Success in pre-season raises hopes
Windsor finishes pre-season 4-1 after loss on Saturday
The exhibition season is now a thing of the past and, ready or not, it’s on to the regular season for the new-look Windsor Spitfires.
Windsor lost for the first time in the exhibition season Saturday as the Sarnia Sting erased a one-goal deficit in the third period for a 5-2 win before an announced crowd of 1,940 at Progressive Auto Sales Arena. Two of the Sarnia goals were into an empty Windsor net.
“It’s not about wins and losses, but the way the team played was encouraging,” Spitfires head coach Trevor Letowski said. “We gave up a lead, but I thought we played better as the game went on.”
Windsor will open the regular season at home Thursday against the Saginaw Spirit and Saturday’s loss left the team with a 4-1 record in exhibition play. Saturday’s game came with 14 players in the lineup who have never played a regularseason game for the Spitfires.
“I think the (exhibition) games are important,” Letowski said. “You need to teach and see in game situations how they respond in games and play the structure. We have a good idea of what we have.”
Windsor is still carrying 14 forwards, seven defenceman and three goaltenders, which doesn’t include Mikey DiPietro, and general manager Warren Rychel said Sunday he wasn’t in a rush to make any more roster moves at the moment.
Goals by overager Jake Smith and rookie Daniel D’Amico had the Spitfires with a 2-0 lead midway through the second period.
“I think our forward group, and Warren would probably say the same, is maybe a little better than what we might have thought three weeks ago,” said Letowski, who is without Gabriel Vilardi and Logan Brown. “The defence is young and there’s going to be some learning nights, but they’re eager to learn and that’s what you want to see.”
Sarnia’s Jordan Ernst made it a one-goal game after two periods and Curtis Egert got the equalizer less than three minutes into the third period.
Ernst scored the game-winning goal with three minutes left in regulation and added an emptynet goal along with Brayden Guy. Spitfires rookie goalie Lucas Patton stopped 21 shots.