3 Takeaways From Spitfires 4-0 Win at Home vs Wolves

After the game, Spitfires’ head coach Greg Walters said it was a slow start and one bounce could have changed things. However, they stuck to the plan and executed.

“Their goalie played extremely well, he was making some huge saves,” Walters said. “One lucky bounce and they’re right back in the game. We just stayed calm … How about our young guys, McLaughlin, (Caden) Harvey (two assists), Gaymes; our secondary scoring has been huge for us. It’s a credit to these kids. For the first 10 minutes, I thought they outworked us. Our execution was off. For the last 50 minutes, we took control.”

This was Costanzo’s first shutout of the season. He said this shutout belonged to the team, not just him, and his defence has been excellent so far.

“A game like that, where you only give up 20 shots, that’s as team shutout as it gets,” Costanzo said. “The guys were great in front of me, especially the defence … I want to say this is probably the best defensive core I’ve had since I’ve been in the league … They do a great job in front of me and it’s only fair that I’m good to them when called upon. That’s my goal. Sometimes (shots will) be few and far between but I want to be there for this team.”

McLaughlin and Brown Make History

While the Spitfires’ defensive game was impeccable, there were some bright lights on offence. Coming into the game, the Spitfires had multiple rookies who had at least one point so far. Last weekend, they saw forward Beksultan Makysh score his first three OHL goals. On Thursday night, it was McLaughlin and Brown’s turn for their moments.

In the third period, McLaughlin took a beautiful pass from defenceman Carson Woodall, took the shot, found his own rebound, and beat Marshall for his first goal. The youngster missed most of last season after knee surgery and this was the moment he had been dreaming about.

“It feels great,” McLaughlin said. “All the boys were really happy … Just a great pass from Woodall, he set that play up and stuck with it. I wasn’t really expecting to get the rebound back, so super excited when I saw it … (The surgery) been a lot of adversity but a lot of people close to me that I’ve really leaned on. I’ve been thinking about this moment for the last year. It’s really cool that it actually happened.”

Brown’s goal came later when he skated in from the point and beat Marshall nearly bar-down. It happened so quickly that it wasn’t immediately known if it was a goal or not. Referee Ryan Hutchison emphatically pointed towards the goal as defenceman Conor Walton grabbed the puck for Brown. He had four goals in 56 games last season with Shattuck St. Mary’s 18U Prep in Minnesota.

Spitfires Youth Taking Advantage of Experience

The Spitfires have the potential to be a veteran team that makes a serious playoff run this season. However, while they’ve got most of their older players back from NHL training camps, they’re missing captain Liam Greentree (Los Angeles Kings), A.J. Spellacy (Chicago Blackhawks), and Jack Nesbitt (Philadelphia Flyers).

As a result, the Spitfires’ youth and secondary scorers have stepped up and Thursday was no different. The rookies combined for three goals and seven assists. Add in sophomores Ethan Belchetz and J.C. Lemieux getting assists and Gaymes getting a goal, and it’s scoring the club needs right now. Walters said it’s a credit to general manager Bill Bowler, former head scout Frank Evola, director of player personnel Mark Seidel, and the rest of their staff.

“We’re so lucky here,” he said. “Brown’s been a man out there for us, coming in as a new guy. Harvey, McLaughlin, (Max) Brocklehurst has been real good for us. The list goes on and on, and we’re lucky to be here.”

Walters added that last season’s playoff injury list meant that younger players got a chance to step up then and that experience is paying off now.

It’s not clear when Spellacy, Greentree, or Nesbitt will return to the OHL, assuming they do at all. For now, the Spitfires are playing the hand they were dealt and having no issues in the process. They’re now 3-0, outscoring opponents 16-2, and are just hoping to keep riding this momentum. They will have little time to celebrate, though, as they hit the road to face the very tough Barrie Colts on Saturday and the always feisty Oshawa Generals on Sunday.