Zack Kassian earned an assist Monday as Windsor took a stranglehold on their OHL Eastern Conference semifinal with a 5-0 shutout of Plymouth. The bullish forward remained at his right wing spot on a steady line with Gteg Nemisz and Eric Wellwood, pounding a few slapshots on net while pulling his two-way weight.
In the OHL's Western Conference semis, Nick Crawford finished -1 as Barrie defeated Brampton. The Colts victory gives them a commanding three-ganes-to-none lead in their best-of-seven.
In Sunday's game two, Crawford was even as the Colts edged the Troops, 3-2, in overtime. Manning the left side of Barrie's the top pair with blues prospect Alex Pietrangelo, Crawford was solid defensively while exhibiting good poise with the puck in all three zones. At one point in the middle period, he showed excellent vision and awareness by making a stretch pass from his own corner to his partner breaking towards the Battalion blueline.
Kassian's Spits and Crawford's Colts will look to complete second round sweeps on Wednesday. Both clubs have dominated their sides of the postseason bracket, setting the stage for a possible heavyweight showdown in a couple of weeks if each can lock up their conference with another series win.
