Windsor Spitfires Eric Wellwood (67) takes out Calgary Hitmen Giffen Nyren (17) during second period Memorial Cup hockey action in Brandon, Manitoba on Monday May 17, 2010.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press
Windsor Spitfires winger Taylor Hall scored two goals, collected one assist and likely added to a legion of admiring NHL scouts in a 6-2 win over the Calgary Hitmen on Monday night that sent the defending champions directly into Sunday's final at the MasterCard Memorial Cup.
His goal early in the third period cemented the outcome against the Hitmen, helping Windsor win its second straight game to open the tournament. Jimmy Bubnick scored a pair for the Hitmen, who fell to 1-1 with the loss.
The Spitfires, who won the event last year after losing their first two games, will close out the round-robin component of their schedule against the Moncton Wildcats on Tuesday.
Calgary's challenge was evident long before the puck was dropped. Windsor eviscerated the host Brandon Wheat Kings to open the tournament on Friday, rolling to a 9-3 win that flirted with a single-game scoring record that had not been touched in 30 years.
The Spitfires had two players who were among the first 15 selections in last year's NHL Entry Draft - defenceman Ryan Ellis (11th, Nashville) and forward Zack Kassian (13th, Buffalo). They also had two players who finished the season ranked among the top five in NHL Central Scouting's final list heading into next month's draft, with Hall at No. 2 and defenceman Cam Fowler at No. 5.
Hall, who scored twice against Brandon, voiced his desire to usurp the No. 1 spot through his play at the Memorial Cup. The 18-year-old winger sparked the Spitfires after crashing into the end boards against the Wheat Kings, and would spark them again Monday.
"Last year, we came in a little bit wide-eyed," he had said before the game. "And this year, we have a lot of experience, a lot of leadership. And I think we've been showing that, early on."
Windsor scored on two of their first three shots on Calgary goaltender Martin Jones. The Spitfires took a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the first, after Eric Wellwood burst in on the forecheck to gain control of the puck, sliding a crisp pass toward the middle of the ice, which teammate Dale Mitchell snapped into the net.
Hall struck a minute later on the power-play. The public address announcer was still in the middle of describing the Calgary penalty when Hall unleashed a shot so hard, it was barely visible on the replay.
And he continued to throw himself around the ice, as officials in Edmonton and Boston undoubtedly counted their blessings for holding the first two picks next month. Hall had a spot on the power-play, the penalty kill and made an imprint at even strength, blocking at least three shots through the first two periods.
The Hitmen were in trouble, but they also have experience with trouble. Calgary trailed Moncton 3-0 in its first game of the tournament, only to rally to a 5-4 win in the final 90 seconds of regulation.
Even with leading scorer Brandon Kozun scratched to rest a sore ankle, the Hitmen were able to stage a rally in the second period. Bubnick scored twice in three minutes, with the second goal coming at the end of an impressive bit of digging along the boards.
Hall struck back, capitalizing on a miscue in the neutral zone to beat Jones on a breakaway 12 seconds into the third period. The moves he made on the play went further to answering a question he had been asked in the morning, about whether his dominance in the tournament could improve his draft position next month.
"I don't think it could hurt," he had said. "And with me being on a good team, just trying to be a good team guy and helping us win a championship, I think that can't hurt."