Spits weekend recap

 

by Mitchell Brandner

A weekend that started off well for the Windsor Spitfires ended with two heartbreaking losses.

The Spitfires began their three-game set with a much needed victory over the Saginaw Spirit Nov. 15. After losing three straight games, Windsor rebounded with a six-goal outburst. Spitfires forward Kerby Rychel had five points and Patrick Sieloff landed one of his patented crushing hits as the Spits beat the Spirit 6-1. Sieloff’s hit seemed to fire the Spitfires up as they netted three goals after it occurred late in the second period.

“You don’t want to take (hitting) out of his game, because that’s the way he has to play,” said Spitfires head coach Bob Boughner. “He is a game changer when his physical play is there.”

Windsor goaltender Jaroslav Pavelka made 27 saves, many of which came while the score was still close, for his ninth win of the season.

“I think we have to give (Pavelka) a lot of credit for keeping us in it when we were sloppy,” said Boughner. “He made some big saves. Things could’ve been a lot different.”

Kerby Rychel is gaining confidence and the chemistry between he and rookie Josh Ho-Sang is allowing them to put up big points lately.

“We’re starting to make things happen out there, which is good,” said Rychel. “He’s a skilled player and I think I have pretty good finish. I think as we go along here we’re going to be pretty dangerous.”

They were dangerous against Saginaw as they combined for a total of seven points.

The joy from the win against Saginaw didn’t last for long as the Spits lost a tough game to the Barrie Colts Nov. 17. With Windsor trying to protect a 5-3 lead with minutes to go, Barrie struck twice in a span of 1:13 and then once more in overtime to secure the victory.

Kerby Rychel stayed hot as he scored his fifteenth goal of the season and added an assist while line mate Josh Ho-Sang scored his fifth of the season. Top NHL prospect Mark Scheifele scored the winner for the Colts. The goal was his sixteenth of the season.

The heartbreak continued with a 1-0 loss at the hands of the Owen Sound Attack. The only goal came on a penalty shot late in the third period after Spits forward Brady Vail covered the puck with his hand in the crease. Attack forward Cameron Brace made no mistake putting the puck past Windsor goalie Jordan DeKort.

Before snapping their losing streak against the Saginaw Spirit, general manager Warren Rychel hinted at upcoming moves in a Windsor Star article. Spits captain Saverio Posa had called a players meeting to try and bring the team together and fix any underlying issues.

“I pulled the guys in for a players meeting and I told them that these guys are willing to break up our family and we have to go out and make it hard for them to do that,” said Posa. “I felt like a lot of (the) guys’ confidence around the room was a little bit down and everyone was a little uptight about the trades and stuff.”

For the second time in eight days the Spitfires will look to snap their losing streak against the Saginaw Spirit Nov. 23 at the WFCU Centre.