That one wasn’t pretty.
Anthony Cristoforo scored 14 seconds into the game, and Max Brocklehurst finished with a hat trick and five points, as the Windsor Spifires routed the Owen Sound Attack 11-3 in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night at WFCU Centre.
Cristoforo’s goal was the first of two the Spitfires (4-5-1-1) found in the first 1:05 of the game, setting the tone early in what turned into a blowout win.
Michal Svrcek and John McLaughlin each added a pair of goals for Windsor, which snapped a three-game slide. Ty Bergeron, Beks Makysh and Jesse Debruyn also scored.
The Spitfires led 2-0 after one, 6-1 after the second and added five more goals in the third.
“Our team was not prepared to play tonight, and our decision-making in all three zones, both with the puck and without the puck was completely unacceptable,” Attack Head Coach Keenan Reynolds says. “Ultimately, the blame falls on me as the head coach of this team.”
“I need to be better,” Reynolds continues. “And this group needs to be better at dealing with adversity.”
Caden Bell, Max Delisle and Julian Brown had the goals for the Attack (2-7), which lost its third straight.
Bell’s goal was his first in the OHL. He streaked around the offensive zone and then snapped a shot through traffic from above the circles and beat Jake Windbiel at 17:20 of the second, cutting into a 6-0 lead for Windsor at the time.
Delisle and Brown’s goals came late in the third after the Spitfires had run the score up 10-1.
Maksim Corovic started in goal for the Attack, and was pulled just over four minutes into the second period after allowing four goals on 11 shots.
Ryerson Leenders entered the game in the second, allowing six goals on 19 shots. The Attack overage goaltender appeared to pull himself when Brocklehurst completed his hat trick at 10:21 of the third, putting a shortside shot in tight past Leenders blocker side to make it 10-1.
Leenders skated to the bench and headed down the tunnel, and Corovic re-entered the game for the back half of the third. Leenders was back on the Attack bench shortly after.
The Spitfires outshot the Attack 35-20 while going 4 for 8 on the power play; Owen Sound finished 1 for 4.
Windbiel made 17 saves in the win.
The Attack three-in-three West Division trip continues Saturday night in Flint, where they’ll take on the Firebirds for the first time this season.
Sunday, the Attack visit Saginaw Spirit.
BENCH FILLED OUT
New Attack assistant coach Brennan Feasey made his debut on the bench in Friday’s loss in Windsor. Feasey previously worked as head coach of the Chatham Maroons in the Greater Ontario Hockey League.