As the calendar gets ready to flip to March, the Windsor Spitfires are preparing themselves for battle. The final weekend of February also brings a tough trio of games that they must find answers for if they want to move up in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) standings.
The Spitfires have gone toe-to-toe with the Kitchener Rangers and Flint Firebirds for the Western Conference title all season. After losing to both clubs last weekend, setting them five and three points back, respectively, the Spitfires start the weekend with 11 games left and three contenders on the agenda. Thursday night, they’re home to the Peterborough Petes (fourth – East). Friday night, they face the Knights (fifth – West) in London. Saturday, they’re back home to face the Barrie Colts (second – East). It’s also the last weekend of three games in three nights. Here are three keys to getting the six points.
Finding Their Missing Offence
Last weekend against the Rangers (3-0 loss) and Firebirds (2-1 loss), the Spitfires managed just one goal on 48 shots. With a lineup that includes forwards Liam Greentree (New York Rangers), Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia Flyers), and Nathan Villeneuve (Seattle Kraken), it was a tough pill to swallow.
That’s why this week, the club has been focusing on offence. Following their loss to the Firebirds on Sunday, head coach Greg Walters said that, even with their captain missing the game due to an illness, they had the tools to produce. It’s their focus moving forward.
“We defend as well as anybody, but we have to score,” he said. “We played well in the third but weren’t able to score. That’s our total focus now, trying to create more offence … We don’t shoot enough. We have opportunities to do so. We turn it up and look for something else. We need to correct that.”
Villeneuve, brought in from the Sudbury Wolves at the January trade deadline, was held off the score sheet with just two shots on goal in the two games. While he doesn’t mind being pointless if they win, he said on Sunday that he still wants to add offence while playing a pro style of game.
“Personally, I haven’t been putting up any points or helping the team on that side of the game,” he said. “Mentally, I have to check back in on that part. I think everyone in the room feels the same.”
Related: Windsor Spitfires Acquire Villeneuve and Pharand from Wolves in Blockbuster
All three clubs this weekend are capable of putting up big offensive numbers. While defence-first hockey helps, it’s not solely going to earn you any points. Walters said that’s going to be a focus.
“There are two games – one where we have the puck and one where we don’t,” he said. “We need to play just as hard with both. We’re just not executing at the rate we need to to produce offence.”
With a lineup full of offensive potential, this weekend will need to see a change in approach if they want any chance to earn points.
No Shorthanded Goals Against
One of the Spitfires’ growing concerns over the last month has been allowing shorthanded goals. It feels like a game of two seasons.
Before the Jan. 9 trade deadline, the Spitfires were 39-for-149 on the power play in 40 games, which was second in the OHL at 26.4 percent. They had given up just one shorthanded goal. Since then, in their last 16 games, they’ve gone 15-for-52 (28.9 percent), but have given up a whopping eight shorthanded goals. That includes three in their last five games, two of which came on the same power play on Thurs, Feb. 12, at home against the Sarnia Sting.
It’s an uncharacteristically bad stat for the club since Walters and his defence-first approach took over. Last season, they gave up two total. Walters said when you combine poorly-timed penalties with this ugly trend, it’s a bad recipe.
“You can’t take a penalty 200 feet away from your net and then give up another shorthanded goal,” he said. “Which is eight since Jan. 10.”
The club either gets lazy with the extra man, or they move away from the plan, which results in scrambles, turnovers, and plays going the other way. If you do that against anyone this weekend, they will find a way to bury you. The Colts are third in the league with 10 shorthanded goals, while the Petes and Knights have seven and five, respectively.
The power play should give you much-needed momentum. Spitfires’ assistant coach Casey Torres has been working with the group to get them refocused. When they’re on, they’ve done well. When they’re off, bad things happen, and that’s what needs to be avoided this weekend.
Costanzo and Newlove Shining
While the Spitfires’ offence and defence need to be at their best, we can’t ignore the crease as a key point this weekend.
This season, goaltender Joey Costanzo, 20, has been lights out. He’s among the league leaders with a 2.11 goals-against average (GAA), .910 save percentage (SV%), and 27 wins in 41 appearances. Aside from allowing four goals on 22 shots against the Soo Greyhounds in early February, he has yet to allow more than three goals in 11 other starts since Jan. 16 on the road against the Erie Otters. In fact, he’s allowed four-or-more goals just twice in 26 appearances since Nov. 13. The other appearance was a 7-3 loss at home to the Brantford Bulldogs in mid-January.
Costanzo has been the Spitfires’ rock. He may not always get the offensive support, as we saw last weekend, but you know they’ve got a great shot to win when he takes the crease.
He’s backed up by 19-year-old first-year goaltender Michael Newlove, who was the Spitfires’ first overall pick in the 2024 OHL Under-18 Draft. After allowing just two goals on 56 shots in his first two appearances, he has developed into a reliable backup with a 2.99 GAA and .880 SV% in 20 appearances. The club has confidence in him, and he will likely get one start this weekend to keep him in game shape. The hope is maybe he takes control of the crease next season when Costanzo graduates.
Nothing about this weekend will be easy for the Spitfires. However, knowing their goaltenders are on their games will go a long way towards getting six points. It all starts Thursday when the Petes come to the WFCU Centre.
