The Windsor Spitfires’ injury list has grown to a ridiculous level.

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The Windsor Spitfires’ injury list has grown to a ridiculous level.

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An illness forced captain Liam Greentree to the sidelines just minutes before Friday’s game against the Kitchener Rangers. Less than two minutes into the first period, rookie J.C. Lemieux headed to the dressing room after taking an open-ice hit and did not return.

That pushed Windsor’s injury list to nine players with A.J. Spellacy, Cole Davis, first overall pick Ethan Belchetz, Owen Outwater, Tnias Mathurin, Carson Woodall and Tanner Winegard sidelined.

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“Everyone’s here to win, no one wants to lose,” Spitfires’ centre Jack Nesbitt said. “It’s tough having nine guys out, but we’re going to keep going through it.”

So, a 5-2 loss to the Rangers before a crowd of 5,632 at the WFCU Centre on Friday wasn’t a shock. The fact a lineup of fill-in players managed to outshoot the Rangers, who needed an empty-net goal to seal it, was surprising.

“It actually brings tears when I tell how proud I am of these kids that went to war,” Spitfires’ head coach Greg Walters said. “Nine guys out and we had a chance. We had some really goods looks, (Rangers’ goalie Jackson) Parsons was real good again, but so proud of these kids.”

The absence of Greentree, who took warmups, hit like a punch to the stomach for the Spitfires, who generated just four shots on net in the first period and trailed 1-0 on a goal by Jack Pridham.

“He was sick in Game 4,” Walters said of Greentree. “Battled through it. He’s a warrior and (Friday), he just wasn’t able to go. You can’t lose a 120-point guy and everything’s OK, but it is what it is.”

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Trent Swick and Christan Humphreys pushed the Kitchener lead to 3-0 with under seven minutes to play in the second period, but Spitfires refused to fold.

“I think we all battled through it,” Nesbitt said. “We never gave up.”

Ilya Protas closed the gap to 3-1, but Kitchener restored its three-goal lead before the end of the period on a defensive miscue by the Spitfires that led to a Luca Romano goal.

“Obviously, a couple of mistakes and that’s going to happen when guys are tired or not used to the minutes they’re playing, but super proud,” Walters said.

The Spitfires’ Josef Eichler cut the Kitchener lead to 4-2 in the third period, but Windsor could draw no closer.

“It was a really good effort,” Protas said. “Doesn’t matter who we have in the lineup or don’t have, it’s all about us. We’re a really good team and we always have a chance to win”

Swick finally sealed the Kitchener win with an empty-net goal to cut the Spitfires lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series to 3-2. Game 6 of the series is Sunday in Kitchener.

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“I don’t know how it’s happened, why it’s happened, but we still believe in this team,” Walters said in reference to his depleted roster. “We still have a lot of belief in this group and hopefully we get some guys back.”

jpparker@postmedia.com

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Game Summary

Friday Result

Rangers 5 Spitfires 2

Kitchener 1 3 1 – 5

Windsor 0 1 1 – 2

First period: 1. Kitchener, Pridham 4 (Humphreys) 5:28. Penalties: Swick K (slashing) 11:13, Hicks W (cross checking) 13:52, Andonovski K (head check) 16:07, Morneau W (slashing) 16:23.

Second period: 2. Kitchener, Swick 5 (Pridham, Humphreys) 8:14, 3. Kitchener, Humphreys 3 (Swick, Andonovski) 13:02, 4. Windsor, Protas 5 (Morneau, Robinson) 16:47, 5. Kitchener, Romano 3 (Ellinas) 18:26. Penalties: Romano K (slashing) 4:36, Kennedy W (high sticking) 8:50, Morneau W (delay of game) 19:45.

Third period: 6. Windsor, Eichler 1 (unassisted) 5:14, 7. Kitchener, Swick 6 (Andonovski) 19:02 (en), 

Penalties: Lam K (slashing), Eichler W (roughing) 1:56, Ellinas K (roughing), Costello W (double minor roughing) 13:39, Romano K (interference) 14:48, 

Game stats – SOG – Kitchener 8 10 3 – 21 Windsor 4 14 5 – 23 Goal (shots-saves) – Kitchener: Parsons (W,6-4-0) (23-21). Windsor: Costanzo (L,7-2-1) (20-16). Power play (goals-chances) – Kitchener 0-5. Windsor 0-4. Referees: Mike Cairns and Scott Ferguson. Linesmen: Spencer Knox and Dustin McCrank. Att.: 5,632 at the WFCU Centre.

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