Windsor Spitfires 2024-25 Season Thread, Part III

[spits]

Played good the opening two periods. It was 2-1 until 10 minutes remained then fell apart.
Out shot them 41-29. The difference I think was in the 1st half of the game, their goalie made some great saves, but ours didn't in the 2nd half.

Not the end of the world. They had won 8 in a row, were due to drop one.

 

[Fastpace]

Joey just fell apart in the 3rd.

Why do you only blame the goalie in a team game, when 5 other players are on the ice out front of him, have they not all missed their assignment ?

 

[TheGremlin]

Why do you only blame the goalie in a team game, when 5 other players are on the ice out front of him, have they not all missed their assignment ?

Because the goalie is there to help fix and bail out the teams mistakes. I’m sorry i’m harder on goalies. I bet Joey even knows he needs to be better. London had break downs today but their goalie made up for them. When teams go thru struggles its the goalie that can win games and pull team thru it. He has been a lot better this year and i hope this is just a slump he is in and will be back to beginning of the year Joey by playoff time.

 

[Fastpace]

Because the goalie is there to help fix and bail out the teams mistakes. I’m sorry i’m harder on goalies. I bet Joey even knows he needs to be better. London had break downs today but their goalie made up for them. When teams go thru struggles its the goalie that can win games and pull team thru it. He has been a lot better this year and i hope this is just a slump he is in and will be back to beginning of the year Joey by playoff time.

According to your analysis, the goalie, on the ice for the full 60 minutes, made 3 errors. Deserving of a public forum humiliation, and degradation for his full 60 minutes of on ice performance against the #1 rank junior hockey team in the country. The team defensively may not have done so well, but Costanzo is sure is deserving some praise for his performance

 

[leafs4life94]

According to your analysis, the goalie, on the ice for the full 60 minutes, made 3 errors. Deserving of a public forum humiliation, and degradation for his full 60 minutes of on ice performance against the #1 rank junior hockey team in the country. The team defensively may not have done so well, but Costanzo is sure is deserving some praise for his performance

Why do always think the goalies should be exempt from criticism? Goalies cannot be compared to other positions - they inherently come with more scrutiny because they're the last line of defense.

A goalie making a mistake is significantly more likely to cost a team the game than a defenseman or a forward.

It's not degradation or humiliation on a public forum for Christ sake it's a criticism of how a player performed.

 

[Cherrydon]

The team overall tonight was not that bad as the score. Joey off game and Medvedev was stellar. The difference. No breaks went the Spits way on the ice. I'm not talking reffing. Was impressed by Kennedy. Looked real good, McNamara played solid. They will win most games playing like that. London played well and capitalized on turnovers and a couple of fortunate bounces. The effort by the Spits was 60 minutes even when the score went lopsided. In it for 53 minutes..

 

[Fastpace]

Why do always think the goalies should be exempt from criticism? Goalies cannot be compared to other positions - they inherently come with more scrutiny because they're the last line of defense.

A goalie making a mistake is significantly more likely to cost a team the game than a defenseman or a forward.

It's not degradation or humiliation on a public forum for Christ sake it's a criticism of how a player performed.

Go ahead, go ask him if it is not.

 

[M21]

Forwards and defencemen can make mistakes and get away with them. Goalies cannot. Not fair to then blame them as the reason for a goal most times. Many things happen before the puck ends up in the net.

 

[OHLTG]

I get it, five goals isn't something you want to look at. However...

1. Greentree flubs the puck in his own zone, Mont is already off to the races and blows past Hicks. Walton can't catch him, either.
2. Mont get the puck by the faceoff dot. McNamara tries to block but may have screened Costanzo. It's high glove.
3. Thrown at the net from the point. Initial shot was low, bounced of McNamara's skate and goes right over Costanzo, who was crouched low for the shot. Costanzo's reaction gives me the feeling he didn't know what just happened.
4. Mont sneaks into an open area blocker side. Hicks tries to cover O'Reilly in front but it's a mismatch and O'R puts home the rebound. Frankly, Walton and Hicks should have switched spots; bigger body in front.
5. Woodall has the puck along the Ldn blue line, skating along it. Mont comes in from behind, gets stick work, steal the puck, goes in on a 2on1. Kennedy is between Mont and Barkey, but as the pass goes to Barkey, Kennedy gets spun around, leaving Barkey to get a pass and a wide open cage. Costanzo didn't even move.

