Erie Otters should serve as a stark warning to the Windsor Spitfires.

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The Erie Otters should serve as a stark warning to the Windsor Spitfires.

Although Windsor likes its core of young players and has picks to fill more holes in this year’s draft, the reality is that there are no guarantees that a playoff spot will automatically be waiting next season.

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No one knows that better than the Otters, who are headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

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“It’s a great accomplishment that our team has been working towards all season,” said Otters’ captain Spencer Sova, who is from Tecumseh. “When we clinched, it was a huge relief. We all knew it had been seven years since, so we knew this was the year we needed to do it.”

For fans that might not remember, 2017 was when the Otters won the Ontario Hockey League title only to fall to the host Spitfires in the Memorial Cup final.

Now, while the Otters will finally get a chance to taste the playoffs, the Spitfires will have to look to the future and hope for better results.

“I think our team has a very good chance to make a good push in the playoffs, too,” said Sova, who watched his team rally for a 6-5 win over the Spitfires before a crow of 4,661 at the WFCU Centre on Thursday. “Super excited for the battle and the challenge at hand and I think our team is as well. all the boys are definitely locked in.”

The Spitfires took a one-goal lead on four occasions, but could not hold off the the Otters, who have won four in a row and are battling for the fifth seed in the Western Conference.

“I want to make playoffs next year,” said Spitfires’ captain Liam Greentree, who had two and an assist in the loss. “I think we will, but we’re going to have a young team still. I think it’s important for us to get some experience because playoff hockey is completely different. I think we’re going to better and make the playoffs.”

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But there’s still a lot of growth and development needed for this team, which was outshot 54-24 by the Otters, to contend for a playoff spot next season.

“I do think there’s definitely brighter days ahead,” Spitfires’ interim head coach Casey Torres said. “We definitely have to improve in our play away from the puck. We certainly know how to score, but have to get a lot better defensively and with our habits away from the puck.

“The core group of this team has played a lot of really important minutes and gained a lot of valuable experience. No, it’s not just as simple as showing up and teams are going to roll over.”

Ryan Abraham, Valentin Zhugin and A.J. Spellacy added single goals for the Spitfires, who are now winless in 11 games.

“There were a lot more younger guys this year, and that’s all right, eventually they’re going to have to come to the league,” Abraham said after the team’s final home game of the season. “Next year, since this year happened, I think next year they’ll grow and be a lot better for us.”

The Spitfires will close out the season with a pair of road games. Windsor is in London on Friday to face the Knights before finishing up on Saturday in Saginaw against the Spirit, who will host this year’s Memorial Cup.

jpparker@postmedia.com

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