TheGremlin
Registered User
They should have kept playfair and boka together to be shutdown guys and moved up McDonald somewhere.
Windsor Spitfires 2019-20 Season Thread (Part 2)
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I don't think having them as shutdown guys suits them either. Shutdown guys play against the opposing top line I don't think you want to play Playfair and Boka more than you have to.
Boka, Playfair with Douglas. A strong defensive presence as well as a strong forecheck from Boka and Playfair but not the best offensive games when it comes to finishing, Douglas would add that dimension lined up with those two.
TheGremlin
Registered User
This drop back pass on the PP needs to stop. Foudy needs to stop trying to be so perfect on set ups. And where is Cuylle? Douglas cost us 2nd goal and almost cost us another on the PK
Also you gotta know what refs are calling for penalties. You can’t keep doing the same crap and expect not to get called.
Also you gotta know what refs are calling for penalties. You can’t keep doing the same crap and expect not to get called.
TheGremlin
Registered User
Also wonder if Andree can get a bigger chest protector. Or maybe the kid has no neck
TheGremlin
Registered User
This is an issue i have with Boka being captain. He well swearing at ref while going for a line change and ref skating at other end of ice and after winning goal he was first guy to room and never came out to see medina. Not captain material
The Spits looked great tonight and deserved a better fate.
With the right moves you will quite possibly have the best team in the O next year IMO.
With the right moves you will quite possibly have the best team in the O next year IMO.
The team is a work in progress, two teams right now.
A young and talented group that is suited for one style and an older vet group better suited for another.
If they can get the right mix with what they have they can have a very good showing this year and you're right, the right moves that need to start this year can have them set up for the coming years.
There's work to be done but until we see some direction it's hard to tell if they are looking hard at next year or the year after.
Great game and great push back when you were down by 2 in the third. With a bit more experience, Medina should be a solid tender and you guys will be scary good. Can’t wait for the rematch in the nation’s capital!
OHLTG
Registered User
A tale of two teams is pretty much smack on...
There were spurts of 10 minutes at a time where the Spitfires completely dominated them. It wasn't even close. Then, it was the complete reversal. This went back-and-forth for the entire 62ish minutes. If the Spitfires can find some consistency, whether it be in overall play, or simply lines, they'll be pretty darn tough to beat every night. This club likes to hit, they like to be creative offensively, and they're getting more reliable defensively. It's a fun team to watch, most of the time. When you take the nation's top team to OT, you're doing something pretty well.
Are there issues? Certainly. Am I worried right now? Nah. You can see their confidence growing. Just gotta find the right combos and run with it.
There were spurts of 10 minutes at a time where the Spitfires completely dominated them. It wasn't even close. Then, it was the complete reversal. This went back-and-forth for the entire 62ish minutes. If the Spitfires can find some consistency, whether it be in overall play, or simply lines, they'll be pretty darn tough to beat every night. This club likes to hit, they like to be creative offensively, and they're getting more reliable defensively. It's a fun team to watch, most of the time. When you take the nation's top team to OT, you're doing something pretty well.
Are there issues? Certainly. Am I worried right now? Nah. You can see their confidence growing. Just gotta find the right combos and run with it.
So the first period in particular the Spits got themselves in a lot of penalty trouble, cost them a goal or two and couldn't get much going, and yes they earned those penalties, they were consistent calls.
Third period they pulled it together, tied it up eventually losing in OT.
Some good, nice to see Afanasyev and Cuylle both get their first of the year. Nice to see the effort kept up regardless of the score, penalty trouble etc.
First game with these new lines, see how they do over the weekend but not a fan of them. Letowksi likes his vets but most of his vets have far different skill sets than the 02s and 03s. Quite trying to force a fit that isn't there.
The first PP unit tonight, get Angle off and put Foudy on it. Angle has become a shoot first player and he's been scoring but having your two biggest shooters out there trying to be playmakers makes no sense, they're less of a threat. While I would prefer Corcoran on the first unit Rafkin seems to be handling it well as the only D. Either one is fine.
Again, see how things unfold over the weekend, at least Letowski tried to change it up but I don't see it it working with the way they were lined up tonight. Too many players who don't have complimentary skill sets playing together.
Medina wasn't bad, tough match up, lots of penalties to start the game and for his second game in that situation he did a decent job.
Third period they pulled it together, tied it up eventually losing in OT.
Some good, nice to see Afanasyev and Cuylle both get their first of the year. Nice to see the effort kept up regardless of the score, penalty trouble etc.
First game with these new lines, see how they do over the weekend but not a fan of them. Letowksi likes his vets but most of his vets have far different skill sets than the 02s and 03s. Quite trying to force a fit that isn't there.
The first PP unit tonight, get Angle off and put Foudy on it. Angle has become a shoot first player and he's been scoring but having your two biggest shooters out there trying to be playmakers makes no sense, they're less of a threat. While I would prefer Corcoran on the first unit Rafkin seems to be handling it well as the only D. Either one is fine.
