The Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting faced off against the Windsor Spitfires on Friday night, Feb. 21, which turned out to be an exhilarating game that not many expected it to be.
The third-place Spitfires were on the road to take on the 14th-ranked Sarnia Sting. Windsor's offense has been elite this season trailing only Saginaw and London in goals for this season with 241 (4.38 goals-per-game).
Sarnia, on the other hand, has had consistency issues with its ability to put the puck in the back of the net. It ranks third-last in goals (162) and has the third-worst powerplay percentage (14.2%).
OHL Highlights: Windsor Spitfires @ Sarnia Sting Feb. 21, 2025
Lukas Fischer's overtime winner capped a dramatic comeback for Sarnia, who scored four unanswered goals. Ilya Protas and Liam Greentree each tallied four poi...
The Spitfires came out of the gate guns blazing. They outshot Sarnia 23-5. Centerman Jack Nesbitt, a potential top 64 pick in the upcoming NHL draft, scored the game's opening goal with less than a minute to go in the opening frame.
Sarnia's young guns — Ryan Brown, Alessandro Di Iorio, and Beckham Edwards — stepped up in the second period, connecting on two rare powerplay goals for the Sting.
With Sarnia up 2-1, Windsor's big boys said enough is enough, and rattled off four unanswered goals.
The Spitfires' top line of Liam Greentree, Ilya Protas, and Ryan Abraham asserted their dominance against the young Sting squad, combining for 11 points in the game.
Washington Capitals 2024 third-rounder Ilya Protas scored his 38th and 39th of the season to regain Windsor's lead in the game. The Belarussian forward has been sensational in his first year in the OHL and looks like a potential steal by the Capitals with his combination of size and high-end offensive skillset.
Los Angeles Kings 2024 first-rounder Liam Greentree didn't want to be trailing Protas for most goals on the team. So, he scored his 39th and 40th of the year in the third period. The Spitfires had a cushiony 5-2 lead with less than nine minutes to play.
Sarnia could've sat back and mailed in the rest of the game, knowing they were up against a superior team. They didn't. They buzzed their way back.
Edwards scored his second (21st of the year) of the game, Carson Hall scored his first of the season, and Ruslan Karimov scored the game-tying goal with under a minute to play to force overtime.
In the extra frame, St. Louis Blues prospect Lukas Fischer scored his 13th of the season, assisted by Ryan Brown — third point of the night — and stun Windsor with a massive 6-5 comeback victory.
“It was a great team win for us all. I think we just needed that little boost of confidence. That little comeback win felt really good," said Edwards after the game via the Sarnia Observer.
Edwards has been terrific in his rookie campaign for Sarnia. His 21 goals rank him second amongst OHL rookies tied with Saginaw's Jacob Cloutier.
Sarnia's second-overall pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, Alessandro Di Iorio, finished the game with three assists. He's now up to 24 assists on the year — tied for fourth amongst rookies — and 34 points — eighth amongst rookies — in 45 games.
As mentioned, Ryan Brown recorded three points and fought in the first period. His 36 points on the year are two behind Easton Wainwright and Zach Filak for most on the team.
Brown, Edwards, and Di Iorio are all eligible for the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, meaning, Sarnia will have plenty of NHL scouts watching their games next season.