Windsor Spitfires 2024-25 Season Thread, Part II

[ohloutsider]

Belchetz can really throw. I wasn't expecting that.

Belchetz can really throw. I wasn't expecting that.

You can say that again!

Helps when u r that big of a player..

Ya can't teach size and now the league knows he'll stand up for himself.

 

[windsor7]

You can say that again!


Ya can't teach size and now the league knows he'll stand up for himself.

Size doesn't hurt him either..

 

[SpitfireHabs1]

Belchetz is a shit kicker, we learned that in week one when he was bullying guys out there and putting 4 goals up, aint to many guys tossing him around at his size.

Going need a solid third, first goal here is big. Need lots of shots, and Costanzo took off where Froggett left at and we need Joey to have a lights out third here. Hope Walters and the Coaches gets this team prepared for this period.

Hope its not too too serious for Froggett, feel for the kid. He has been heating up and looking like a legit OHL goalie.


Big third, need the first goal!!
Go Spits Go!!!

 

[windsor7]

Someone throw a hit will ya
"Soft play"

 

[OHLTG]

Apparently Belchetz's hand had issues after the fight so he may be done or the night.

 

[windsor7]

Apparently Belchetz's hand had issues after the fight so he may be done or the night.

Thats not smart.

 

[SpitfireHabs1]

Mayday Mayday Mayday.... not prepared for battle in the 3rd & the Knights are laying a whipping on us.

Regroup and try to have a more complete game tomorrow in the home rink. Didnt come out with the urgency needed in that period.

 

[ohloutsider]

That is why you don't waste picks in a year they are not ready to win. Stay the course.

 

[Cherrydon]

London's tenacity on pucks is incredible. That's with 4 of their best players out. The Spits lazy chips towards the middle in their own zone resulted in 2 3rd period goals. 1 by 66 and one by 44. Greentree's one timer needs serious work. Our 4th line was fine. Looked like a Londonl line with tenacity of Gaymes Garden and Lemieux. The top lines juggled from last night did not work. Froggett held us in the 1st until injured. Kid seems to excel with big game pressure. If Belts is hurt we are in trouble. Do the Knights get Barkey back for tomorrow? Tonight should have shown the fence that sitters that next year is a go year. Sell wisely and get things in order for next year. % Greentree is back, likely AJ and possibly Protas with some luck with the Caps. Go Spits tomorrow and take back that loss.

 

[spits]

Spits did not play a good game. Credit to the Knights. Keep in mind, despite missing those WJ players , they still had 8 players drafted by an NHL team playing in this game. Their depth is crazy. Best roster in the country. Spits are the younger, more inexperienced squad.

 

[OHLTG]

A few things...

- Per Windsor Star, Froggett has a lower body injury and will be evaluated on Saturday. Not expected to dress. LaSalle plays tomorrow, Georgetown does not, so... who knows. My gut says Windbiel but that's just a gut.

- I don't think Windsor played a bad opening 40; keeping it a 1-1 game and shots 25-18 is respectable. They weren't used to London's speed or tenacity, though. You can hear about the Windsor/London hype all you want but playing in it's a different matter. Was there some intimidation for the new guys? London seemed eager to prove that they didn't need their WJC guys to beat a contender.

- Two goals in two minutes to start the third killed anything Windsor had. I know they've talked about how they're confident and can come back but I also know that Walters has said that, if they get down a couple or three against a contender, it's darn tough to come back. This was a shining example.

- Hopefully Belchetz is okay. He didn't look bad after the fight but maybe just precautionary. By *no* means do I want him to go looking for scraps; they need his offence and size on the ice. However, if stuff happens, he can certainly handle his own and isn't afraid to throw.

- Same goes for Froggett - hopefully it's nothing serious. Leg/knee injuries are a pain to deal with; I have them myself. He was playing well, which impressed me, so we'll see what the result is. The good news(ish) about the injuries is that they have one game left after tomorrow before the holidays. That's lots of time to rest/heal up.