Do I think Costanzo needs to be better? I think even he'd say yes. However, you have a break with rookie, a screen, a deflection, another rookie outmatched, and then a defensive miscue in front of Costanzo. There wasn't much he could have done on those. Add in a very hot London goaltender and... this is what happens.

Windsor played with them for 40 minutes and outshot them. Those are two huge things to build on. Winning in London is tough and we all know that. Get to Flint tomorrow, shake off Friday, and get two points. Then, head home, practice with the new guys, and get ready for a bit of home cooking.

 

[hockeylegend11]

The team overall tonight was not that bad as the score. Joey off game and Medvedev was stellar. The difference. No breaks went the Spits way on the ice. I'm not talking reffing. Was impressed by Kennedy. Looked real good, McNamara played solid. They will win most games playing like that. London played well and capitalized on turnovers and a couple of fortunate bounces. The effort by the Spits was 60 minutes even when the score went lopsided. In it for 53 minutes..

I agree overall the score not representative of the play overall, thought 1st 50 minutes of the game Windsor was the better team except the most important part on the scoreboard down 2-1 despite outplayed the opposition, most games Windsor should have wound up on top,not going to win every game,Spits 8 game winning streak broken,only 2 losses in the last 10 coming on the road and to the same team.
Won't fault Joey though I have seen him play better.
One thing I hate is Windsor going with 8D,10F,I can live with 7 and 11 not 8 and 10.
Play like they against Flint tonight and things should be fine.
Always tough to play on a night when goodbyes are said to those traded away especially hours before referring to Martin in particular, had no problem with the new players especially Kennedy like what he brings.
Looking ahead to game in Flint tonight, changes I would make would be Garden and Gaymes in upfront, out would be Winegard and Hicks from the backend, go with 12 and 6.
As for the goalie myself and even though he didn't dress last night as the backup I would start Newlove deserves it in my opinion ,last 2 wins for Windsor was when he played and I think he should be rewarded.
Wouldn't play Costello till Thursday at home vs Sudbury as he hasn't practiced with the group yet.
Recipe don't take Flint lightly get back on the winning track tonight.

 

[ohloutsider]

Goaltending is definitely a concern. Putting all your eggs in one basket when that basket is starting to leak again is a concern. Maybe the Spits could trade for a legit back up? I suggested this and Bowler failed to listen. Now the Spits are back to the needing to score 6 or 7 a game to win. Very very concerning. This will never work once/ if they meet Kitchener or London in the playoffs. Can thls goalie issue be fixed internally? Not sure but it has to be or we will be discussing this very same issue going into a supposedly go year.

Just to be clear i think Costanzo is still hurting. There was at least 3 of the goals he struggled to move on. That is not the way he played before he tweeked something. We need the October Joey back.

 

[Teflon]

One of the reasons i harp for better D is goaltending is very average here. Theyve been better with a real coach this year but still not guys who will steal games. London has 2 of them. You can certainly win with these guys but you gotta help them out and goalies MUST be on their game. One of the reasons i think london excels is the goalies, its a definite advantage.
You now know what your up against, its up to the team to put a strategy together to deal with them. Imho if we see them in the playoffs i play them like Kitchener played us that first round debacle a few years back. The goalie position to me is still in transition they all would be getting used and the best guys would play.

 

[All the Answers]

One of the reasons i harp for better D is goaltending is very average here. They've been better with a real coach this year but still not guys who will steal games. London has 2 of them. You can certainly win with these guys but you gotta help them out and goalies MUST be on their game. One of the reasons i think london excels is the goalies, its a definite advantage.
You now know what your up against, its up to the team to put a strategy together to deal with them. Imho if we see them in the playoffs i play them like Kitchener played us that first round debacle a few years back. The goalie position to me is still in transition they all would be getting used and the best guys would play.

I don't think the London tandem are guys who can or have stolen many games. They're a team that's very hard to get chances, and more importantly, second chances against. I wouldn't say Joey is worse than either of them at this point. The problem being is London has the puck so much, and their guys know how to finish. Until they're pressured, we're not really sure what they have between the pipes, and I don't think they'll be pressured (sustained) until at least round three of the playoffs.

