Previewing the Firebirds' Second Round Playoff Series with the Windsor Spitfires
OHL Flint Firebirds

Previewing the Firebirds' Second Round Playoff Series with the Windsor Spitfires

Published on April 8, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Flint Firebirds News Release


FLINT FIREBIRDS: 44-17-4-3, 95 points, 2nd West Division, 3rd Western Conference, swept Owen Sound in first round

Regular season leading scorer: Nathan Aspinall, 94 points (33 G, 61 A)

Postseason leading scorer: Jacob Battaglia, 15 points (5 G, 10 A)

Top goaltender: Mason Vaccari, 51 GP, 36-9-3-2, 2.70 GAA, .907 SV%

Postseason top goaltender: Mason Vaccari, 4 GP, 4-0, 0.75 GAA, .974 SV%

GPG: 3.84 (T-4th regular season) | 8.75 (1st postseason)

GAPG: 2.93 (6th regular season) | 0.75 (1st postseason)

PP%: 23.5% (7th regular season) | 61.9% (1st postseason)

PK%: 78.9% (9th regular season) | 85.7% (T-4th postseason)

Head Coach: Paul Flache (3rd season)

WINDSOR SPITFIRES: 44-15-6-3, 97 pts, 1st West Division, 2nd Western Conference, swept Guelph in first round

Regular season leading scorer: Liam Greentree, 74 points (38 G, 36 A)

Postseason leading scorer: Liam Greentree, 7 points (4 G, 3 A) | Jakub Fibigir, 7 points (1 G, 6 A)

Regular season top goaltender: Joey Costanzo, 50 GP, 32-11-4-1, 2.16 GAA, .908 SV%

Postseason top goaltender: Joey Costanzo, 4 GP, 4-0, 1.25 GAA, .952 SV%

GPG: 3.88 (3rd regular season) | 5.25 (2nd postseason)

GAPG: 2.54 (2nd regular season) | 1.25 (2nd postseason)

PP%: 28.4% (2nd regular season) | 26.7% (7th postseason)

PK%: 82.8% (2nd regular season) | 100% (1st postseason)

Head Coach: Greg Walters (2nd season)

SEASON SERIES: Series split, 3-3

Sunday, November 2 - Windsor 5, Flint 2

Game Summary: The Firebirds travelled to Windsor for the third of a stretch of three games in four days. An undermanned Flint squad fell in a 4-0 hole before scoring twice late in the second period to bring itself within two. Liam Greentree cashed in with an empty-net goal in the third period to complete his hat trick for the Spitfires and Windsor grabbed a 5-2 lead and the first game of the regular season series. Rookie goaltender Mason Courville made 25 saves on 29 shots faced in his fourth career start.

Sunday, December 28 - Windsor 4, Flint 1

Game Summary: The Firebirds returned from the OHL's holiday break to host the Spitfires at the Dort Financial Center. Conor Walton and Ihnat Pazii traded second period goals to square things at one apiece in the second, a score that held until Ethan Belchetz gave the Spitfires a lead with less than two minutes to play in the middle period. Windsor added two more goals in the third and took a 4-1 win along with a 2-0 lead in the season series. Joey Costanzo made 28 saves on 29 shots in the Windsor net.

Friday, January 23 - Flint 4, Windsor 2

Game Summary: Windsor hosted the Firebirds for the first half of a home-and-home between the two teams and the Birds found themselves in a 2-1 hole more than halfway through the third period. Alex Kostov then scored to tie the game and followed that with a go-ahead, shorthanded goal with only 91 seconds remaining in regulation. Flint then got an empty-netter from Darian Anderson to seal the comeback victory.

Saturday, January 24 - Windsor 4, Flint 1

Game Summary: The Firebirds assumed the one-night-only moniker of the Flint Coneydogs as they welcomed the Spitfires for the second half of the home-and-home in front of a sold out Dort Financial Center crowd. Following a scoreless first period, the Spits grabbed the game's first goal late in the second as Jakub Fibigr lit the lamp for the first time since being acquired at the trade deadline. Darels Uljanskis answered for the Coneydogs in the third period but Windsor rattled off three unanswered to win the game, 4-1. Joey Coztanzo made 29 saves on 30 shots faced to backstop the Spitfires to the win.

Sunday, February 22 - Flint 2, Windsor 1

Game Summary: The Firebirds made their final trip to the WFCU Centre and took the lead in what would be a tight game with a Jacob Battaglia first period power play goal. Jack Nesbitt tied things for Windsor in the second period but Jimmy Lombardi but the Birds back on top with a shorthanded goal later in the same period. Mason Vaccari shut things down the rest of the way as he made seven saves in the third and 21 in the game, helping Flint take the 2-1 win.

