Spitfires come home with split
Team to build on positives from games as it returns to Windsor, says coach Letowski
For a young Windsor Spitfires team, it’s all about keeping things in perspective.
Even after Saturday’s 4-1 loss to the Sarnia Sting before 3,659 at Progressive Auto Sales Arena, the Spitfires are right where they want to be after two playoff games.
“Came in here and did what we had to do stealing a game,” Spitfires head coach Trevor Letowski said of Friday’s 6-2 win. “To get a win in this building means a lot.” Now, the best-of-seven Western Conference quarter-final series is tied 1-1 with the series shifting back to Windsor for the next two games starting with Game 3 on Tuesday at the WFCU Centre. Game time is 7:05 p.m. “We took a game in their barn, which is not easy to do on the road in the playoffs, especially against a team like Sarnia,” Spitfires overage forward Jake Smith said. “So, after (Saturday’s) game, we just have to let it be. It’s a best-of-five series and if we can get two at home, it’s going to be huge for us.” Sarnia, which had the second best record in the OHL this season and is ranked No. 5 in the Canadian Hockey League, came out with a lot more determined effort on Saturday.
It took nearly 11 minutes for Windsor to record a shot in the first period as the Sting fired 20. “They were desperate and pushed hard,” Letowski said. “The start was tough with the penalties (five minors in the first three minutes) and set us back as far as tempo.
“Our first period was really bad. They pushed us and we were holding on for dear life. I thought we got a little better as the game went on, but that’s a team that was ready to play and they were pushing. They played hard and fast and we just didn’t quite have our legs under us.”
But the Spitfires got another strong game from goalie Mikey DiPietro, who made 48 saves, and held a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes despite that disastrous first period.
“I feel good,” said DiPietro, who has stopped 91 of 95 shots in two games. “Just doing what I can to give our team the best chance to win every night.”
It took 32 Sarnia shots before Sean Josling was able to tip a point shot past DiPietro and pull the Sting even. Hugo Leufvenius would tuck home another just over two minutes later to give Sarnia its first lead of the series. “We’ve shown that we can stick with them,” Spitfires forward Tyler Angle said. “Obviously, Mikey helps us along the back end. We just have to keep getting some shots. It comes to working hard and the hardest working team will win the game.”
Still down 2-1, Windsor finally showed a little offensive pushback in the final minutes of Saturday’s game. Sarnia goalie Justin Fazio got a blocker up to stop Angle from close range and rookie Daniel D’Amico rang a shot off the post.
“We were pushing them a little at the end, before they got the empty net goals, we were pushing them,” Letowski said. “It’s a good experience for our players to see that.”
“We’re going to leave this behind, take the positives, tweak the negatives and move forward,” Smith said. “We had our chances. If we can tweak little things defensively, create more offence, we’re going to have a series.”