- Looks like a solid crowd for Saturday. Tickets are mostly in the upper east end so 5,500-6,000 isn't out of the question.

- Friday was a rough one and everyone knows it. Props to London for taking care of business. That said, Saturday's Windsor's chance to go "we're still here." Any intimidation, any shock factor towards their talent, etc. is long out the window. Come home, play the game they know they're capable of, and take a split in the home-and-home.

- With that said, I'm still very much in the "buy light" category. The west is still very wide open, save for London at the top. If Bowler goes out, spends a bit for a veteran D and maybe an 05 F that can help next season, you can win the division and hopefully get 2-3 rounds in. That goes a very long way towards any run next season.

 

[windsor7]

Another slow starts by Windsor.
Didn't show up till very late in 1st period .
Coaching??
Goaltending kept the score respectful.
Defense soft.
Hardly any checking by anyone.
Windsor missed a good opportunity

 

[ohloutsider]

In the paper Walters said you could count on 1 hand the players that showed up to play last night. He said one of their worst games all year.
I'll give more credit to London as they came to play and they always do. Rarely if ever do they take a night off . Spits rarely play a full 60. It showed again last night.

Froggett, Mathurin, Gaymes, Lemieux and Garden would be my 5 that seemed engaged with the game.

I expect more of the same tonight. Costanzo will have to play a 3 in 3 now , likely won't be as sharp as normal. Team will be a disheartened bunch so if London scores early it will be a long night. Be safe.

 

[DetSpitsFan]

Apparently Belchetz's hand had issues after the fight so he may be done or the night.

I thought he was getting taken in for attempted murder

 

[DetSpitsFan]

In the paper Walters said you could count on 1 hand the players that showed up to play last night. He said one of their worst games all year.
I'll give more credit to London as they came to play and they always do. Rarely if ever do they take a night off . Spits rarely play a full 60. It showed again last night.

Froggett, Mathurin, Gaymes, Lemieux and Garden would be my 5 that seemed engaged with the game.

I expect more of the same tonight. Costanzo will have to play a 3 in 3 now , likely won't be as sharp as normal. Team will be a disheartened bunch so if London scores early it will be a long night. Be safe.

Agree with those 5. Joey made some good saves but the beginning of the third killed it. It’s a shame 3/5 of those guys that came to play make up the 4th line. Lemieux was buzzing. Hoping Garden can add some strength cause he’s got some skills but seems he’s always getting pushed around.

Outwater, hope he’s alright but he always seems to be getting knocked around out there. Peer Lite. He’s got some tools just can’t seem to put it together. Kinda has that ‘change of scenery’ label, but I feel he had that before he came here.

Froggett looks like a big game guy, and I was just thinking that before he went down. Hope it’s not too serious and he’s not out long. Would be a great playoff goalie if he’s gonna show up when it matters.

Belchetz didn’t look too banged up, hopefully nothing too serious, missing him would be a huge blow.

Wouldn’t mind seeing Winegard in, been a long time since he’s got an in-game look. I don’t think he’s gonna pop in the top 4 anytime soon, but if we’re gonna be having some injuries, may be worth just looking to see if we need to upgrade or not. Feel bad for the kid as he could be playing hockey somewhere.

Also wanted to give props to Walton. Hes been relatively silent, which isn’t the worst for a defensemen. I’ve liked his game this year but wouldn’t mind a little more physicality

 

[Teflon]

Not much to add. Felt like i was watching the kitchener beat down from a few years ago. Totally out muscled, again why the team needs D help!! The lazy soft shit has to stop too!! Lets see if they come to play tonight.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

London's tenacity on pucks is incredible. That's with 4 of their best players out. The Spits lazy chips towards the middle in their own zone resulted in 2 3rd period goals. 1 by 66 and one by 44. Greentree's one timer needs serious work. Our 4th line was fine. Looked like a Londonl line with tenacity of Gaymes Garden and Lemieux. The top lines juggled from last night did not work. Froggett held us in the 1st until injured. Kid seems to excel with big game pressure. If Belts is hurt we are in trouble. Do the Knights get Barkey back for tomorrow? Tonight should have shown the fence that sitters that next year is a go year. Sell wisely and get things in order for next year. % Greentree is back, likely AJ and possibly Protas with some luck with the Caps. Go Spits tomorrow and take back that loss.

