A comeback effort fell short for the Windsor Spitfires in their 4-3 loss to the Niagara IceDogs at the WFCU Centre Sunday afternoon.
It was the fifth consecutive defeat for the Spits, who have 43 points in the OHL West Division and are in fourth place. They also hold the last playoff spot.
The game did have a promising start, with Cole Purboo scoring short-handed for Windsor with the first period's lone goal.
The second period belonged to Niagara, as they took the lead with back-to-back goals. The tying goal came off the stick of Bradley Johnson at 8:05, and Jason Robertson scored his 34th goal of the season exactly ten minutes later.
The score remained 2-1 IceDogs until over halfway mark of the third period. Curtis Douglas tied the game for the Spitfires with his 19th goal of the year. Niagara regained the lead just over a minute later with Oliver Castleman's goal, and Philip Tomasino scored an insurance goal for the IceDogs into an empty net. Windsor did not go down without a fight, however, as Daniel D'Amico's goal pulled his team to within one with ten seconds left in regulation. That was the only scoring they could muster, though, before time ran out.
Colton Incze had 21 saves in net for the Spitfires. Jake McGrath stopped 32 shots for Niagara.
Windsor begins its annual northern Ontario swing on Thursday night, with their first stop in North Bay against the Battalion.
