THE CANADIAN PRESS
BRANDON, Man. — In preparation for their date with destiny, the Windsor Spitfires went bowling. They also wandered a local mall, played Mini Putt and, according to one eyewitness, participated in a "16-man luge" down the waterslide at their hotel pool while waiting for an opponent in the MasterCard Memorial Cup.
They had four days off between their final game of the round robin and the championship final on Sunday, when they will try to become only the eighth team in history to mount a successful defence of Canada’s junior hockey title. And the Spitfires spent very little of that time away from the rink focused on hockey — unless it came in video game form, on Xbox.
"It’s not as serious as people think, we’re a loose group," Windsor forward Dale Mitchell said. "We’re always on each other, and it’s just fun and games all the time. Obviously, we take some things seriously — and, on game day, we’ll take things seriously."
The Spitfires, a veteran team stocked with NHL-bound prospects, will face the Brandon Wheat Kings for the chance to win the second title in franchise history. Windsor romped to a win over Brandon in the round robin, and had its focus snapped back to attention on Friday night, when the Wheat Kings battled to an overtime win over the Calgary Hitmen in the semifinal game.
"It was a fun game to watch, and it made you want to play," Spitfires forward Zack Kassian said on Saturday. "I think that got the mindset back. Everyone’s going to be thinking about it. A couple of guys are going to have problems going to sleep. It’s a big one."
It has been more than a decade since a team won back-to-back titles, since the Kamloops Blazers won their second Memorial Cup in 1995, and it has been almost 30 years since a team from Ontario repeated as Canadian champions. The Cornwall Royals (’80-’81), the Toronto Marlboros (’55-’56) and the Oshawa Generals (’39-’40) are Ontario’s only back-to-back winners.
Windsor has been dominant at the tournament this year. The Spitfires are the only team in the four-team event to have scored more goals than it allowed (19-8), and booked passage to the final after rolling through the round robin with three straight wins.
Winger Taylor Hall has scored more goals than any player (four), and six Spitfires sit among the top 12 scorers at the event, despite having played one fewer game than both Brandon and Calgary.
And the Spitfires were never more dominant than they were against the Wheat Kings on opening night, scoring five goals in the first period en route to a 9-3 win. A dozen Windsor players collected at least a point.
"We know that wasn’t their best game," Spitfires forward Scott Timmins said. "We can’t be thinking that it will be a blowout again. And we can’t be thinking we can take it easy in the first period, because it’s just a one-game elimination."
Brandon has never won the Memorial Cup, and the franchise is making its first appearance in the final game in 31 years. The Wheat Kings lost that final, in 1979, in a heart-breaking overtime game against the Peterborough Petes.
The team stumbled in the round robin this year, but rallied to a surprising 5-4 win over Calgary in the semifinal, scoring three minutes into overtime to snap a five-game losing streak against the Hitmen. It was widely accepted as the biggest win in franchise history — outside of what could unfold on Sunday.
"I don’t know if it gets much bigger than this," Wheat Kings forward Brayden Schenn said.
Unlike its round robin games, Brandon mounted a successful rally against the Hitmen, who had opened a two-goal lead in the first period. Schenn finished with three assists to lead the way for the Wheat Kings, who had been off for 20 days before they faced the Spitfires in the tournament-opener.
"I think we’re more prepared this time," Wheat Kings winger Mark Stone said. "We didn’t know what to expect, playing a different opponent. A little bit of nerves, a little bit of jitters and a little bit of rust."
Brandon led the WHL in scoring, with 321 goals over the regular season, and Schenn is an anchor on an explosive first line. Goaltender Jacob De Serres finished with 25 saves in the win over Calgary, but has also shown vulnerability in traffic.
Windsor will aim to increase his workload on Sunday, with the stated goal of generating at least 50 shots on net. Head coach Bob Boughner will roll his top three lines, which are stocked with players who have dreamed of the opportunity.
"It’s been in the back of our minds all year," Spitfires forward Adam Henrique said. "Right from the start of our year, it’s been our goal to get back here and to win it again. We’ve got an unbelievable opportunity here."
Spitfires bond in preparation for title defence
