Patrick King

Zach Kassian.

Windsor's blowout loss to Barrie may have been the wake-up call needed for the sleeping giant.

The defending Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires remain a slumbering giant three weeks ahead of the playoffs.

The Spitfires were long considered the odds-on favourites to repeat as Memorial Cup champions with a core of 13 returning players, but the fairytale season hasn’t gone according to plan. It’s hard to fault a team atop its conference, but even the Spitfires know work remains in defending their crown.

“We’ve been there, done that, and that sense of entitlement or that champion (mantra), you have to lose it now,” head coach Bob Boughner said. “We have to prove ourselves all over again.”

Windsor had that opportunity on the weekend. The Spitfires met the Eastern Conference-leading Barrie Colts on Saturday in a game many were predicting will be a league-championship series preview.

The Spitfires were shell-shocked and trailed 7-2 mid-way through the third period, eventually losing 8-5. Among the momentum-swinging moments was an Alex Pietrangelo goal in the final second of the first period and a few goals called back.

“At the end you look back and you say, ‘we had 53 shots on the road, we scored five goals and our goaltending wasn’t great,’” Boughner admitted. “There were a lot of reasons we didn’t win.”

“You can say what you want, that we didn’t get the bounces, this and that, but it was defensive break-downs,” echoed team captain Harry Young. “You let up for one second (against Barrie), it’s in the back of your net and that’s what we got to fix for sure.”

The loss means the Spitfires’ road to the Memorial Cup could be harder this season. Barrie is now three points up on Windsor for first-overall with two games in hand. Should the Colts finish ahead of the Spitfires in the standings, they would obtain home-ice advantage throughout the playoffs.

Although disappointed with the loss, Young doesn’t see a lack of motivation in the dressing room.

“A lot of things went right last year,” he said. “This year we’ve had some adversity and some trouble. It’s two different seasons; they’re hard to compare.”

It’s been an interesting season for the Spitfires. Windsor dealt with adversity in the form of injuries, suspensions, and a handful of players attending the world junior hockey championship.

The Spitfires made headlines for various reasons this season, both good and bad. The team was able to pluck talented players Kenny Ryan, Jack Campbell and recently Tom Kuhnhackl, the former joining them this season after de-committing from Boston College. Campbell and Kuhnhackl will be in the lineup next season.

Gritty forward Zack Kassian was also added at the trade deadline to provide some much needed toughness, but suited up in just one game. Kassian delivered a much-publicized hit on Barrie’s Matt Kennedy and is still serving a 20-game suspension. He isn’t eligible to return until Mar. 7’s game against Sault Ste. Marie.

Meanwhile, overage forward Dale Mitchell remains sidelined with a right high-ankle sprain. He is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game against Plymouth.

Although injuries and suspensions have derailed the defending champs, the team remains confident in its belief that another championship is well within its grasp.

“I know what I have in this room and I know I’ve seen a lot of these guys go to the wall last year and find ways to win and that’s what good teams do,” Boughner said.

With eight games remaining in their schedule before the playoffs, Young knows time is running out to right the ship, but believes the team can rebound from the loss to the Colts.

“It starts right now,” he said. “We’ve got only a couple games left. We want to make sure that we’re firing on all cylinders going into the playoffs.”

The Spitfires should have plenty of motivation heading into the post-season. Windsor has had a target on their backs all season, and now has the knowledge that there is another team worthy of the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions.

Should they meet again, the Spitfires could then have the benefit of a healthy Mitchell and Kassian in their lineup.

“I think a guy like Kassian is huge, especially against a team like Barrie,” Boughner said. “Kassian adds that grit that we’re missing up front. I think he’s going to change the game quite significantly.”

“I think it’s a wake-up call for everybody,” Young said. “Two games we’ve lost to them now and that’s unacceptable for us. It is definitely a little sobering for the future. I think the guys are going to come out a lot more ready.”

Although the team may not want to admit it, Saturday’s loss to Barrie may have been just what the doctor ordered in waking this sleeping giant.