Again, see how things unfold over the weekend, at least Letowski tried to change it up but I don't see it it working with the way they were lined up tonight. Too many players who don't have complimentary skill sets playing together.
Medina wasn't bad, tough match up, lots of penalties to start the game and for his second game in that situation he did a decent job.
OHLTG
Registered User
Personally, not a fan of Boka on the top two lines. He's great as a third or fourth line guy; banging, crashing, playing that defensive style. No need to force offence out of him when you've literally got six or seven other guys (purboo, foudy, cuylle, afanasyev, johnston, maggio, d'amico... and that's off top of my head) that can/should play that style instead.
TheGremlin
Registered User
Agree with most but there is no way Ottawa is nations best. The rankings are so flawed this early. How they rank #1 winning 2 games in shootout and the other in OT and loss to the Petes. Hardly dominate team right now.
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OHLTG
Registered User
Even if you say "take a top-10 national team to OT', the idea still fits. Ottawa has a very solid roster and will likely be in the top 10, or even top 5, by seasons end. Playing with them is no easy feat.
Crease Master
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- Dec 17, 2016
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Nice, looks like the coaches listened to me. Medina got the start and despite that one goal that creeped in he looked excellent and gave us a chance to win. They also got Cuylle away from Foudy and he had his best game, although he still isn't 100 percent dialed in yet, missing on some golden opportunities. He was looking like he wanted to drive things and was creating chances himself however, getting that sweet shot off more frequently. Egor looked much better with Foudy as well, I'm finally seeing what he has to offer.
I liked some of the line changes, but there's still some issues I see. Our young players are the most skilled players and all of our veteran leaders are the hard working grunts who take the body and belong in the bottom 6. That's fine if those guys are deployed in those roles but they aren't. Too many guys like Angle, Boka, Playfair and Purboo are playing up in the lineup and not enough of the young skill is. McDonald has several goals while Maggio looked fantastic, but those guys were on the 4th line which looked so awesome tonight. A little less Purboo and a little more Maggio or McDonald and we're probably winning tonight. That's not just an over reaction to Purboo's brain fart in overtime, I was thinking that all game and that just confirmed it in my mind.
I think we have some good leadership on this team, whether that comes from the coach or the veterans I'm not certain, but this team doesn't give up and that's a good quality to have.
I liked some of the line changes, but there's still some issues I see. Our young players are the most skilled players and all of our veteran leaders are the hard working grunts who take the body and belong in the bottom 6. That's fine if those guys are deployed in those roles but they aren't. Too many guys like Angle, Boka, Playfair and Purboo are playing up in the lineup and not enough of the young skill is. McDonald has several goals while Maggio looked fantastic, but those guys were on the 4th line which looked so awesome tonight. A little less Purboo and a little more Maggio or McDonald and we're probably winning tonight. That's not just an over reaction to Purboo's brain fart in overtime, I was thinking that all game and that just confirmed it in my mind.
I think we have some good leadership on this team, whether that comes from the coach or the veterans I'm not certain, but this team doesn't give up and that's a good quality to have.
One thing I noticed tonight more than a few times than usual. Foudy likes to have the puck on his stick a lot. A few times tonight he was all about trying to handle the puck too much to the point that players were tapping their stick and Foudy would still handle the puck. He's still young but this type of play has to change for the team to have success.
The discipline has to get a lot better. It's still early but the undisciplined play and stick penalties has become a trend and habit. The first two periods tonight they didn't skate at all. Good on them for the 3rd period but one period doesn't make up for 2 periods and 11 shots. Then in OT they do nothing on the PP and I still have no idea what Purboo was doing on that play. He's an OA and just sent a puck up the middle to nobody....
It's interesting you brought up Corcoran because he would go 3+ minutes without getting a shift. A 2 man advantage in the 2nd he didn't see a single second on the PP.
There is certainly a dichotomy between the younger and older players. They don't really compliment each other. There are still many errand passes, lack of movement without the puck. Players colliding together. It just looks like a team searching for an identity and not knowing what to do. Unfortunately this was looked at as a plus early Sept with the team pretty much already in place, not a lot of players at camp. Clock should be ticking for Letowski.
Windsor lucky to get a point in this game.
Played roughly 1 period. The 3rd.
Pp was bad. 5 on 3 they have no clue right now. No quality shot taken at all.
Penalty kill not much better so far.
That squeaker that went in behind the icing line..ouch.
Short handed goal hurt too.
Some players on this team r either being told to stay on too long for shifts by this "coaching staff" or they r taking it upon themselves to stay on too long cause the feel entitled. Either way its bad to watch n hurts the team.
Lite crowd again. They said 3131 but it was much less.
Played roughly 1 period. The 3rd.
Pp was bad. 5 on 3 they have no clue right now. No quality shot taken at all.
Penalty kill not much better so far.
That squeaker that went in behind the icing line..ouch.
Short handed goal hurt too.