I would agree with most of this. The attention to detail and engagement needs to be much higher. I don't believe since next year is the supposed run year that coming up with that performance is alright. That Knights roster they dressed last night have potentially 14 returnees on it. I think some of us are still being fooled into thinking the Spits can just ride the 06 group next year and 08s to being a title contender. Some of the 06s need to learn about consistency it's year 3 now for them a performance like that out of Greentree and even Spellacy (who has been good recently) isn't good. Guys like Greentree and Spellacy should be the best players out there every shift full stop.

 

[Cherrydon]

I would agree with most of this. The attention to detail and engagement needs to be much higher. I don't believe since next year is the supposed run year that coming up with that performance is alright. That Knights roster they dressed last night have potentially 14 returnees on it. I think some of us are still being fooled into thinking the Spits can just ride the 06 group next year and 08s to being a title contender. Some of the 06s need to learn about consistency it's year 3 now for them a performance like that out of Greentree and even Spellacy (who has been good recently) isn't good. Guys like Greentree and Spellacy should be the best players out there every shift full stop.

Absolutely agree with you. Poor effort and execution is not excusable any year. I mentioned next year as try because this team is not near championship caliber with the D and erratic play of top current player's. Several need to change out for a run. London will be stellar again next year. A down year for them is still 2nd or 3rd place. The 06s are frustrating because although all decent, I am not seeing improvement individually or as a leadership group this season. I am praying the 07 and 08s DO NOT LEARN the 06 bad habits.

 

[Cherrydon]

London 11 NHL drafted players. Spits 4 with only 2 drafted as a Spitfire. Blame coaching past 2 years for some of that but also the culture with the Knights is to develop NHL players and do it as part of a team concept. It's not all doom and gloom because we lost last night, it just was a measuring stick that if you can't get up for a game in London, you have issues. Froggett & Belts brought it. Unfortunately both left early injured.

 

[SpitfireHabs1]

Short memory needed, need to win in our barn and split this back to back & get back to playing spitfire hockey, Stay with the gameplan. Arrive for the puck drop and play a full 60 minutes, especially against these Knights. The Hunters are always prepared and and have their team ready for gametime regardless of who is in the line-up.

Guess Costanzo getting in again, fortunately he has been solid and we need another good performance again tonight to get a bounce back victory. Again hope Froggett is not too bad and back in next week or two.

Walters and the Coaches werent too happy, will be interested to see line combinations for todays game and hope he lit a fire under some players to kick it up a gear or two, that was a big loss yestaurday and lets not make it two in a row.

Go Spits!!

 

[windsor7]

Short memory needed, need to win in our barn and split this back to back & get back to playing spitfire hockey, Stay with the gameplan. Arrive for the puck drop and play a full 60 minutes, especially against these Knights. The Hunters are always prepared and and have their team ready for gametime regardless of who is in the line-up.

Guess Costanzo getting in again, fortunately he has been solid and we need another good performance again tonight to get a bounce back victory. Again hope Froggett is not too bad and back in next week or two.

Walters and the Coaches werent too happy, will be interested to see line combinations for todays game and hope he lit a fire under some players to kick it up a gear or two, that was a big loss yestaurday and lets not make it two in a row.

Go Spits!!

Walters has made line juggling a common theme last few games.

 

[Teflon]

I might start whoever the other goalie is. Joey looked a bit defeated yesterday, he’ll be tired and putting a guy in who’s tendencies arent known to the knights might not be a bad thing.