Zack Kassian piled up three assists Thursday as Windsor earned a first-round playoff sweep with a 5-1 win over Erie. The fresh-legged pacesetter has been very effective over the past 120-minutes of hockey, getting work on both sides of the special teams cause while being a load to handle at even strength. Kassian totaled two goals and four assists in the quarterfinal cruise.
The Spits, now perfect in five straight series clinching games dating back to last season, will move on to the Western Conference semifinals where they'll face Tyler Seguin and the Plymouth Whalers. Seguin and Windsor's Taylor Hall are the top two North Americans rated for this June's draft after sharing the OHL scoring title with 106 points each.
---------------
Congratulations to Barrie Colts defenseman Nick Crawford after being named the Best Offensive Defenseman in the 2009-10 Eastern Conference coaches poll. The 6'1 Crawford was topped all league rearguards with 70 points (11+59) between Saginaw and Barrie, including 36 (7-29) on the power play.
