Editing Windsor Spitfires (section)

===Tier II Junior A===
The modern Windsor Spitfires started as a Tier II Junior A team that played in the [[Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League]] from 1971 to 1975. The Spitfires first game as a franchise was in [[Guelph, Ontario]], against the [[Guelph CMC's]] on October 1, 1971. The Spitfires lost the game 11–3, with [[Laurie Gregan]] scoring the first two goals in team history in the first period. Fifteen-year-old goaltender [[Larry Verlinde]] played the entire first game in team history, making 37 saves in the loss.<ref>{{citation|title=CMCs shoot down Spitfires in SOHA junior bow, 11-3|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= October 2, 1971|pages=23–24}}</ref> The home game and first victory in team history occurred on October 7, 1971, at the [[Windsor Arena]] against the [[Chatham Maroons]], winning 4–2 on the back of future [[NHL]] goaltender [[Eddie Mio]] who made 49 saves. [[Dean Sheremeta]] scored the winning goal.<ref>{{citation|title=Thanks to Mio, It's a happy Spit return|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= October 8, 1971|pages=31–32}}</ref>

The Spitfires finished their first season with a record of 21 wins, 32 losses, and 3 ties. Finishing sixth place out of eight teams, the Spitfires drew local rival Chatham Maroons in a best-of-seven league quarter-final. The Maroons, who finished third with 33 wins, 17 losses, and 6 ties, were favoured to win.<ref>{{citation|title=It's Spitfires vs. Maroons|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= February 21, 1972|page=20}}</ref> The Spitfires' first playoff game took place on February 23, 1972, in [[Chatham, Ontario]], for a 3–2 win over the Maroons to take a one-game lead in the series. Goaltender [[Bryan Rose]] made 35 saves in the winning effort, while the Spits' first playoff goal and later winning goals were scored by [[Wolf Hiesl]], both in the second period.<ref>{{citation|title=Spits steal opener, 3-2|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= February 24, 1972|page=33}}</ref> The Spitfires lost the next four games to the Maroons to end their season.<ref>{{citation|title=Maroons finish battling Spits|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= March 1, 1972|page=30}}</ref>

The 1972–73 season, the Spitfires second season, finished with their first winning record – 30 wins, 21 losses, and 9 ties. Finishing third in a league of seven teams, the Spitfires drew the fourth place [[Niagara Falls Flyers (SOJHL)|Niagara Falls Flyers]] (28–25–7) in the league quarter-final. The Spits dropped game one 6–4 in [[Niagara Falls, Ontario|Niagara Falls]], while in game two the Spits tied the series with a 6–4 win of their own at home. Back in Niagara, the Flyers shellacked the Spitfires 7–2 to take the series lead again. The fourth game was a disaster for the Spitfires, at home they blew a third period deadlock to lose 7–5 and fall behind in the series 3-games-to-1. In game five, the Spitfires needed to make a change. Future [[International Hockey League (1945–2001)|IHL]]er [[Tony Piroski]] and partner [[Jean Pominville]] had uninspired starts in games three and four and were replaced by third-string goalie, and future [[NHL]]er, [[Rick Heinz]]. Heinz had spent the season in Junior B with the Spitfires' farm team [[LaSalle Vipers|Windsor Royals]] and was new to the pressure of Junior A playoff hockey. The gamble paid off, as an inspired Spitfire squad won the game 9-4 while Heinz capped of a 24-save night for the victory.<ref>{{citation|title=Spits explode, remain in hunt|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= March 6, 1973|page=22}}</ref> In game six, coach Jerry Serviss returned to his starting goalie, [[Tony Piroski]], in net on the road. Piroski rewarded his coach's confidence with a 5–4, 33-save victory - evening the series at 3 games each. Mark Smith scored the eventual game winner for the Spitfires.<ref>{{citation|title=Spits grow up as a team|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= March 7, 1973|page=53}}</ref> Game seven saw the two teams return for a final showdown at the [[Windsor Arena]]. The Spitfires would take the game 6–3 in front of a capacity crowd of 5,189 fans.<ref>{{citation|title=Spitfires make it all the way back, 6-3|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= March 9, 1973|page=24}}</ref> The victory, winning in seven games, was the Spitfires' first ever playoff series victory. Waiting for them, rested for the semi-final, was the first place [[Guelph CMC's|Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters]] (39–13–8). The Biltmores, defending [[1972 Centennial Cup|National Champions]], made short work of the Spitfires sweeping them in four games.<ref>{{citation|title=Frantic Spits go down fighting|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= March 14, 1973|page=65}}</ref>

