Sometimes, a win is more than just two points. The Windsor Spitfires made a statement on Sunday, earning a big win at home against a heated conference rival.
With the 2025-26 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season just two weeks from the playoffs, the Spitfires are in a fight for the West Division title and the Western Conference title. With seven games left, they came into Sunday’s game against the Kitchener Rangers two points back of the Flint Firebirds for the division (with two games-in-hand), and nine points back of the Rangers for the conference’s top seed. There was plenty on the line here, including the mental edge. Here are three takeaways from a busy Sunday at the WFCU Centre.
Spitfires’ Youth Step Up
The Rangers came into the contest having lost just once in regulation (and twice in extra time) since Mon., Dec. 30 (26 games). That included two wins over the Spitfires. The home side had won three of four but lost 24 hours earlier to the Firebirds, plus had Ethan Belchetz and Cole Davis out with injuries. They also lost forward Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia Flyers) to an illness before the game. This was going to be a test.
Fortunately, the Spitfires’ youth stepped up. Rookie Caden Harvey scored his first of the night midway through the first. The visitors did respond to tie it after 20 minutes.
In the second, the teams added one each before Harvey put home his second of the night. That’s all they needed. In the third, the Spitfires continued to press, kept pucks away from goaltender Joey Costanzo, and, thanks to two empty net goals from sophomore Ethan Garden, came away with a 5-2 win.
Not only did the Spitfires step up early, knowing it was a short lineup, but they kept it going when forward Nathan Villeneuve (Seattle Kraken) was hurt late in the second. Head coach Greg Walters was full of pride after the game.
“The will, the compete, that’s Spits hockey, man,” he said. “So proud of those kids … Garden, (Beksultan) Makysh, and Harvey out against (Rangers’ forwards Sam) O’Reilly, (Jack) Pridham, and (Dylan) Edwards, and they’re doing the job. It’s fun to coach.”
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Harvey’s two goals gave him 10 on the season. He’s used to playing with Garden and Makysh and said, while there was some pressure, they knew what to do.
“A little bit (of pressure),” Harvey said. “Our line was playing good the whole game, so it was nothing new. Just stick with what we’re doing … If you stick to your game, you’ll be alright. You’re in the OHL for a reason.”
The Windsor #Spitfires got two goals from Caden Harvey and another two from Ethan Garden in a 5-2 win over the Kitchener #Rangers at the WFCU Centre on Sunday. #OHL pic.twitter.com/fMyBXNPbpJ
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) March 9, 2026
Costanzo made 25 saves for the win. He said the kids have a swagger that has become a big help for the club in tougher times.
“They do a great job,” he said. “The one thing they have is swagger. As they get older, they’re going to develop, but to already have that sense of ‘we don’t care who’s out of the lineup, we’re going to play hard’, I think that’s really key for us.”
Costanzo Hits Another Milestone
The win not only gets Costanzo and the Spitfires two important points, but it also got the veteran goaltender another major milestone – his 100th win as a Spitfire.
JOEY MAKES HISTORY!!! Joey Costanzo is the first ever Spitfires goaltender to reach 100 wins with the club! What an amazing achievement, Congrats Joey!#windsorspitfires pic.twitter.com/1L0rRvAi2G
— Windsor Spitfires (@SpitsHockey) March 8, 2026
He’s not one to take the credit for a win, often passing it off to his teammates as that team stat. He said it’s humbling to be the first player in Spitfires’ history to reach that mark.
“It’s definitely big and definitely humble to be the first guy in team history to do that,” Costanzo said. “There have been a lot of great goalies before me, and I’ve had a few good teams play in front of me. I’m really proud of it.”
With the season almost over, life is chaotic for the 20-year-old Toronto native. Has he had a chance to sit back and think about the accomplishments so far? He said it took going home for it to sink in.
“We had a couple of days off, about a week ago, and it really set in,” Costanzo said. “Just chatting with a couple of my buddies, and it took going home a little bit to relax a bit. Slow down the pace. To look back, I’m so incredibly grateful.”
One stat that really stands out is he’s only the third goaltender in OHL history to earn 100 wins with the same club. Kyle Gajewski (Soo Greyhounds) and Devin Williams (Erie Otters) were the others. Costanzo said he isn’t much of a stats guy now, compared to his buddies, but he’s proud to be a part of the Spitfires’ organization.
“My buddies back home are a little more stats guys than I am,” Costanzo said. “I try not to look at it. It got to my head when I was younger. It took somebody else to let me know during my downtime, which is really cool. I’m so proud to be a part of this organization, number one, and to do that is really special.”
Back in September 2022, general manager Bill Bowler got Costanzo from the Niagara IceDogs for a future fourth-round pick and a future 12th-round pick. It’s safe to say that trade worked out all right.
Spitfires Earn Mental Edge
The win got the Spitfires within two points of the Firebirds with a game still in hand. It also gave the club a much-needed mental boost.
After the Rangers won four-straight games last season to eliminate the Spitfires in Game 7 of their second-round playoff series, they had also beaten the Spitfires all three meetings this season by a combined 13-4 score. Getting a 5-2 win, even with two empty net goals, gives Walters’ club a nice confidence boost. Costanzo said that it shows they have a shot, regardless of who’s in the lineup.
“They’re a really strong club, they’ve had our number for a little bit here,” he said. “To do this without a full lineup is an even bigger boost because we know, no matter who’s in the lineup, we have a shot. That’s really paramount for us today.”
Last season in the playoffs, the Spitfires had as many as eight regulars out against the Rangers due to illnesses or injuries. They used players like Garden for big minutes. Walters said this is another win that shows their mental game and their character.
“You look at that list of guys who were out, and the guys competed,” he said. “We’re used to it against them. We’ve had success, and we had it again. Awesome job, and hopefully we see them in the playoffs and get some bodies back.”
The Spitfires are now off until Thursday when the Greyhounds come to the WFCU Centre. It’s the start of four games in six days, three of which are at home.
