(Windsor) The championship banners going up, eight goals scored, and two points in the standings – it was a good night to be a Windsor Spitfire.

In front of 6,112 fans, the Windsor Spitfires took care of the Erie Otters 8-3 on Thursday night. The pre-game festivities saw the Ontario Hockey League and Memorial Cup championship banners raised high into the WFCU Centre rafters next to the greats of years past. As the Spitfires stood at the blue-line, watching the banners rising, it ended what was an historic season for the team, and un-officially started what could be a very promising year.

Once the game was under-way, though, the Otters were hoping to show Windsor that, while they won last season, they’re into a whole new game now. While on the power-play, at 2:35, former Spitfire Andrew Yogan put one past goaltender Josh Unice to make it 1-0 Erie. The Spits would respond, though, when newly-returned Scott Timmins put a one-time shot high over goaltender Shane Owens glove to tie it up at 5:28. The fans had barely sat back down when Erie would tie it up. Anthony Luciani scored his first of the game putting a wrist-shot past Unice to make it 2-1 Otters. The back-and-forth goal scoring would continue when Justin Shugg notched his first of the game past Owens by tapping the puck in on the glove-side. We were tied up at two. Soon after, Unice fell victim to an unknown injury and was forced to leave the game. Back-up goaltender Troy Passingham took his place.  He allowed one goal at 15:34 when Luciani put his second of the night in by parking on the side of the net and putting home a pass from behind the net. It wasn’t the start the Spitfires had anticipated but if history has anything to say, this one was far from over.

It didn’t take long for the Windsor faithful to have something to cheer about. At 6:55, Shugg put his second of the game past Owens to tie it up at three. The teams exchanged back-and-forth hockey until Windsor found themselves on a power-play late in the frame. Shugg completed the hat-trick at 15:25, giving them the 4-3 lead and they’d never look back. At 16:23, Austin Watson found a puck on the goal line during a scramble and knew what to do with it. He buried it to give Windsor the 5-3 lead. They weren’t done there, either. Richard Panik scored on a tap-in at 17:56 to give Windsor the 6-3 cushion after two.

Unfortunately, while the team took control in the second, they also lost Timmins when he was hit by Otters’ defenceman Chris Breen. While Greg Nemisz stepped in to defend him, Timmins condition is unknown and he saw little-to-no action in the third period.

In the third period, the Spits’ refused to let up on what damage they had already done. At 6:47, Panik drove down the wing, cut in front of Owens, and slid the puck between his legs to give Windsor the 7-3 lead. Just to make sure the crowd went home happy, Michael Whaley got his first OHL goal with 12-seconds remaining, pouncing on a loose puck and finding the open net. That gave Windsor the 8-3 lead, which would be your final score. Your final shot total for the game was 54-37 Windsor.

The team has no chance for rest as the hit the road to face former Spitfire Conor O’Donnell and the Guelph Storm on Friday evening. Then it’s up through Midwestern Ontario to Owen Sound for a date with the Attack on Saturday night.