[ad_1]
Breadcrumb Trail Links
Windsor SpitfiresSportsLocal SportsHockey
Article content
The message looked like it was finally getting through to the Windsor Spitfires.
A day after a solid third-effort helped the team to its first road win of the season, the Spitfires collapsed in the third period on Saturday.
Article content
Windsor watched a pair of two-goal leads disappear over the final 20 minutes and eventually fell 7-6 in overtime to the Niagara IceDogs before 3,936 at the WFCU Centre.
Advertisement 2
Article content
“It’s just a miserable feeling losing that hockey game,” Spitfires’ head coach Jerrod Smith said. “There’s no other way to put it. Just completely miserable.”
The Spitfires could easily make excuses. The club was playing its third game in three days and an injury to defenceman Carson Woodall forced the club to recall 16-year-old Adrian Manzo from junior B LaSalle to make his OHL debut.
“No, we’re all teenage guys,” Spitfires’ defenceman Anthony Cristoforo said in shaking off any fatigue concerns. “We can do it. We’ve played this our whole life we’ve all played tournaments and three games in three days.
“We’re not in that room making excuses for three games in three days. It’s just disappointing and there’s no excuses for us.”
The game was loose from the start as the Spitfires and IceDogs combined for five goals on 31 shots.
Former Spitfire defenceman Daniil Sobolev scored his first of the year in the final minute of play to give Niagara a 3-2 lead after 20 minutes with Ryan Roobroeck and Andrew Vermeulen also scoring for the IceDogs and A.J. Spellacy and Alex Christopoulos countering for Windsor.
Advertisement 3
Article content
The Spitfires appeared to take control of the game in the second period with Liam Greentree, Oliver Peer and Rodwin Dionico putting Windsor up 5-3 after 40 minutes.
“For us, (it’s) keep our heads in the game,” said Greentree, who also had two assists. “It’s tough. We had a great second period, but our third period has to tighten up. That was really disappointing.”
Mathieu Paris scored a short-handed goal 27 seconds into the final period and the IceDogs were within a goal.
“It’s unacceptable, upsetting and just the casualness that we came out with in the third period with a two-goal lead,” said Smith, who has seen his club give up five or more goals to the opposition eight times in 12 games this season. “You’re not going to close any games out doing that.”
Ryan Abraham restored Windsor’s two-goal lead, but Paris and Michael Podolioukh scored in the final seven minutes of regulation to force overtime.
“It’s a game that we had,” Cristoforo said. “Losing that game is disappointing. There’s games you think you have and then you just slip up for a couple minutes and they’re back in the game.
Advertisement 4
Article content
“Couple of unlucky bounces and it’s tied up and overtime comes and it’s whatever happens, happens.”
Windsor’s defensive coverage broke down in overtime and Gavin Bryant walked in to score the winner just 73 seconds into extra time.
“We’ve got to keep teaching them, keep trying to develop and get them to buy into the system and the structure,” Smith said.
The Spitfires are off until Thursday when the Kitchener Rangers come to the WFCU Centre. Game time is 7:05 p.m.
jpparker@postmedia.com
twitter.com/winstarparker
Game Summary
Saturday Result
IceDogs 7 Spitfires 6 (OT)
Niagara 3 0 3 1 – 7
Windsor 2 3 1 0 – 6
First period: 1. Niagara, Roobroeck 4 (Bryant, Sobolev) 8:51, 2. Windsor, Spellacy 1 (Walton, Castle) 10:43, 3. Niagara, Vermeulen 2 (O’Flaherty, Paris) 13:31, 4. Windsor, Christopoulos, 2 (Davis, Peer) 18:11, 5. Niagara, Sobolev 1 (Paris, Assadourian) 19:33. Penalties: Humphrey N (tripping) 5:18, Eichler W (high sticking) 13:36.
Second period: 6. Windsor, Greentree 8 (Maillet, Cristoforo) 1:09, 7. Windsor, Peer 5 (Christopoulos) 7:36, 8. Windsor, Dionicio 5 (Greentree) 11:01. Penalties: Ride N (holding) :49, Abraham W (holding) 8:13, Ride N (hooking) 18:36.
Advertisement 5
Article content
Third period: 9. Niagara, Paris 2 (Podolioukh) :27, 10. Windsor, Abraham 2 (Greentree): 3:45, 11. Niagara, Paris 3 (Bryant) 13:42, 12. Niagara, Podolioukh 2 (O’Flaherty) 17:46. Penalties: None.
Overtime: 13. Niagara, Bryant 4 (Paris, Podrekar) 1:13, Penalties: None.
Game stats – SOG – Niagara 15 10 17 2 – 44 Windsor 16 12 10 1 – 39 Goal (shots-saves) – Niagara: Vandenberg (W,1-1-2-0) (39-33). Windsor: Michelone (L,1-2-1-0) (44-37). Power play (goals-chances) – Niagara 0-2. Windsor 1-3. Referees: Blake Beer (28) and Nicholas Bet (27). Linesmen: Luke Pye (45) and Geoff Rutherford (62). Att.: 3,936 at the WFCU Centre.
Article content
Share this article in your social network
[ad_2]
Source link
