Starts are critical and for the Soo Greyhounds, Thursday was a night in which it was an issue.
After a season-opening homestand that saw the club drop a pair of games, the Ontario Hockey League club opened the road portion of its schedule against a division-rival and the team was behind eight-ball early, falling behind 3-0 through one period in a 5-0 loss to the Windsor Spitfires at Windsor’s WFCU Centre.
The Spitfires scored three times before the game was 12 minutes old and used early goals in both the second and third periods to cap off the victory.
The three-goal outburst in the opening period also ended the night early for Greyhounds starting goaltender Landon Miller, who was pulled in favour of Charlie Schenkel after Windsor jumped out to the lead.
An attempt to reach Greyhounds coach John Dean for comment by SooToday following the loss was unsuccessful.
Windsor got on the board first as A.J. Spellacy took a pass from Liam Greentree on a 2-on-1 and beat Greyhounds starter Landon Miller glove side 4:06 into the game.
Just over three minutes later, the Spitfires extended the lead as Nathan Gaymes grabbed a loose puck in traffic in the slot and proceeded to beat Miller glove side to make it a 2-0 game.
The Spitfires chased Miller from the net 4:27 later as Ilya Protas skated the puck into the Sault zone and beat the Greyhounds netminder with a shot from the top of the left circle.
Windsor made it a 4-0 game in the opening minute of the second period as Tnias Mathurin pinched in from the left point and took a pass from Greentree through traffic and beat Charlie Schenkel in goal for the Greyhounds.
Windsor capped off the scoring in the final period as Jack Nesbitt skated into the slot as the late man on the play and took a pass from Gaymes below the goalline and beat Schenkel through traffic stick side at 4:37.
Miller stopped four of seven shots before being pulled. Schenkel stopped 25 shots the rest of the way in just over 48 minutes of work for the Greyhounds.
The Greyhounds fall to 0-3-0-0 on the season with the loss.
Spellacy, Gaymes, and Nesbitt had a goal and an assist each for the Spitfires while Greentree set up a pair of goals in the victory.
Joey Costanzo stopped all 27 shots he faced in the win.
“The boys played great in front of me,” Costanzo said in a post-game interview with Windsor’s YourTV. “They made it easy. I saw everything.”
The Spitfires remain unbeaten in regulation time thanks to Thursday’s victory and sit atop the OHL’s West Division early on with a 3-0-1-0 record.
The Greyhounds return to action Friday night as the three-game road trip continues in Guelph with a game against the Storm before wrapping up the trip on Sunday afternoon in Sarnia against the Sting.