WINDSOR, Ontario (Interstat) — The Windsor Spitfires erupted for four unanswered goals, including two from Ethan Garden in the final 2:02 of regulation, to defeat the Kitchener Rangers 5-2 in an Ontario Hockey League matchup Sunday at WFCU Centre.

A crowd of 5,148 watched the Spitfires improve to 40-22-0-0 across all competitions, while the Rangers fell to 44-19-0-0. The result flipped the script on recent history, as Kitchener had won the previous three meetings between the teams this season by a combined score of 12-4.

The game’s decisive sequence began with Windsor clinging to a 3-2 lead late in the third period. With the Rangers pressing for an equalizer, Garden provided critical insurance. The Belleville, Michigan, native buried a feed from AJ Spellacy at 17:58 to give Windsor a two-goal cushion.

Just 35 seconds later, Garden struck again, firing his 15th goal of the season into an empty net to seal the victory at 18:33. The goal triggered a scrum that resulted in four misconduct penalties, underscoring the game’s chippy nature.

The most important part of the game was Windsor’s third-period lockdown, spearheaded by goaltender Joey Costanzo. After the Spitfires took their first lead late in the second period, Costanzo stopped all 10 shots he faced in the final frame to preserve the win. The Toronto native finished with 25 saves on 27 shots.

The game did not start favorably for the home side. Kitchener’s Cameron Reid answered an early first-period goal from Windsor’s Caden Harvey, tying the game 1-1 at 14:08. The Rangers then took a 2-1 lead early in the second period on Jack Pridham’s league-leading 42nd goal during a power play at 6:12.

Windsor responded with authority. Anthony Cristoforo of Woodbridge, Ontario, tied the game 2-2 with an unassisted marker at 4:57 of the second. The Spitfires then took the lead for good at 18:47 of the period when Harvey notched his second of the afternoon, converting a feed from Beksultan Makysh of Astana, Kazakhstan, for a 3-2 advantage.

The Spitfires’ offensive effort was balanced, with Harvey and Garden each scoring twice. Cristoforo added a goal and a game-high five shots on goal. Spellacy and Wyatt Kennedy of Vars, Ontario, each recorded assists.

For Kitchener, Avry Anstis of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, registered an assist. The Rangers’ recent five-game winning streak was snapped.

The game was penalty-filled from the outset, with matching slashing calls just over two minutes into the first period and a fighting major assessed to Windsor’s Liam Greentree of Oshawa, Ontario, and Kitchener’s Max Dirracolo at 16:48 of the opening frame.

Windsor next hosts the Soo Greyhounds on Thursday. Kitchener returns home to face the Owen Sound Attack on Friday.

The final score aligned with the pregame projection from Interstat’s game simulator, which predicted a 5-4 Windsor victory. However, the firm’s ELO rating system had given Kitchener a slight 51.40 percent probability to win.