The Windsor Spitfires are sometimes their own worst enemy. That was the case on Thursday night as they gave away a multi-goal lead against a tough divisional rival.
Coming into the 2025-26 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season, the Spitfires were considered among the Western Conference elite. They have the talent and the coaching to have a lengthy playoff run. Since opening night, they’ve shot to the top of the conference standings and haven’t moved. However, on some nights, points are tough to come by and they occasionally find their biggest enemy just by looking in the mirror. That was the case against the Soo Greyhounds on Thursday night. Here are three takeaways from the WFCU Centre.
Spitfires’ Wounds Self-Inflicted
The clubs met in Sault Ste. Marie in October and the Spitfires took a 4-1 win there. However, the Greyhounds came into the game second in the West Division, just seven points back of the Spitfires, and are a feisty team that doesn’t give anyone two easy points. Thursday night was proof.
The Spitfires started off how they wanted as Ethan Belchetz and A.J. Spellacy (Chicago Blackhawks) gave them a 2-0 lead. While Travis Hayes (Pittsburgh Penguins) cut that to 2-1, Belchetz responded with his second for a 3-1 lead early in the second. That’s where it fell off, though.
An early third-period power-play goal made it a one-goal game with the Greyhounds having all the momentum. The home side took penalties and the visitors pressed, eventually tying it with under eight minutes left. The Spitfires had a major chance to put the game away thanks to a nearly full two-minute five-on-three advantage with five minutes left. However, they couldn’t beat goaltender Landon Miller and instead watched it slip away. In overtime, the Hounds came in on a rush and found a way to beat goaltender Joey Costanzo to complete the 4-3 comeback win.
Despite turnovers, penalties, and missed coverage in their own zone, the Spitfires had the lead, power plays, breakaways, and chances to win. All of that misfired. After the game, Belchetz said that when you take penalties, you give the opponents momentum and the lead can disappear.
The Windsor #Spitfires allowed three-straight goals in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Soo #Greyhounds on Thursday night at the WFCU Centre. #OHL pic.twitter.com/6EMTZniJ5d
— Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) November 14, 2025
The Greyhounds feature four NHL picks up front and some serious talent throughout the lineup. They’re not going away easily and gave the Spitfires a very tough lesson.
Power Play Becomes Power Outage
For much of the season, the Spitfires have prided themselves on having an elite power play. They came into the game third in the OHL at 32.1 percent, including two-for-five on Saturday against the Brampton Steelheads. This one didn’t have the same result, though.
The Spitfires had three chances in the second period and their lengthy two-man advantage late in the third period in a tie game. When you’ve got Belchetz, captain Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings), Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia Flyers), and a host of other producers, you expect to score at least one per game. In fact, since Oct. 9 against the Guelph Storm, they had 10-of-11 games with at least one power-play goal. It didn’t happen on Thursday.
Related: Ethan Belchetz Might Be a Top-3 Prospect in Stacked 2026 NHL Draft
From an aggressive Greyhounds’ forecheck to missed passes, cross-bars to big saves from Miller, the visitors made life tough and the Spitfires hurt themselves. Belchetz said you’re going to have ups and downs with the power play all season and Thursday night was just a down night. He did give credit to the Greyhounds, who have now killed off 18-of-19 penalties in five games in November.
The power play is going to be a rollercoaster all season. However, when you have a chance like the Spitfires did on Thursday, you have to take advantage. Every point this season is going to be important, especially if they mean the difference between a conference title and the second seed.
Woodall Bright Spot Despite Little Spotlight
On most nights, players like Greentree, Belchetz, and Nesbitt get the spotlight. However, defenceman Carson Woodall continues to be a bright spot on the roster who’s going under the radar.
The 5-foot-11, 183-pound Belle River native came into Thursday with 23 assists in 20 games. He led the Spitfires in points (26), leads all OHL defencemen in assists and points, is second in the league in assists, and is ninth overall in the OHL in points.
Thanks to strong vision and quick decision-making, he added to his totals with two more assists against the Greyhounds. His first came on a patient passing play that was finished by Belchetz. The second was a quick pass from his zone to Cole Davis, where Spellacy eventually scored. After the game, Woodall said he was just trying to play smart and his teammates made it easy to create.
Woodall is active in the community, but tends to bring a cool, calm demeanour to the ice. Thursday was another example of making the simple plays that his teammates can use to create. He also gave the Greyhounds a lot of credit and said you have to give them respect. He may not get the spotlight of the others, but as long as he’s producing at both ends, nobody is complaining.
This was a hard loss for them to take. However, there’s no time to dwell on it. The Spitfires hit the road Friday to take on Jett Luchanko and the Guelph Storm in their final game of the weekend.