The Windsor Spitfires aren’t going down without a fight. The club continued its push toward the playoffs on Sunday, earning a big win at home against a tough division rival, the Soo Greyhounds.
With 16 games left in their Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season, losing to the Western Conference’s eighth-seeded Flint Firebirds on the road on Saturday was tough to accept. The 10th-seeded Spitfires fell to 13 points back of the Firebirds despite playing near .500 hockey over their last 10 games. This is what made Sunday’s game against the third-seeded Greyhounds so important. Not only had the Spitfires lost all four meetings this season between the clubs but they needed some light at the end of the tunnel to keep pushing. Fortunately, they got it, even with a tough lesson at the end. Here are three takeaways from a busy Sunday afternoon.
Spitfires Learning to Win
After winning back-to-back regular season conference titles, Spitfires’ general manager Bill Bowler has started to rebuild a bit and it’s meant a younger, inexperienced roster. Now, the club must learn how to win consistently. Coming into Sunday, they had lost three of their last six games in extra time. When you’re scratching for points, extra time losses hit harder. Fortunately, they got the start they needed against the Greyhounds.
Spitfires’ veteran defenceman Djibril Toure opened the scoring late in the first period before the club added four more in the second frame for a commanding 5-0 lead after 40 minutes. In the third, the Greyhounds took it personally and made the home side work for the points. The visitors scored four in the frame, but Spitfires’ rookie Cole Davis tallied one of his own as the Spitfires took a 6-4 win.
The Spitfires have had issues letting teams back into games, resulting in numerous losses this season. That almost happened again as they were out-shot by the Greyhounds 15-8 in the third period and watched the visitors put up four. However, interim head coach Casey Torres said it’s a learning process and this time they were relatively successful.
“Of late, we’ve played very well,” he said. “…We’ve taken some games to overtime (and) gotten some points. Yes, we’d like to get more, but we’re taking positive steps. We’re a young team that’s growing and we have to learn to finish these games off. We did that tonight. Could we have been a little bit better in the third? Sure, but that’s a really strong team and they’re resilient. They cranked it up and they put their best foot forward in the third.”
Davis Becoming Household Name
Part of the roster turnover has included getting plenty of ice time for the 16, 17, and 18-year-old players. On Sunday, those players combined for five goals and 10 points, including a goal and a helper from the 17-year-old Davis. While players like captain Liam Greentree, defenceman Anthony Cristoforo and forward A.J. Spellacy have received most of the fanfare so far, Davis is making a case to join them.
The Spitfires’ fourth-round pick in 2022, Davis spent most of last season with the LaSalle Vipers Junior B team before getting a cup of coffee in the OHL. Now, he’s taking his chance and running with it. During the third period on Sunday, he found himself alone in front of the net during a power play. Spellacy fed him the puck and he redirected it into the net for his 18th of the season. That’s the third most goals on the team and third most among league rookies. What’s been the secret to Davis’ success this season? He said he was given an opportunity and wants to make the most of it.
“I’m developing really well here in Windsor,” he said. “It’s from the help of teammates and coaches; everyone just pushes each other to be better. Here, I’ve been given a lot of opportunities that not a lot of rookies get and I’m really thankful for that.”
While Davis is just 5-foot-11, 175 pounds, he’s quick on his feet and throws his weight around with the best of them. He’s already becoming a fan favourite at the WFCU Centre and Sunday just added to his story. He was ranked 184th (North American skaters) on the NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings in January and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he continued to climb the rankings before June’s draft.
Can’t Look at Standings
It’s that time of season when everyone’s favourite (or not) game starts taking place – “What do the standings look like?” If you’re near the top of the standings, it can be fun. However, for teams who are trying to get into the playoffs, it could be a whole other story.
With the Spitfires coming into the game 13 points back of the Firebirds for the final playoff spot, and 11 points back of the Sarnia Sting for ninth, you can’t blame them if they would rather keep it out of the mind. Torres said they know the situation but he would rather focus on home.
“Very little to be honest,” he said regarding the room talking about the standings. “No question, it’s a steep hill to climb, but you can’t focus on the big hill. Just focus on getting better. Work on one game at a time and focus on parts of the game that dictate success.”
Davis echoed Torres’ comments. He said it’s all a process and that they’re trying to do things the right way.
“We’re kind of just focused on every single game, take it day-by-day, and see how it goes in the end,” he said. “We’re just trying to win every game we can. Whether we make the playoffs or not, we’re just getting better.”
Related: Windsor Spitfires Looked to Reload at 2022 OHL Draft
Focusing on the games and not the standings is probably the team’s best move right now. They now get ready for another big test in Dale Hunter’s London Knights on the road on Monday. The Knights sit atop the Western Conference and handed Torres’ club a 5-1 loss in London earlier this month. For the Spitfires, learning to play the right way is the only way to grow. The playoffs will come in due time, whether that’s this season or 2024-25.
Spitfires Join Community at Lanspeary Park
While the club finishes up a busy stretch of seven games in 11 days, they had a chance to unwind a bit on Friday afternoon. They joined 200 fans from around the city at Lanspeary Park in Windsor for an outdoor practice, skills competition, and some 3-on-3 action.
The players, staff, and mascots arrived on the team bus just after 1:30 p.m., signed a few autographs, and took a few selfies before hitting the ice. Torres put them through some mild drills but then it was all lighthearted fun designed to get some laughs from the players and the crowd. From a shootout to goaltender Joey Costanzo diving in a relay race to grab his team a win, there was something for everyone. Greentree said you need events like this.
“It was definitely a fun practice,” he said on Sunday. “Outdoor practices are a really cool thing. It was really cool greeting the fans and just being with the community. That was a big thing for us.”
One of the toughest parts of junior hockey is the schedule, especially on the road to the playoffs. Between full practices, games, travel, and off-ice learning, you rarely get time to unwind. Torres said days off for the players are not only great for the community but they help the players.
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“It’s fantastic,” he said on Sunday. “We have a skate with the Spitfires here this afternoon and we got out to the outdoor rink (on Friday). It’s a tough part in the season; guys playing a lot of minutes. We’re trying to find some off days in the schedule to make sure we’re at our peak performance.”