Knights run up win streak to 12
‘Everything we did except win’: Spitfires seize early lead, but unable to make it stick
The Windsor Spitfires knew there was little room for error against the London Knights on Sunday.
Playing with the team’s top two centremen sidelined and the club’s third game in less than 48 hours, the Spitfires knew they had to beat their best against the Knights, who came in riding an 11-game winning streak and ranked No. 6 in the Canadian Hockey League.
“I liked the way we played, everything we did except win,” Spitfires head coach Trevor Letowski said.
Windsor built a two-goal lead after the first period, but the Knights continued to chase and chip away and a late London power play goal completed the comeback in a 4-2 win over the Spitfires before a crowd of 4,469 at the WFCU Centre. “That’s a tough team to put away,” Letowski said of the Knights, who have won 12 straight and have 29 of a possible 30 points in the club’s last 15 games. “Anybody can play with anybody in this league and when we play our game we can play with anybody in the league,” Spitfires defenceman Grayson Ladd said. “We deserved a better fate, but that’s how hockey goes.” Windsor started strong as Curtis Douglas bounced a pass off the skate of London defenceman Jacob Golden and in. Daniel D’Amico pushed it to 2-0 as he was left alone in the slot and scored two seconds after a power play ended.
“That’s the way we have to play to have to win,” Letowski said. But the London comeback began just 54 seconds into the second period with Liam Foudy cutting the Windsor lead to 2-1. “I think it took momentum away,” Ladd said of the first London goal.
Windsor had plenty of chances to retake the lead, but could not put anther shot past Raaymakers. “When it was a 2-1 game, I thought we were really pushing them and I thought we could get it to 3-1 or 4-1 and probably deserved better,” Letowski said. Instead, a bad Windsor turnover landed on the stick of London’s Matvey Guskov in the slot and he buried the chance to tie the game at 2-2 after 40 minutes. “Obviously, there’s a lot of frustration,” D’Amico said. “Going into a game like that and being tied up and they haven’t lost and 11 games you can be the team to beat them and the chances are there and you just can’t score.” But Windsor’s biggest miscue came in the third period. Rookie Jean-Luc Foudy walked in alone on Raaymakers and was stopped, but bumped the goalie in the process for a penalty. London didn’t score on that chance, but Raaymakers drew another penalty when he was hit by Windsor’s Cole Purboo. “He just tapped the goalie, but the goalie’s been on us all game,” D’Amico said. “He could have got a couple of penalties. He went down, but he got right back up.” Raaymakers went face-to-face with Purboo after the incident, but did not get a penalty. On the ensuing power play, Connor McMichael tipped home Evan Bouchard’s point shot and the Knights had the lead for good at 3-2.
“If someone would have told us we were going into the third period 2-2, we would have (taken) it all day,” D’Amico said. “The plan was to stay disciplined because obviously they have a good power play and a lot of (NHL) drafted picks on that team.”
Foudy added some insurance with his second goal of the game in the final minute for the Knights, who have won two of three meetings with the Spitfires this season.
“I thought we played well with them all three periods and then it’s a tough way to end a game on that call, but that’s the way hockey goes sometimes,” Ladd said. “Tough call at the end. It’s a close game, it’s not like it’s a brutal penalty, it’s just the way hockey goes sometimes.”