Storm Blow Through Spits 5-0 Thursday Night in Windsor

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A storm this severe was certainly not foreseen by the Windsor Spitfires. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and it was a warm October day for the city. However, the Spits were outshot in the game 44-23 as they were hit hard by the Storm and shutout 5-0 Thursday night at the WFCU Centre.

The Spitfires started the game with some energy; they were focused. However, taking three consecutive penalties quickly ceased any offensive spark. Fortunately for them, the Storm could not connect on any of their opportunities. The period ended scoreless, but the Spits were outshot 15-7.

Windsor came out for the second period with that same bit of energy as the first. Concurrently, so did Guelph. The teams traded chances at both ends of the ice, but the Storm struck first. Tanner Richard dropped the puck behind him for teammate Scott Kosmachuk who let a shot go that beat goalie Jaroslav Pavelka. Later that period, Windsor’s penalty problems recurred. This time, they cost the Spits a goal. Zack Leslie forwarded a soft pass to Brock McGinn in the slot, and his backhand made its way to the back of the net. Windsor ended period two, down by two.

In the third, the Spitfires tried, but just could not light the fuse. They were outhit and outplayed most of the period. A few opportunities came their way: a fortuitous bounce that led to a breakaway – in which the puck hit the crossbar – and a lucky penalty to Guelph for too many men. The team could not make it happen though. Instead, the Storm scored three more times. Zack Mitchell got his first of two goals after he tipped Daniel Poliziani’s shot. Toward the end of the period, Mitchell slid a pass to Ben Harpur whose one-timer was not stopped. A minute later, with just under 35 seconds to play, Mitchell scored again. Windsor’s penalties piled up when Nick Ebert skated end to end up the right side, and couldn’t avoid the Guelph goaltender Garret Sparks after being spun around. As a result, the Spits were down a couple players during the scrum. After a scramble in front, Mitchell put the puck in. The Spits did not survive the storm, losing 5-0.

The Windsor Spitfires look to recover for Friday night’s game as they take on Western Conference rivals, the London Knights. The Spits are back in Windsor Thanksgiving Monday for an afternoon game against the Sarnia Sting.