Home has not been so sweet lately for the Windsor Spitfires.

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Home has not been so sweet lately for the Windsor Spitfires.

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The club lost just two games in regulation in its first 21 games this season. However, Wednesday’s 6-3 loss to the Saginaw Spirit was the club’s second defeat in the last three games at the WFCU Centre and the win in between required a comeback from a three-goal deficit.

“We have to understand what this team is, too,” said Spitfires’ head coach Greg Walters, whose team has lost four of its last seven games.

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. “Our expectation level is very high because of what those players have been able to go out and accomplish. We’re still a very young team learning how to win and compete.”

The Spitfires, who were last in the Western Conference a year ago, have still built a 17-point lead in the West Division over the Spirit, who are the defending Memorial Cup champs.

“There’s so many things that go into making a championship team,” said Spitfires’ defenceman Wyatt Kennedy, who went to back-to-back Eastern Conference finals with North Bay the past two seasons. “Overcoming adversity, like games like (Wednesday). We’re not going to win every game, but you have to learn how to win and learn how to lose.”

Coming off that comeback win over the No. 1-ranked London Knights, the Spitfires’ overall game was far less crisp on Wednesday.

“For me, we didn’t play the worst game of the year, obviously not our best game also,” Spitfires’ captain Liam Greentree said. “For us, it’s just a couple things. We just got outworked in front of our net and didn’t execute well and I think those are two of the main things that led to the loss.”

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The Spitfires never had a lead in Wednesday’s game. Saginaw’s Calem Mangone and Igor Chernyshov sandwiched goals around one by Greentree to put the Spirt up 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Ryan Abraham pulled Windsor even one final time at 2-2, but the Spirit got goals from Carson Marmer and Michael Misa just 85 seconds apart and Walters opted to pull his goalie for the second game in a row. Carter Froggett, who allowed 11 goals on 15 shots, was replaced by Joey Costanzo.

“We need a save there for sure,” Walters said. “We were getting the same chances at the other end and weren’t able to capitalize.

“We believe in both, but that’s just a momentum thing (to switch). We’ll get back. Like I said, we believe in both of them.”

Chernyshov greeted Costanzo with a power-play goal, but Kennedy pulled the Spitfires within 5-3 with a short-handed goal and Windsor missed a chance to make it a one-goal game when rookie Ethan Belchetz drilled a shot off the post with seconds left in the period.

“We had our chances, we just didn’t capitalize,” Walters said. “I don’t have any doubt in this team in how they go about their business and compete.”

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Windsor pressed in the third period with a 17-6 shot advantage in the final frame and 40-29 overall, but could not mount a comeback with Misa sealing the game with an empty-net goal.

“I think our execution was off,” Greentree said. “The puck was bouncing off our sticks. That happens some games. It’s just kind of how the puck goes and we have to learn from that and learn to live another day.”

The Spitfires are back in action on Friday against the Sarnia Sting and Friday against the Brantford Bulldogs. Both games are set for 7:05 p.m. at the WFCU Centre.

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Game Summary

Wednesday Result

Spirit 6 Spitfires 3

Saginaw 2 3 1 – 6

Windsor 1 2 0 – 3

First period: 1. Saginaw, Mangone 19 (Jones, Harmer) 5:08, 2. Windsor, Greentree 34 (Morneau) 6:46, 3. Chernyshov 4 (Vellaris, Mangone) 12:32. Penalty: Sima S (check to head) 8:05.

Second period: 4. Windsor, Abraham 17 (Eichler, Walton) 2:52, 5. Saginaw, Warner 18 (Cloutier, Parekh) 5:58, 6. Saginaw, Mía 41 (Eppeson, Chernyshov) 7:23, 7. Saginaw, Chrnyshov 5 (Misa, Mangone) 10:30 (pp), 8. Windsor, Kennedy 2 (Davis) 16:13 (sh). Penalties: Woodall W (hooking) 9:36, Belchetz W (interference) 14:59.

Third period: 9. Saginaw, Misa 42 (unassisted) 19:56 (en). Penalties: Harmer S (throwing stick) 1:07, Vellaris S (roughing) 5:28. 

Game stats – SOG – Saginaw 10 13 6 – 29 Windsor 14 11 15 – 40 Goal (shots-saves) – Saginaw: Oke (W,20-18-1-1) (50-37). Windsor: Froggett (L,5-4-1-0) (15-11), Costanzo (7:23 of second period) (13-12). Power play (goals-chances) – Saginaw 1-2. Windsor 0-3. Referees: Nicholas Bet and Kuris Pare. Linesmen: Devon Gale and Luke Pye. Att.: 3,790 at the WFCU Centre.

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