Being final OHL workforce to fall in regulation no comfort for Spitfires after 7-4 loss to Otters

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Windsor Spitfires Sports activities Native Sports activities Hockey

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A regulation loss this season was inevitable for the Windsor Spitfires.

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After going 11 video games with out experiencing one, the Spitfires had been nonetheless none too blissful after tasting defeat in regulation for the primary time on Saturday.

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Windsor let a pair of two-goal leads slip away in a 7-4 loss on the highway to the Erie Otters earlier than a crowd of two,520 at Erie Insurance coverage Enviornment.

“It stings,” Spitfires’ head coach Marc Savard mentioned. “We weren’t ourselves. It was a tricky outing and it occurs. We didn’t assume it could occur (on Saturday), but it surely was an excellent begin to the yr.”

Whereas the membership completed atop the Western Convention standings final yr, the Spitfires had simply three wins within the workforce’s first 9 video games to start out the season and the main target for Savard and his employees was a greater begin to the 2022-23 marketing campaign.

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“That was a purpose and we achieved that,” Savard mentioned. “We’ve bought some work to do, however we’ve bought to provide the blokes a move.”

However whereas the Spitfires (8-1-3-0) had been the final workforce within the 20-league Ontario Hockey League to fall in regulation, it doesn’t imply there wasn’t disappointment in a loss the place the membership allowed a season-high seven targets towards.

“I don’t assume it’s anticipated, but it surely’s one thing that shall be good for our workforce in the long term,” Spitfires’ overage ahead Matthew Maggio mentioned. “It was a humbling loss and a lesson that we have to carry our A sport each evening.”

Windsor got here into the sport using a four-game successful streak the place the membership had outscored its opponents 31-15. That included the workforce’s greatest offensive efficiency since Dec. 20, 2003 on Friday in an 11-3 highway win over the Niagara IceDogs.

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The league’s top-rated offence bought off to a fast begin on Saturday with Thomas Johnston and Oliver Peer scoring power-play targets for a 2-0 Windsor lead halfway by the opening interval.

Colby Saganuik’s power-play purpose drew Erie to inside a purpose after the primary interval, however Maggio restored Windsor’s two-goal lead simply 55 seconds into the second interval.

Issues started to unravel after that with Erie’s Brett Bressette Smith selecting off a clearing try by Spitfires’ goalie Matt Onuska behind the online and stuffing in a rebound simply 57 seconds after Maggio’s purpose.

Kaleb Smith, Liam Gilmartin and Tecumseh’s Spencer Sova scored in a span of 29 seconds late within the interval and the the Otters jumped to a 5-3 lead after 40 minutes.

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“We need to shield leads, however I don’t assume we actually deserved to have the lead within the first place,” Maggio mentioned. “I believe Erie was hungrier all evening and we didn’t carry an excellent sport.”

The Spitfires by no means mustered a comeback within the third interval and put simply 4 photographs on former Windsor goalie Kyle Downey within the third interval whereas being outshot 31-25 general.

Carey Terrance and Saganiuk added power-play targets earlier than Spitfires’ rookie A.J. Spellacy closed the scoring within the remaining minute.

“We now have a giant weekend arising and I believe we shall be coming in with a recent slate to try to have one other run like we simply had,” mentioned Maggio, whose workforce is residence to Sarnia on Thursday, on the highway towards Mississauga on Saturday and again residence to play Kingston on Sunday.

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Spits bits

Spitfires’ ahead Colton Smith missed his second sport in a row on Saturday with a lower-body harm.

Smith, who has 5 targets and 11 factors in 10 video games, was damage in Thursday’s residence win towards North Bay after blocking a shot.

“We may use him,” Savard mentioned. “It’s a wait-and-see and extra day-to-day.”

Montreal Canadiens’ prospect Daniil Sobolev missed his third sport of the season on Saturday and all three have been towards American opponents on the highway.

The Russian defenceman is one in every of a handful of gamers within the Canadian Hockey League ready to have his paperwork accepted to cross into the USA.

jpparker@postmedia.com

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Recreation Abstract

Saturday Consequence

Otters 7 Spitfires 4

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Windsor 2 1 1 – 4

Erie 1 4 2 – 7

First interval: 1. Windsor, Johnston 2 (De Angelis, Renwick) 7:16 (pp), 2. Windsor, Peer 7 (Maillet) 10:12 (pp), 3. Erie, Saganiuk 2 (Smith, Bressette) 18:29 (pp). Penalties: Kulakov E (slashing) 6:19, Kulakov E (holding) 8:17, O’Flaherty W (instigator, combating, misconduct), Kulakov E (combating) 11:32.

Second interval: 4. Windsor, Maggio 9 (Renwick) :55, 5. Erie, Bressette 6 (unassisted) 1:52, 6. Erie, Smith 2 (unassisted) 16:16, 7. Erie, Gilmartin 4 (Morton, Saganiuk) 16:26, 8. Erie, Sova 4 (Saganiuk) 16:45. Penalties: Sauder E (holding) 12:13, Alboim E (slashing) 18:33.

Third interval: 9. Erie, Terrance 3 (Kyrou, Spence) 1:33 (pp), 10. Erie, Saganiuk 3 (Bressette, Gilmartin) 8:37, 11. Windsor, Spellacy 3 (Jodoin, Abraham) 19:15. Penalties: Maggio W (unsportsmanlike conduct) :06, Spellacy W (slashing) 2:27, Kyrou E (hooking) 2:48, McLlwain W (too many males) 10:39.

Recreation stats – SOG – Windsor 8 13 4 – 25 Erie 7 11 13 – 31 Purpose (shots-saves) – Windsor: Onuska (L,5-1-3-0) (17-12), Costanzo (16:45 of second interval) (1-1), Onuska (0:00 of third interval) (13-11). Erie: Downey (W,2-1-0-0) (25-21). Energy play (goals-chances) – Windsor 2-4. Erie 2-5. Referees: Scott Ferguson (35) and Drew Jackson (21). Linesmen: Chris Weier (43) and Kirsten Welsh (76). Att.: 2,520 at Erie Insurance coverage Enviornment.

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