Wyatt Johnston (Dallas Stars), Will Cuylie (New York Rangers) and Daniel D’Amico scored for Windsor in the first period. In the second period, Westland’s Gavin Hayes and Braeden Kressler replied for Flint. The only goal in the third period was scored by Windsor’s Matthew Maggio with 16 seconds remaining.
Before the game, Hayes was among six finalists for right-wingers in OHL all-rookie voting. The former Compuware and Honeybaked forward had 19 goals and 30 assists for 49 points in 65 games with the Firebirds this year.
The best-of-seven series for the Wayne Gretzky Trophy is tied 2-2 with Game 5 at the WFCU Center in Windsor on Sunday at 7 p.m. Game 6 is Tuesday in Flint at 7 p.m.
Also Friday, the Hamilton Bulldogs won the Bobby Orr Trophy as Eastern Conference champions with a 6-0 win over the North Bay Battalion in Game 4 at the North Bay Memorial Gardens. The Bulldogs are 12-0 in the playoffs after three straight sweeps.
Wings pick Zito sidelined
Detroit Red Wings draft pick Pasquale Zito of the Windsor Spitfires has been sidelined since May 10 with an upper-body injury in Game 3 against the Kitchener Rangers and hasn’t played against the Flint Firebirds in the Western Conference final.
In nine playoff games, the 6-0, 175-pound winger has one goal and three assists for four points. Drafted by Detroit in the sixth round of the 2021 NHL draft, Zito had 22 goals and 20 assists for 42 points in 49 games during the regular season.
Red Wings’ draft pick Pasquale Zito ready to return to ice after lost season