SpitfirEs mount ComEBACk But losE in OT
Team happy to get point but unhappy to lose after battling to force overtime
Perhaps the Windsor Spitfires should be satisfied with a single point on Sunday.
Still, when you’ve battled back from a three-goal deficit to force overtime, the Spitfires thought a fair chance to win was taken away in the end.
Barrett Hayton took out Spitfires defenceman Connor Corcoran to create an odd-man rush, and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds converted the odd-man opportunity just 15 seconds into overtime for a 6-5 win over the Spitfires before a crowd of 3,807 at the GFL Memorial Gardens. “A non-call in overtime cost us the game,” Spitfires head coach Trevor Letowski said.
The Spitfires felt Hayton was holding Corcoran, who was thrown back and fell to the ice. “I just felt like I didn’t have my one arm,” Corcoran said. “It seems like I got thrown back. It’s a tough way to end the game.” But in some respects, the Spitfires were fortunate to get to overtime. Hayton scored on a short-handed breakaway for the only goal of the opening period. Cole MacKay added a power-play goal, and Hayton added another short-handed goal to put the Greyhounds up 3-0 in the second period.
“It was crazy out there,” Spitfires forward Daniel D’Amico said. “The flow was a little off and a weird game to be in.”
It was a short turnaround for the Spitfires, who did not get into Sault Ste. Marie until 2:30 a.m. after winning in Saginaw, but there was some push back. D’Amico and Grayson Ladd scored back-to-back short-handed goals to get Windsor back to within a goal at 3-2.
“I didn’t like our first (period), but as the game went on we got better,” Letowski said. “We put 28 shots up the last two periods and, especially the third, it’s the way our team plays by forcing turnovers and quick transition.” Jordan Sambrook’s power-play goal put the Greyhounds up 4-2 with 89 seconds left in the second period, but the Spitfires got a goal from Curtis Douglas with 21 seconds left in the period and another from Mathew MacDougall with nine seconds left to tie it 4-4 after 40 minutes.
“I don’t think their goalie (Mario Peccia) was doing too good,” D’Amico said. “We were trying to get more shots.” The Greyhounds had not won in four games since No. 1 goalie Matthew Villalta was cut in the leg by a linesman’s skate. Peccia had lost both of his starts and Windsor was hoping to get pucks to the net and put pressure on him in the third period.
Rookie Kyle McDonald gave Windsor its first lead of the game early in the third period, but a turnover opened the door for Keeghan Howdeshell to tie the game midway through the period. Both teams had chances down the stretch to retake the lead, but it went to overtime.
“It is tough because every time you come in here you think you’re going to get their best game,” D’Amico said. “We did our best and at least came out with one point.”
Morgan Frost got the overtime winner to give the Greyhounds six-straight wins at home against the Spitfires, who have not won in Sault Ste. Marie since September of 2016. However, it marked the fourth-straight game the Spitfires have earned a point on the road (3-0-1-0) and the club has taken 11of a possible 14 points over the last seven games.
“We’re growing,” Letowski said. “Things are looking good for us. We’re playing really well. We didn’t get in until 2:30 in the morning, and I thought we had good compete. We got a point out of here after a big win on Saturday and every point counts on our side (of the conference).”