Saturday, March 7 - Flint 4, Windsor 2

Game Summary: In the final game of the season series, Flint fell in a 2-0 hole on home ice after Windsor scored in the final minute of the first period and in the first minute of the second period. From that point on though it would be all Birds, who struck for four unanswered en route to a 4-2 win, evening the season series at three wins apiece. Jimmy Lombardi scored twice and Mason Vaccari made 32 saves in what was the first win on home ice over the Spitfires in the 2025-26 season. Paul Flache also earned his 100th career win as Firebirds head coach in the victory.

FIREBIRDS TO WATCH:

Jacob Battaglia: Battaglia was dominant in the lopsided sweep over Owen Sound in the first round. He came out of the games with six points in Game 1, the most a Firebird has ever had in a playoff game and more points than he had recorded in a single game in his OHL career, regular season or playoffs. Battaglia did not slow down at that point and he put up five more points in Game 4, helping to bookend the most lopsided playoff series in OHL history. Battaglia leads the postseason with 15 points on five goals and 10 assists, which has to feel great for the Rangers prospect who had 26 goals and 22 assists in 64 games combined between Flint and the Kingston Frontenacs during the regular season. Those numbers were down from his 40 goals and 50 assists during the 2024-25 season for Kingston. Postseason success has been the norm for Battaglia in his OHL career as he now has 11 goals and 24 assists in 20 career OHL playoff games, including three goals and 13 assists during Kingston's 11 playoff games in 2025.

Nathan Aspinall: Aspinall was every bit as impressive in the first round as his fellow Rangers prospect Battaglia as his 13 points (six goals and seven assists) are the second-most in the OHL this postseason. Aspinall had a multi-point game in all four Firebirds wins over Owen Sound and his six goals lead the league. Flint's captain was spectacular in the regular season as he finished second in the OHL with 94 points and set a new Firebirds franchise record with 61 assists. He had three assists in six games against Windsor during the regular season. Aspinall has now advanced to the second round of the OHL Playoffs for the first time in his OHL career.

Alex Kostov: It's easy to overlook Kostov at this point of the season. He missed a month and a half with an upper body injury and only returned for the final four games of the regular season, but had points in three of those four and used them to round himself back into form going into the postseason. Kostov put up 24 goals and 31 assists in 47 games played during the regular season and enjoyed three multi-point games in the opening round series against Owen Sound for a total of two goals and five assists in the four games. Firebirds Head Coach Paul Flache prefers not to label his lines as the first, second, third or fourth lines but Kostov has been skating on what would traditionally be called a third line, which highlights the depth of Flint's forward group. He is a stellar penalty killer and had and 18-game point streak during the regular season, both the longest in the OHL this year and the longest in Firebirds franchise history, all reasons he could be an X factor in this series.

SPITFIRES TO WATCH:

Liam Greentree: Windsor's captain and leading scorer, Greentree totaled 38 goals and 36 assists in 52 games during the regular season. Those 74 points were down from 119 in the 2024-25 season, when he had 49 goals and 70 assists over 64 games. Greentree's NHL rights were traded from the Los Angeles Kings to the New York Rangers as part of a trade that sent Artemi Panarin from New York to Los Angeles in February. He paced the Spits with four goals and three assists during their opening round sweep of the Guelph Storm, highlighted by a two-goal game in Game 2 and a three-point night in the series-ending Game 4. Greentree had five goals and three assists in four games played against the Firebirds during the season series.

Nathan Villeneuve: Villeneuve was one of the big names moved at the OHL trade deadline as the former captain of the Sudbury Wolves was shipped to Windsor in early January along with overage forward Alex Pharand. Villeneuve, a Seattle Kraken prospect, finished the regular season with 21 goals and 42 assists over 51 combined games between the Spitfires and Wolves. He had five goals and 14 assists over his 23 games for Windsor. Villeneuve scored in Game 1 of the series against Guelph and then logged a fight in both Games 2 and 3, including an instigator penalty that went along with his fight in Game 2.

Anthony Cristoforo: Cristoforo has become one of the more versatile players in the OHL, logging significant time both as a defenseman and as a forward during the regular season. He thrived in the hybrid role, finishing the season with 22 goals and 40 assists in 62 games played. Cristoforo put up three assists during the opening round series and is listed as a right wing on the Spitfires official playoff roster after being listed as a defenseman for the duration of the season, and skated as the first line right wing in all four games of the sweep over the Storm. He had one goal and three assists in five games played against the Firebirds during the regular season series.

Check out the Flint Firebirds Statistics

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 8, 2026


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