The 2024-25 Windsor Spitfires are becoming harder to overlook. A four-point weekend has them sitting in sole possession of first place atop the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Western Conference and they’re making teams pay attention.
You can’t blame teams if they brushed the Spitfires aside early this season. After all, the club finished last in the Western Conference last season and had significant roster turnover. However, general manager Bill Bowler has put together a club that’s playing for each other and a coaching staff that’s giving them the tools they need to compete with the best. This past weekend, they faced another tough challenge with games against three contenders, including two on the road. That didn’t stop them from making a Thanksgiving weekend statement, though.
Spitfires Finding Comfort on the Road
If you’re going to contend, you need to get points on the road. Last season, the Spitfires were a dismal 7-22-3-1 away from the WFCU Centre. After earning three points in two road games to start the season, they earned a big road win against the Brantford Bulldogs on Sat., Oct. 6. That trend needed to continue this past weekend.
This time, the competition got even tougher with the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) top-ranked Brampton Steelheads at the CAA Centre on Friday and the always-tough Erie Otters at the Erie Insurance Arena on Saturday.
Fortunately for the Spitfires, Washington Capitals’ prospect Ilya Protas had a three-point Friday night while 11 players earned a point in a 7-5 win. On Saturday, they jumped out to a 3-1 lead over the Otters. However, the home side clawed back in the third to take the lead. Add in a pair of empty net goals and it was a 6-3 loss, the Spitfires’ first in regulation this season.
On Monday, Spitfires’ head coach Greg Walters said that, despite the loss, he still appreciated the effort against the Otters.
“The game in Erie, we played extremely well,” he said. “We hate giving up a lead in the third, but we played extremely well. Their goalie made some huge saves to keep them in there. The hockey gods went against us with some fluky stuff, nothing structurally.”
Winning on the road is tough, especially at the start of the season. You have to build chemistry, connections, and figure out how opponents play in their own barn. Earning two points this weekend, to add…
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