Some players on this team r either being told to stay on too long for shifts by this "coaching staff" or they r taking it upon themselves to stay on too long cause the feel entitled. Either way its bad to watch n hurts the team.
Lite crowd again. They said 3131 but it was much less.
TheGremlin
Registered User
As of right now i don’t feel they a top 10
National team. These rankings just misleading so early in season. A lot of people making a big deal about how we came oh so close to beating best team in country when they aren’t close to being that YET.
Purboo has to go, not the first time he cost us in overtime. I learned in novice, don’t throw the puck up the middle, especially deep in your own zone. And it was drilled into me by every coach I ever had.
This is an overage player and his 4th year in the league!! Come on now, he should be sitting and not one of the three who are sitting every game. This group does really seem to look like they may have a bright future together, but we all know Purboo will not be part of that.
So let’s move on!!!
This is an overage player and his 4th year in the league!! Come on now, he should be sitting and not one of the three who are sitting every game. This group does really seem to look like they may have a bright future together, but we all know Purboo will not be part of that.
So let’s move on!!!
ohloutsider
Registered User
Game notes - need/must stay out of the penalty box. Surprisingly Windsor is on the low end for the league in penalty minutes but our PK has been brutal this year ( we are 19th) - come on coaches we use to be one of the best teams at PK.
They need to find a spot on the 3rd line for McDonald. He is as strong on the puck in the corners as anyone on the team. Good hands around the net. He could fit in the line up anywhere Purboo plays.
Medina was fine - at this point I don't see much difference with Piiroinen or Medina so keep platooning them until 1 of them fights their way to the top.
Douglas - this has been a good start to the season for him - last year came back from camp and looked disinterested. This year he is out the gate full tilt. Very impressed with him on the PK - he was dominate on 1 PK and gave Ottawa fits in their own end. Laid out 2 nice bodies last night - we need more of that from him - make other teams look over their shoulder when he is on the ice.
And yes Ottawa is a top team this year so end result was around what you would expect.
They need to find a spot on the 3rd line for McDonald. He is as strong on the puck in the corners as anyone on the team. Good hands around the net. He could fit in the line up anywhere Purboo plays.
Medina was fine - at this point I don't see much difference with Piiroinen or Medina so keep platooning them until 1 of them fights their way to the top.
Douglas - this has been a good start to the season for him - last year came back from camp and looked disinterested. This year he is out the gate full tilt. Very impressed with him on the PK - he was dominate on 1 PK and gave Ottawa fits in their own end. Laid out 2 nice bodies last night - we need more of that from him - make other teams look over their shoulder when he is on the ice.
And yes Ottawa is a top team this year so end result was around what you would expect.
Agree with Foudy, he's gone from skating in circles with the puck to now trying to force a scoring attempt on his own. There's a balance in the middle somewhere. Nice to see him willing to shoot and go to the net but the kid has elite playmaking skills. Once he finds that middle ground he will become much more effective.
There's been a lot of individual efforts from many so far, last night saw an improvement from some but that's where matching up the skill sets a bit better would help. Seeing Afanasyev and Cuylle on the PP together you could see they along with Rafkin could string together some passes and create chances for themselves and others. My only thoughts with Corcoran on the PP was his experience, while Robinson and Rafkin are still young. I see them both surpassing him and Rafkin does a nice job already so if those two can handle the bulk of the PP with Corcoran as a second D on the second pairing if needed let them run with it. Still think Foudy is a better fit on the first PP and having multiple options to go to might help him get to that middle ground.
Like Crease Master was saying our vets are our bottom six, get the youth going together. Sure there will be some rough patches along the way but if the coaching can make in game adjustments as needed they will recognize when it's needed and follow through. With Boughner everyone had to be able to play with everyone else when needed. He had his lines but when things weren't clicking he would adjust throughout the game be it for a shift or two or for an entire game. Letowski seems to ride things out for too long, that has to improve.
Systems seem to have gone from too structured to too free flowing. The opportunity for more creativity was needed but it's swung too far at times and again, until Letowski recognizes the skill sets that should work well together it's going to continue to be extremes one way or the other.
They have a chance with the wide differences in skill sets if they match them up better to roll four lines consistently with the two top lines providing being young, fast and skilled for the most part while the bottom two being a bit more physical, a bit slower but still having offensive potential down the roster.
Let's see how Letowski does over the coming week. I would imagine these lines stay the same for the weekend but being early in the season keep changing them week to week if need be until they find the best fits.
The one big disappointment was not breaking up the fourth line. The four of them have been consistent but the team would be better served getting them kids spread throughout the line up.
Not necessarily a bad spot to be in as long as the Veteran players are high on work ethics and demonstrate to a young team what it takes to be an OHLer. Probably not Windsor’s year this year so it’s all about developing the young talent (skill and character) for future seasons. It was a tough off season in Windsor, glad to here it seems to be heading in the right direction! The OHL needs a strong Windsor franchise.
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