In a season that will end with the Windsor Spitfires competing in the biggest championship junior hockey has to offer with the Memorial Cup being hosted in the city, a short-staffed group began the season on a winning note.
The Spitfires opened their OHL season with a 4-1 win over the Erie Otters at the WFCU Centre on Thursday night.
Spitfires forward Aaron Luchuk was given the first star of the game, scoring the insurance marker late in the second period.
"It's always nice to get the first goal in the first game and get the monkey off your back," says Luchuk. "It's exciting. It was really nice to see a really good crowd out there tonight, a loud crowd and I think the boys fed off that."
Luchuk could've had even more, but hit iron.
"The post was my friend tonight, but that's just the way it goes," says Luchuk. "It's a game of inches."
Cole Carter opened the scoring for the Spits while Cole Purboo got the eventual game winner and Hayden McCool finished things off in the third period.
Shaun Bily had the goal for the Erie Otters.
The Spitfires dressed just 16 skaters in front of goaltender Michael DiPietro and backup Mario Culina.
Luchuk says the team had to pull together.
"Obviously, there are some high expectations for us this year, so we don't really have any excuses missing guys and stuff like that, we still have to go out there do our jobs," says Luchuk. "The young guys performed well, everyone performed well and we got away with a 'W'."
DiPietro made 18 saves for the win while his counterpart in the Erie net, Jake Lawr, stopped 25 of 29 shots he faced.
The Spitfires take on the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds tomorrow night at the Essar Centre at 7pm.
