Windsor Spitfires' Third Period Woes Continue in Loss to Flint
Windsor Spitfires head coach Greg Walters is promising significant changes to his lineup following another disappointing third-period collapse. The team surrendered a lead on Friday night at the WFCU Centre, ultimately falling 4-2 to the visiting Flint Firebirds in Ontario Hockey League action.
Another Lead Slips Away
This marks just the second time in twenty-six games this season that the Spitfires have lost in regulation after carrying a lead into the final period. The pattern is becoming frustratingly familiar for the team and its fans.
"If the guys out there aren't listening, we'll put guys out who do," Walters stated emphatically after the game. "We'll get there." This loss came just days after a similar 3-2 overtime defeat to Kitchener where Windsor also let a lead slip away.
Power Play Problems Prove Costly
Despite boasting the league's second-ranked power play overall, the Spitfires' special teams unit has struggled mightily in recent contests. Coach Walters placed the blame squarely on this aspect of the game.
"Our power play cost us the game," Walters said bluntly. "I didn't think our best players were our best players." The statistics support his assessment. Over the club's last eight games, Windsor has converted just six times on twenty-eight power play opportunities.
The Spitfires did manage a power-play goal from forward Ethan Belchetz to take a 2-1 lead after forty minutes of play. However, they failed on four other chances with the man advantage, including two crucial opportunities in the third period. To compound matters, Windsor surrendered a shorthanded goal that proved to be the game-winner with under two minutes remaining in regulation.
Players Acknowledge Execution Issues
Forward Ethan Belchetz echoed his coach's concerns about closing out games effectively. "We lose our game," Belchetz admitted. "The third period, we're not doing what we need to do to close out games. Just the little things to close out games and win games."
Defenseman Anthony Cristoforo, who assisted on Belchetz's goal and scored Windsor's other tally, was equally critical of the power play's performance. "Power play has to be better, that's it," Cristoforo said. "The team that we have, the power play should not be losing us games. We should be putting teams away from that. Our power play has to help us win games, not lose games."
Decision-Making Under Scrutiny
Coach Walters identified poor decision-making, particularly under pressure, as the primary culprit in the team's recent struggles to protect leads.
"Turnovers happen, mistakes happen, but coaches trust players that make the game boring when it matters the most," Walters explained. "Your decision making under pressure is probably the biggest thing as to who goes out there and we made some bad decisions."
Walters specifically criticized the power play unit for deviating from the game plan. "They don't listen," he said. "They were standing three guys at the blue line. It's so far from what Casey Torres, who runs the power play, talked about. They just went on their own page and it cost us the game. It wasn't good at all."
Searching for Solutions
The coach acknowledged that while the team showed improved physicality and defensive structure, these positives were ultimately overshadowed by critical errors at key moments.
"It's the most physical we've been all year, our forecheck was dominant, our trap was dominant, we just found a way to lose," Walters summarized. "Honestly, just the decision making. They have to simplify the game or they won't be out there. Earn your next shift. We're trying to do too much."
With the season progressing, the pressure is mounting on the Spitfires' veteran players to demonstrate better composure and execution in high-leverage situations. Coach Walters' promise of lineup changes suggests that patience is wearing thin as the team seeks to reverse this troubling trend of third-period collapses.