[[File:Slater Koekkoek Windsor 2013.jpg|right|thumbnail|225px|[[Slater Koekkoek]] (December 2013)]]
The 1973–74 season would prove to be the defining moment of the Spitfires stint in Tier II Junior A. Headed by new head coach and general manager [[Wayne Maxner]], the Spitfires won the Southern Ontario Junior A regular season title with a record of 39 wins, 15 losses, and 8 ties. Their record would put them four points ahead of the second place [[Welland Sabres]] and automatically give them a berth into the league playoff semi-finals. [[Scott Miller (ice hockey)|Scott Miller]] would win the SOJHL scoring title with 73 goals and 125 points over the course of the season.<ref name="Mitchell 1974, Pg 22">{{citation|title=Mitchell, Miller big winners|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= April 13, 1974|page=22}}</ref> The Spitfires semi-final opponent was their cross-river rival [[Detroit Jr. Red Wings (SOJHL)|Detroit Jr. Red Wings]]. The Red Wings had finished the season in fifth out of eight teams (31–25–6). The semi-final opened up at the Windsor Arena with a 7–1 win for the Spitfires. They were at the [[Detroit Olympia]] for game two, another romp for Windsor as they won 8–0. Back in Windsor, the Spitfires won game three 9–2. At the Olympia for game four, the Red Wings attempted to stage some resistance, but the Spitfires were too much, winning 7–5. The four-game sweep of the Red Wings allowed Windsor to rest up for the winner of the [[Chatham Maroons]] and [[Welland Sabres]], a series just starting.<ref>{{citation|title=Spits reach final for first time, 7-5|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= March 7, 1974|page=35}}</ref> On March 16, 1974, the Spitfires engaged long time foe [[Chatham Maroons]] at the Windsor Arena in the first game of the SOJHL Final. The Maroons fell in that first game 6–1, but rebounded the next night in [[Chatham, Ontario|Chatham]] with a 5–2 victory of their own. On March 18, goalie [[Dennis Thorpe]]'s 40 save performance and third period game winner by [[Gary Armstrong (ice hockey)|Gary Armstrong]] gave the Spitfires a 2–1 home victory and a lead in the series.<ref>{{citation|title=Maxner: Armstrong gave us a break|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= March 19, 1974|page=22}}</ref> The Spitfires took game four in Chatham with a 6–4 win. The next night, March 21, the Spitfires defeated the Maroons in Windsor 4–3 to clinch the SOJHL playoff championship. [[Gary Armstrong (ice hockey)|Gary Armstrong]] would score yet another winning goal in the series. Before a crowd of 5,117 fans, team captain [[Hugh Mitchell (ice hockey)|Hugh Mitchell]] hoisted the Jack Oakes Memorial Trophy to celebrate their playoff victory.<ref>{{citation|title=Armstrong stirs Spits to first title, 4-3|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= March 22, 1974|page=23}}</ref> The Spitfires were now in the hunt for the [[1974 Centennial Cup]], the National Championship of Tier II Junior A hockey. The first team in their way, in the [[Dudley Hewitt Cup]] Eastern Canada playdowns was the [[Wexford Raiders]] of the [[Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League (1972-1987)|Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League]]. Also on the line was the [[Ontario Hockey Association]] Junior A championship, the Buckland Cup. The Spitfires took game one in Rexdale with a 4–2 victory. Back in Windsor the next night, the Spitfires seemed to have the series in control with a 5–2 win. The Raiders had other things in mind, winning at home in game three 6–2 and then taking it to Windsor in their own arena 4–1 to tie the series. Back in Rexdale, the Raiders crushed the Spitfires with an 8–2 victory. With their back against the wall, the Spits had to win at home to force game seven. A 7–5 victory for the Spitfires turned this into a series for the ages. On April 6, 1974, the Spitfires season came to an end, as the Wexford Raiders took a 6–3 victory at home to advance to the next round of national playdowns.<ref>{{citation|title=All over for Spitfires, 6-3|author=Alan Halberstadt|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= April 6, 1974|page=37}}</ref> [[Scott Miller (ice hockey)|Scott Miller]] would be named the team's most valuable player.<ref name="Mitchell 1974, Pg 22"/>

