Games can turn on a dime in junior hockey.
The Soo Greyhounds learned that the hard way on Thursday night in Windsor.
After being unable to capitalize on a five-minute power play late in the first period that carried into period two, the Greyhounds gave up a pair of goals just over four minutes apart in the late stages of the second period.
Those goals turned into the difference as the Greyhounds dropped a 6-3 decision to the Windsor Spitfires at Windsor’s WFCU Centre Thursday.
Veteran forward Marco Mignosa said the two goals “cost us the game.”
“We were dominating there and then two unfortunate goals,” Mignosa said. “A tough hill to climb from there.”
“It’s tough to give up two like that when you’re tied,” added forward Justin Cloutier, agreeing that the goals took something out of the Greyhounds at the time.
Greyhounds coach John Dean called the goals “very tough to give up.”
“Especially with the push we were putting on,” Dean added.
The goals came after the Greyhounds had a five-minute power play that didn’t produce any results.
With just over two minutes to go in the opening period, Windsor forward Cole Davis was penalized for a high hit on Greyhounds forward Travis Hayes behind the play.
Davis was given a major penalty for checking to the head on the play.
Mignosa agreed that not being able to capitalize on the major penalty was “another big factor in the game.”
“I think the guys on the power play just need a break. We just need one to fall for us,” Dean said. “They can feel better about themselves. There’s frustration there for sure.”
A flurry of scoring early on in the game began as Davis gave Windsor a 1-0 lead 4:35 into the game. Davis grabbed a loose puck in the slot after a point shot by Carson Woodall hit him on the way to the goal. Davis proceeded to beat Greyhounds goaltender Landon Miller on the second chance to open the scoring.
Just 1:08 later, Windsor’s Liam Greentree made it a 2-0 game. The veteran forward drove the net and was stopped by Miller, but the puck slid in the net under Miller and Sault defenceman Spencer Evans after Evans went to the ice while battling with Greentree on the way to the net.
The Greyhounds got on the board at 6:04 of the opening period as Cloutier took a pass in the slot from Owen Allard on the right wing and Cloutier’s shot beat Windsor netminder Joey Costanzo to make it a 2-1 game.
The visitors then tied the game after a video review. A shot by Chase Reid deflected off Mignosa while battling a Windsor player in close and the puck redirected past Costanzo at 10:34. The goal was initially waved off on the ice, but a review confirmed the goal.
After killing off the major penalty to Davis, Windsor took a 3-2 lead at 14:02 of the second period. A shot from Ilya Protas wasn’t handled cleanly by Miller and rookie Ethan Belchetz followed up the play and scored on the rebound.
Windsor made it a 4-2 game when Ethan Garden scored from just below the goalline to the right of the goal, banking the puck in off Miller at 18:38 after the Sault goaltender stopped a point shot from Carter Hicks initially on the play.
Protas made it a 5-2 game at 3:55 into the third period when he took a pass from Greentree, skated into the slot, and beat Miller with a backhand.
The Greyhounds cut the Windsor lead back to two goals at 14:22 when Brady Martin beat Costanzo with a shot from near the top of the right circle, but that was as close as the Greyhounds would get to tying the game as Noah Morneau sealed the Spitfires victory with an empty net goal with 56 seconds to go in the game.
Martin had a goal and an assist for the Greyhounds in the loss while Reid assisted on a pair of goals.
Miller made 34 saves.
“It’s a night that he probably thinks he can have a few (back),” Dean said. “They also put 40+ pucks on our net. Not an easy night.”
Protas and Greentree finished the night with a goal and two assists each to pace the Spitfires.
Woodall assisted on two goals as well for Windsor.
Costanzo stopped 24 shots.
The Greyhounds return to action on Friday night in Sarnia against the Sting in a contest that features teams battling for positioning in the OHL’s Western Conference.
The Sting are two points ahead of the Greyhounds for seventh with the Greyhounds one point back of the Owen Sound Attack as well for the final playoff spot.
Cloutier called Friday’s game against the Sting “the biggest game of the year.”
“It’s a must win,” Cloutier added.
“We have to match their intensity and special teams has to win the battle,” Cloutier also said of Friday’s game.
“It’s enormous,” Mignosa also said. “We’ve been saying every game is a playoff game from now on. We know what’s at stake tomorrow.”
All three teams have five games remaining.
The Greyhounds fall to 24-35-2-2 with Thursday’s loss.
Windsor improves to 43-16-4-1 with the victory. The Spitfires have already clinched top spot in the OHL’s West Division and will be the second seed in the Western Conference going into the playoffs, which are two weeks away.