Sometimes staying on top of a mountain is harder than getting there. A tough home loss Thursday night showed the Windsor Spitfires that if they want to continue to be contenders, only their best efforts will get the job done.

At the start of the season, no one expected the Spitfires to sniff at discord. They finished second to last in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) last season and small steps were necessary this season. However, they surprised everyone by climbing to the top of the Western Conference, where they are currently facing the Kitchener Rangers for first place. Now, instead of slow progression, they face the best of each team every night. If they don’t match that, reality sets in quickly. This was the case on Thursday, as they failed to overtake the North Bay Battalion. Here are three takeaways from this defeat.

The Spitfires need to understand that games are 60 minutes long

No matter how good you are, if you don’t play a full 60 minute game, it could cost you. The Spitfires found out last week when the Soo Greyhounds jumped out to an early lead and earned a victory at the WFCU Center. On Thursday, the story started almost the same.

The Battalion opened the scoring just 19 seconds into the match, followed by two more before the 12th minute for a quick 3-0 lead. Fortunately, Captain Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings) brought the Spitfires to life soon after to make it 3-1 after 20 minutes. But with only three shots on goal, the home team needed a change. With Spitfires veteran Noah Morneau making it 3-2 early in the second period, the Battalion responded with two more points to take a 5-2 lead after 40 minutes.

The home team attempted a comeback in the third period, outscoring the visitors 13-5 in the final quarter, but only managed a double with less than five minutes remaining. The buzzer sounds and the battalion leaves with a 5-4 victory. After the game, Spitfires head coach Greg Walters said they didn’t play like they’re used to.

“Through this great run that we’ve had, there have been stretches and such, but our guys have always bounced back,” he said. “We came out really slow, which was surprising because we had two great days of practice… We just didn’t come out to play… This is the first time all season that the first half has crept into the second. We had a bit of life in the third and they decided they wanted to work but it’s too late.

Hard work can overcome talent

A common cliché in sports (and in life) is that “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” That was also the reality for the Spitfires on Thursday. After a run to the Eastern Conference championship last season, the Battalion is rebuilding, but it’s not going to just turn around.

The battalion spotted the Spitfires well, using a strong defense, and gave the home team no support to work with. Even though the Spitfires have a lot of talent, they didn’t use their speed or tenacity to win one-on-one fights and it cost them dearly. Walters emphasized the old saying after the game.

“We didn’t work hard enough for this,” he said. “We talked to our guys and the battalion is a rebuilding team. What’s important for our guys when we play these teams is that if skill doesn’t work, then work will win every time.

Despite a late attempt at recovery, the Windsor #Spitfires fell 5-4 to North Bay #Battalion at the WFCU Center Thursday evening. #OHL pic.twitter.com/bVh3XQDQdD

-Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) November 8, 2024

Veteran defender Tnais Mathurin played against his former team for the first time since being exchanged in August. He said everyone should be expected to do their best.

“We can’t come out flat and expect every team not to give us their best,” he said. “With our place in the standings and, with what we have done to the other teams, we will always get the best out of the teams. We must be ready.

Related: Spitfires acquire surplus defender Mathurin from battalion

Morneau said it was an important lesson to learn going into the season. Even if they have talent, that alone won’t win you games.

“We have all the skills in the world on this team, but a team that comes in and works harder than us is going to beat us every time,” he said. “It’s a lesson good to learn early. We can’t just go out there and beat teams.

It’s just a game

With this defeat, the Spitfires become alone second in the conference, one point behind the Rangers, whose last regulation defeat came against the Spitfires at the end of September (12-2 at WFCU Center). It wasn’t the result the club wanted, but games like this are going to happen.

When you finish second to last in the league seven months early, no one expects you to be in contention in the Canadian Hockey League. (CHL) Top-10 (currently third). You are going to lose games and there are still lessons to be learned. It’s how you treat those who matter most. Walters said he is proud of this team and expects them to bounce back.

“Our character is huge in this play,” he said. “I’m so proud of these kids. You’re talking about preseason (5-0) and now 16 games (12-3-1), so 21 games, and we haven’t played badly for 40 minutes. It’s going to happen and I know our guys will respond on Saturday.

The Spitfires know they need to be better for a full 60 minutes to score points, especially now that they are at the top. However, this is a game in November and they have two more games this weekend. Saturday evening, they are in Saginaw take on the Memorial Cup Champion Spirit. On Sunday they return home to face another rebuilding club, Peterborough Petes. Learn from this game and move forward because if they want to stay at the top, it will only get more difficult. They probably prefer it that way too.

Sign up for our NHL Prospects & Draft Substack newsletter