 

[TheGremlin]

According to your analysis, the goalie, on the ice for the full 60 minutes, made 3 errors. Deserving of a public forum humiliation, and degradation for his full 60 minutes of on ice performance against the #1 rank junior hockey team in the country. The team defensively may not have done so well, but Costanzo is sure is deserving some praise for his performance

That’s a good one. Humiliation. Lol. You make it sound like i’m calling him a bad person or saying he sucks at hockey. Geesh. All that was said is he needs to be better. If he isn’t the team isn’t going to win the championship. I’m pretty sure Joey has felt the same way over the past 4 games. If you go back and look at most every goal that gets scored you could say a forward or dman made a mistake somewhere and that is why the goal happened. Some people on here have nicknames for players that that are “soft” but that doesn’t seem to bother you.

 

[TheGremlin]

Goaltending is definitely a concern. Putting all your eggs in one basket when that basket is starting to leak again is a concern. Maybe the Spits could trade for a legit back up? I suggested this and Bowler failed to listen. Now the Spits are back to the needing to score 6 or 7 a game to win. Very very concerning. This will never work once/ if they meet Kitchener or London in the playoffs. Can thls goalie issue be fixed internally? Not sure but it has to be or we will be discussing this very same issue going into a supposedly go year.

Just to be clear i think Costanzo is still hurting. There was at least 3 of the goals he struggled to move on. That is not the way he played before he tweeked something. We need the October Joey back.

I totally forgot about the possible injury from a few games back. Now i’m more to blame the team if this is the case. You need Joey to be healthy and if playing him is going to take longer for injury to heal then they shouldn’t be playing him.

 

[ohloutsider]

I totally forgot about the possible injury from a few games back. Now i’m more to blame the team if this is the case. You need Joey to be healthy and if playing him is going to take longer for injury to heal then they shouldn’t be playing him.

And the second part of this is Froggett healthy yet?
Like you say maybe they play their 3rd and 4th string options a few more times to give them a chance to heal? Need both to be healthy in March. I guess the only issue with that is keeping them under 10 games and not hurting their JrB clubs in the process.

 

[RayzorIsDull]

The team overall tonight was not that bad as the score. Joey off game and Medvedev was stellar. The difference. No breaks went the Spits way on the ice. I'm not talking reffing. Was impressed by Kennedy. Looked real good, McNamara played solid. They will win most games playing like that. London played well and capitalized on turnovers and a couple of fortunate bounces. The effort by the Spits was 60 minutes even when the score went lopsided. In it for 53 minutes..

I won't disagree with some of this. Unfortunately you touched on the issue. You never mentioned Greentree. He got shutdown so did the team.

 

[windsor7]

Windsor with a loss
Played well for 40 minutes.
Was the better team during that time. No doubt.
London played sloppy.
Im guessing that is not how London usually plays. Very loose n ton of turnovers. They will play better. And they still out up 5 on Windsor.
Defense was average at "best"
Joey let a couple bad ones in.
London almost shut down the top line.
Problem is, no other line contributed much. Huge problem.
Windsor was the bigger team. Though they didn't play like it. Very little hitting or pushing London around.
If u r going to be the bigger team. Play like it. Otherwise u r just tall players. Nothing more.
No excuses this game.
Onto next game.

 

[M21]

I don't think the London tandem are guys who can or have stolen many games. They're a team that's very hard to get chances, and more importantly, second chances against. I wouldn't say Joey is worse than either of them at this point. The problem being is London has the puck so much, and their guys know how to finish. Until they're pressured, we're not really sure what they have between the pipes, and I don't think they'll be pressured (sustained) until at least round three of the playoffs.

Did you watch the game last night? Medvedev was excellent and was the difference in the game until the Knights woke up in the third period.

 

[BoogieB]

It`s only one game and it came on the final day of the trade deadline, on the road vs a team that was ready to go. Our boys were a bit scrambled as our lineup was last minute and the team never had a chance to practice together even once. However, There are some real positives in that game.

1. We out shot the #1 ranked team in the CHL, and i would say we out chanced them.
2. We made London look average for most of the night.
3. The trades BB made looked like a real nice fit for the club. We are better today than a week ago.
4. Macnamara looks like a great pairing with AJ Spellacy, the two seemed to have instant chemistry.
5. Kennedy looked as described, a steady big D man that can get the puck up and out and clear the net. He will be a great asset on the PK and a top 4 in the rotation.
6. Our rookies don't look like rookies, Belchez , Lemieux , Hicks are really coming along. They all will only get better as the season progresses.
7. Our veterans are playing out of their skates. Greentree, Protas, Morneau, Davis, Walton,Abraham, Spellacy, and the rest are really driving hard. Keep it going boys.

