The Windsor Spitfires experienced a dramatic third-period collapse on Friday night, surrendering a two-goal lead to fall 5-4 against the Guelph Storm at Sleeman Centre. This disappointing loss came just two days after Windsor had secured an impressive victory over the Midwest Division-leading Owen Sound Attack.
Troubling Pattern Continues
The Spitfires have developed a concerning trend this season of following solid wins against elite teams with sub-par performances against perceived weaker opponents. While this pattern hasn't always resulted in losses, it proved costly on Friday as Windsor watched their 4-2 third-period advantage evaporate in the final minutes.
"We have a lot of wins this season, but this one's on us," Spitfires head coach Greg Walters stated bluntly after the game. "The game started with us turning a bunch of pucks over at both blue lines and it ended that way."
Game Breakdown
The contest began poorly for Windsor as Guelph dominated early play, recording six of the game's first seven shots and building a 2-0 lead. The Spitfires showed resilience by battling back with goals from Ethan Belchetz and Carson Woodall to even the score after the first period.
J.C. Lemieux gave Windsor its first lead with the only goal of the second period, and when A.J. Spellacy scored just over seven minutes into the third period to put Windsor up 4-2, the Spitfires appeared to have control of the game.
However, the momentum shifted dramatically as Windsor's composure crumbled in the final minutes. The Storm mounted a comeback that culminated with former Spitfire Ethan Miedema scoring the winning goal with just 72 seconds remaining in regulation.
Costly Mistakes and Individual Performances
Coach Walters pinpointed the team's inability to protect leads as a critical issue. "You won't ever win if you don't know how to hold on to third-period leads and we turned too many pucks over," Walters emphasized. The loss marked the first time in 17 games this season that Windsor lost in regulation when leading after two periods.
Despite the team disappointment, several Spitfires delivered notable individual performances. A.J. Spellacy continued his recent scoring surge, netting his seventh goal in the last 11 games after starting the season with just one goal in his first 11 contests.
"With Spelly, his speed, physicality and compete level are off the charts," Walters praised. "He's getting to the net and burying his chances."
Defenseman Anthony Cristoforo extended his consecutive point streak to six games with a pair of assists. The fourth-year blueliner now has six multi-point efforts in 21 games this season and is tied for seventh in scoring among OHL defensemen with 21 points.
Fellow defenseman Carson Woodall continues to lead all OHL defensemen in scoring with an impressive 34 points through 27 games, adding a goal to his tally during Friday's contest.
The Spitfires will need to address their consistency issues quickly as they look to rebound from this devastating collapse and maintain their position in the competitive OHL standings.
