blackout.”

A third-round pick by the club a year ago, Robinson hasn’t just been a fill-in player for the club, but is playing in the team’s top six on defence with veterans Carson Woodall and Tnias Mathurin sidelined by injury along with Tanner Winegard.

“Robinson’s been awesome,” Spitfires’ head coach Greg Walters said. “He gets better every day, he’s fearless, he’s poised and this ’08 draft is crazy. These kids just keep getting better.”

Windsor is actually playing a pair of 2025 OHL Draft defenceman on the back end with Carter Hicks joining Robinson. As well, J.C. Lemieux and Ethan Garden, who were taken in the same draft, are playing up front and that’s not counting first overall pick Ethan Belchetz, who is sidelined by an injury.

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“You know, it’s tough when (young players) have to play a lot of minutes in the playoffs because it’s a different level,” said Spitfires’ centre Ilay Protas, who had three assists in Thursday’s win and now leads the OHL in playoff scoring with 18 points in six games. “They did a really good job and, if they keep doing what they are doing, they’ll be successful.”

The top scoring rookie defenceman in the Ontario Junior Hockey League this season, Robinson wasn’t expecting to see much action with the Spitfires.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to get into any playoff games,” Robinson said. “I thought I was going to be someone that comes in and just practices and gets comfortable with the team and then next year start off running, but I’m super happy and excited to be here for the playoffs.”

After playing just four games in the regular season, Robinson has played in all six of Windsor’s playoff games and now boasts a modest two-game point streak.

“Really when I look back, I was talking to my dad the other day, the past four weeks you never think that’s what will happen in your life,” Robinson said. “You move down to Windsor, you start playoffs, you win the first round, you score your first goal (Thursday) and it’s just been unbelievable.” 

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After Robinson, fellow defenceman Anthony Cristoforo hounded a Kitchener defender trying to chase down a puck and reached around him to poke a shot that trickled past goalie Jackson Parsons.

Liam Greentree’s goal was Windsor’s third in the second period after a scoreless opening frame.

Noah Morneau added two more goals in the third period to push his OHL playoff-leading total to 10 before Tanner Lam’s power-play goal late in the game ruined the shutout bid by Windsor’s Joey Costanzo.

Game 2 of the series is Saturday at the WFCU Centre at 7:05 p.m. and no doubt the Spitfires will again lean on the club’s young players to try take command of the series.

“It’s definitely been tough having a bunch of guys injured on the team and not being where we want to be with injuries, but being able to step is great and I’m really excited about it,” Robinson said. 

jpparker@postmedia.com

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Game Summary

Thursday Result

Spitfires 5 Rangers 1

Kitchener 0 0 1 – 1

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Windsor 0 3 2 – 5

First period: No scoring. Penalties: Xu K (holding) 7:52, Davis W (kneeing) 12:24.

Second period: 1. Windsor, Robinson 1 (Abraham, McNamara) 2:31, 2. Windsor, Cristoforo 1 (Davis) 7:13, 3. Windsor, Greentree 8 (Prots, Abraham) 16:28 (pp). Penalties: Swick K (cross checking) 14:46, Campbell K (double minor high sticking) 14:50.

Third period: 4. Windsor, Morneau 9 (Greentree, Kennedy) 3:09, 5. Windsor, Morneau 10 (Protas, Nesbitt) 14:36 (pp), 6. Kitchener, Lam 3 (Reid, Romano) 17:47 (pp). Penalties: Spellacy W (roughing) 6:37, Xu K (tripping) 13:41, Andonovski K (roughing), Swick K (misconduct), Costellos W (double minor roughing, Gaymes W (misconduct), Lemieux W (misconduct) 16:31. 

Game stats – SOG – Kitchener 5 10 4 – 19 Windsor 5 11 6 – 22 Goal (shots-saves) – Kitchener: Parsons (L,4-2-0) (22-17). Windsor: Costanzo (W,5-0-1) (19-18). Power play (goals-chances) – Kitchener 1-3. Windsor 2-5. Referees: Chad Ingalls and Pay Myers. Linesmen: Dan Kovachik and Scott Lawson. Att.: 4,292 at the WFCU Centre.

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