Spitfires run out of gas
Domi nets two goals for Knights
LONDON Seven games into the season and the Windsor Spitfires look like a team that’s run out of gas.
The Spitfires struggled all night to keep pace with the London Knights Friday and fell 8-2 before 9,046 at Budweiser Gardens.
“That’s two fast teams we’ve played,” said Spitfires head coach Bob Boughner, whose team was shutout at home by Guelph Thursday.
“(London’s) probably one of the most talented teams, on paper, in our league and that was simply a lesson in how to play hockey. We have to get better as a team.”
In the last two games, the Spitfires have been outscored 13-2 and been outshot a total of 8745.
“It’s been rough,” Spitfires forward Jordan Maletta said. “We’re not getting shots on net.
“We’re trying to make the pretty play and if you see most goals in this league, they’re not like that. They’re just going hard to the net.”
In just over a five-minute span, the Knights took control of the game with three goals as Josh Anderson, Brett Welychka and Alex Broadhurst scored to put the home team up 3-0 after 20 minutes.
“We have to be better,” Spitfires forward Kerby Rychel said. “They’re pretty much the most skilled team in the league and if you play like that, that’s what can happen.
“Being down three against a team like that, you just can’t let that happen.
“They controlled the whole game.”
Maletta gave the Spitfires a brief spark of hope cutting the lead to 3-1 in first five minutes of the second period, but the Spitfires gained no momentum from the goal.
Windsor produced just 10 shots in the first 40 minutes and Max Domi countered Maletta’s goal to restore London’s threegoal lead after 40 minutes.
“We can’t make a 10-foot pass and we seem to be gripping our sticks tight,” Boughner said. “We talk every night about outworking the opposition, outhitting them and outshooting them and we didn’t do any of that.”
A parade to the penalty box is also hampering the Spitfires, who have allowed a league-leading 42 power-play chances to the opposition, including five to the Knights Friday.
“We’re leading the league in minors and that’s going to bite us,” Maletta said.
“We just have to play our game and keep it simple.”
Things got no better in the third period for Windsor as London’s Matt Rupert centred a pass and had it bounce in off Spitfires defenceman Nick Ebert before Domi wired his second of the game over the glove of Windsor goalie Jaroslav Pavelka to give London a five-goal lead.
“We had a lot of skating the last week and had our legs going,” Welychka said. “We know we’re a strong team and what we’re capable of with this offence.”
Rychel got one back on a Windsor power play, but the Knights answered with goals by Matt Rupert and Broadhurst to finish the scoring.
“Obviously, that wasn’t our best effort,” said Rychel, whose team fell to 3-3-0-1 on the season. “We’re still .500 and we’re not playing our best hockey, so we just have to come ready Monday.”
The Spitfires are back in action Monday when the Sarnia Sting come to the WFCU Centre. Game time is 2:05 p.m.