The Windsor Spitfires applied for expansion to the OMJHL (later known as the OHL) during their 1974 playoff run, but were rejected due to the "unacceptability of Windsor Arena as a major A facility." Their farm team, the [[LaSalle Vipers|Windsor Royals]] Junior B team of the [[Great Lakes Junior C Hockey League|Great Lakes Junior Hockey League]] put in a rival bid but were also rejected due to lack of an acceptable arena.<ref>{{citation|title=Windsor major A bid rejected|newspaper=[[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= March 19, 1974|page=22}}</ref>

In 1974–75, [[Jim Butcher (ice hockey)|Jim Butcher]] coached the Spits to a second straight regular season title with a record of 40 wins, 15 losses, and 5 ties, 11 points ahead of the second place [[Welland Sabres]] (30–16–14). [[John Tavella]] won the league scoring title with 54 goals and 117 points and goaltender [[Floyd St. Cyr]] led the league with the fewest goals against.<ref>{{citation|title=Tavella, St. Cyr winners, anyway|author=Dave Hall|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date= February 17, 1975|page=22}}</ref> The Spitfires' first opponent in the playoff semi-final was the last place [[Detroit Jr. Red Wings (SOJHL)|Detroit Jr. Red Wings]] (15–38–9). At home, the Spits took game one 11–2. Back at the [[Detroit Olympia]], the Spits won 8–2. Again in Windsor, the Spits took game three 10–1. The Spits had the chance to clinch in game four, but the Red Wings refused to let their season end in front of their Detroit faithful winning 5–3. Game five, in Windsor, [[Ian Campbell (ice hockey)|Ian Campbell]] would score a late third period tally to break a 2–2 deadlock and send the Spitfires to the league finals. The fourth place [[Guelph Platers|Guelph Bilmores]] (23–31–6) stood in the way of the Spitfires. The Biltmores had upset the second place [[Welland Sabres]] in the league quarter-final in five games and the third place [[Chatham Maroons]] 8-points-to-6 (3 wins, 2 losses, 2 ties) and were looking to shock the Spitfires too. The Biltmores had caused trouble for the Spitfires all season as their head-to-head record was 5 wins each and 2 ties in 12 matches.<ref>{{citation|title=Spits face sudden-death tonight|author=Dave Hall|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location= Windsor, Ontario|date=March 24, 1975|page=22}}</ref> After a week layoff, the Spitfires were up against a hot opponent and were missing scoring champion [[John Tavella]] to a three-games suspension for butt-ending against Detroit. The Spits dropped the first game, at home, 6–5 after giving up a late 2-on-1 odd-man rush late in the third period. The next night, in Guelph, the Spitfires led 6–1 in the first and 8–4 in the second to blow the lead in the third and finish with a 9–9 overtime tie. The Spitfires tied up the series in game three with a 4–2 win in Windsor. In Guelph for game four, the Spitfires blew a first period 3–0 lead to lose 6–4. Game five saw the Spitfires tie the series at five points a piece with an 8–4 win at home. Guelph again gained the advantage in game six with a 6–4 win at home. In a last gasp for air, the Spitfires fought to win a 6–4 decision in Windsor to tie the series at 7 points each and force a final eighth game - winner take all. The eighth game proved to be the Spitfires' last game of Tier II Junior A, as they traveled to Guelph and blew a 3–0 lead to lose the game (6–5) and the series (9-points-to-7) to end their four-year trek in the [[Southern Ontario Junior A Hockey League]].<ref>{{citation|title=Bilts spoil Spitfires' dream, 6-5|author=Dave Hall|newspaper= [[Windsor Star]]|location=Windsor, Ontario|date=March 25, 1975|page=30}}</ref>

The Spitfires were granted entry into the OMJHL (later known as the OHL) as an expansion franchise for the [[1975–76 OMJHL season]] in February 1975. The league's board of governors unanimously accepted the Spitfires despite their arena's surface being smaller than Major Junior A standards. The Spitfires' had pumped $200,000 into the arena over the past two years, so the league overlooked the surface size despite taking issue with it in their 1974 rejection of the Spitfires' expansion bid.<ref>{{citation|title=Windsor given berth in OHA|newspaper= [[Ottawa Citizen]]|location= Ottawa, Ontario|date=February 10, 1975|page=17}}</ref>