Windsor did not get beat by the # 1 ranked team in the CHL the London Knights, they got beat by a rookie goaltender named Medvedev.
If Windsor plays the way they played in London, they will win most games and could make some noise in the playoffs.

This only raises my one question...why do we not give this Newlove more of a chance?

Windsor will learn from this one, regroup , get home have some home cooking a bit of rest and have a nice week to practice and get ready.

Great Job boys, Blue Skies ahead !

 

[windsor7]

It`s only one game and it came on the final day of the trade deadline, on the road vs a team that was ready to go. Our boys were a bit scrambled as our lineup was last minute and the team never had a chance to practice together even once. However, There are some real positives in that game.

1. We out shot the #1 ranked team in the CHL, and i would say we out chanced them.
2. We made London look average for most of the night.
3. The trades BB made looked like a real nice fit for the club. We are better today than a week ago.
4. Macnamara looks like a great pairing with AJ Spellacy, the two seemed to have instant chemistry.
5. Kennedy looked as described, a steady big D man that can get the puck up and out and clear the net. He will be a great asset on the PK and a top 4 in the rotation.
6. Our rookies don't look like rookies, Belchez , Lemieux , Hicks are really coming along. They all will only get better as the season progresses.
7. Our veterans are playing out of their skates. Greentree, Protas, Morneau, Davis, Walton,Abraham, Spellacy, and the rest are really driving hard. Keep it going boys.

Windsor did not get beat by the # 1 ranked team in the CHL the London Knights, they got beat by a rookie goaltender named Medvedev.
If Windsor plays the way they played in London, they will win most games and could make some noise in the playoffs.

This only raises my one question...why do we not give this Newlove more of a chance?

Windsor will learn from this one, regroup , get home have some home cooking a bit of rest and have a nice week to practice and get ready.

Great Job boys, Blue Skies ahead !

Yes London goalie played really well
However Windsor d n goalie didn't.
And Windsor needs to be a lot more physical. They were barely.

 

[All the Answers]

Did you watch the game last night? Medvedev was excellent and was the difference in the game until the Knights woke up in the third period.

I did not watch the game, but good that Medvedev had a good showing while under pressure. I will stick by my comment, however. One, it will take an impressive team to outwork these Knights night after night in a series, and two, it remains to be seen how their goaltending will hold up to that, as that really hadn't happened over the season to date. This is because as much as it pains me, these Knights are too damn good FOR it to happen.

 

[ohloutsider]

Did you watch the game last night? Medvedev was excellent and was the difference in the game until the Knights woke up in the third period.

Montgomery's goal was the same shot that Davis fired last night. Same distance out, no one blocking the view, high speed heading for the top corner. Difference was one went in and the other did not. Costanzo never moved on that shot. It just looked like he couldn't move on some shots so there has to be an issue with mobility?
It will be interesting to see who starts in net tonight?

 

[Cherrydon]

I also wonder if Joey is nursing an injury. London’s 5th goal though had little chance on his knees with the pass, but he didn't even attempt a dive to stop the goal. He should have been standing to be able to at least move if the pass came which it did. Last 4 games he has a 5.38 GAA and 83% save %. Remember 5 games ago when he went out at the Soo he was 20 shots no goals and in fire until he was hurt.

 

[Fastpace]

That’s a good one. Humiliation. Lol. You make it sound like i’m calling him a bad person or saying he sucks at hockey. Geesh. All that was said is he needs to be better. If he isn’t the team isn’t going to win the championship. I’m pretty sure Joey has felt the same way over the past 4 games. If you go back and look at most every goal that gets scored you could say a forward or dman made a mistake somewhere and that is why the goal happened. Some people on here have nicknames for players that that are “soft” but that doesn’t seem to bother you.

You are taking it personally, and you are not even playing. Imaging how players that do play, and have free access to all negative comments of themselves on social media, feel. They have coaches, parents and friends in their circle to deal with their errors, they don't need the public to remind them of what they already know. Costanzo's stats says he is fourth in the league among goalies. He got there even though he made some mistakes in some games. Give him some credit, he needs everyone's encouragement from his own fans. I am a Knights fan, have been since the late 70s, but I am first and foremost a hockey fan first, and will defend any player on social media from any team, including Windsor players. The least we can do is wait until they turn pros, there will be enough time for criticisms at that level. Let them learn the game first before jumping all over them. I am now moving on from this topic. Cheers !