Good teams find a way to win. It wasn't pretty but the Windsor Spitfires survived a chippy home game on Wednesday night against the Saginaw Spirit, picking up two much-needed points.
Last season, the Spitfires' goal was to make the playoffs. They struggled to keep their heads above water and many nights were frustrating. This time of year is a completely different story. They're off to a hot start, sitting atop the Ontario Hockey League's (OHL) West Division, near the top of the Western Conference, and they don't seem to be going anywhere. They entered Wednesday's game with nine points on the second-place Spirit, who were without starter Andrew Oke (illness) and forward Michael Misa (Canadian Hockey League (CHL) and US Prospects Challenge). The home team took full advantage and kept their hot streak alive. Here are three takeaways from your busy Wednesday evening.
Spitfires Find a Way
The clubs have met twice this season, splitting the two games in Saginaw, MI. However, the Spitfires won three games last weekend and are looking to continue that trend.
While the Spitfires were outshot 11-6 early, they got goals from rookie goaltender Kaleb Papineau from Ryan Abraham, Ilya Protas, and Owen Outwater, as well as a big save from goaltender Joey Costanzo, to take a 3-point lead. -0 at halftime. In the second, they found their shot, gaining a 12-8 advantage on the shot clock. They added two more goals from backup goaltender Sammy DiBlasi (OHL debut) – Protas' second of the game and one by rookie Ethan Belchetz – for a 5-0 lead. The Spirit hit a penalty in the third to end Costanzo's shutout bid, but Abraham's second of the game and Liam Greentree's (Los Angeles Kings) 14th of the season sealed a 7-2 win.
This was an unusual performance for the Spitfires. Despite taking the lead, they had a difficult start, playing sloppy and disorganized at times, and were fortunate to face inexperienced goals. There were also several incidents between players that led to serious actions, misconduct, and a game penalty for defender Zayne Parekh (Calgary Flames) that disrupted the flow of the game. Despite everything, they stuck together and got two points. Spitfires head coach Greg Walters said good teams find a way on bad nights.
“You go up by 11 (points) or seven (in the Air), it's a big difference,” he said. “It's a big win. I didn't like the way we played at all but good teams find ways to win when they are not good. All credit goes to Costanzo, he was really good here.”
The win gives the Spitfires 18 on the season, which already matches last season's total by just 25 games.
Protas Show Pro Power
When general manager Bill Bowler won the first overall pick in March's OHL Draft Lottery, it also gave him the third pick in July's 2024 CHL Import Draft. He took the Washington Capitals' 6-foot-5, 200-pound Protas. Since his arrival, the young Belarusian has been as advertised and Wednesday was certainly not the case.
Protas won't beat you with his speed but he has the knowledge and quickness in his game which is incredibly difficult to stop. He takes seemingly simple situations and turns them into scoring opportunities. On his first goal Wednesday, he took the puck from near Greentree and snapped it glove-side from Papineau. His second goal was to pick up the puck from the Spirit blue line, drag his toe a little, and snap it off the top of his glove without much fanfare. He made it look easy.
Ilya Protas with two goals as Windsor #The fire they won 7-2 against Saginaw #The wind at the WFCU Center on Wednesday. #OHL pic.twitter.com/w1mNoZ1ZI5
– Dave Jewell (@DaveJewellOHL) November 28, 2024
Asked about Protas' growth this season, Walters said he is still one of the best players in the league.
“He is one of the best players in the league and he is one of the 200 walk players I have coached,” he said. “He's an amazing kid and his mentality is top-notch on both sides of the puck. We are lucky to have him.”
Related: Spitfires Add Size, Select Protas in 2024 CHL Enter Draft
Protas has 15 goals and 31 points in 22 games. It has been a few seasons since the Spitfires have had an Import player dominate like this. They have had talented players, such as Finnish defender Ruben Rafkin (now in Finland) and Russian defender Daniil Sobolev (now in Russia). However, not since Russian defender Mikhail Sergachev 57 points in 67 games in 2015-16 has the player had such an impact.
Costanzo continues to dominate
Although Costanzo didn't get a star, he was one of the keys and saved when the team needed him the most.
Costanzo entered the match having won his last three decisions. Since allowing five goals on 14 shots on Nov. 15 against the Sudbury Wolves, he had allowed just eight goals on 112 shots, including a two-and-30 save performance. On this night, he kept the Spitfires in the contest in the first half, shutting down anything the Spirit threw at him. While he allowed two goals in the third period, those were the defensive issues in front of him. Without him, Walters wasn't sure the outcome of the game would be the same.
“Sometimes, in games like tonight, if it wasn't for Joey, we're down three or four,” he said. When you face a team like London (Knights) or (full roster) Saginaw (Spirit), you can't come back.”
Walters credited Costanzo's confidence and goalkeeper coach Stan Matwijiw for turning the 19-year-old's fortunes around.
“His confidence,” he said. “He is very relaxed. His puck touches are good now and he's on the road. He works very hard. Stan Matwijiw did an incredible job with him. I want to give a shout out to Stan; he's sick in the hospital and that was him, really.”
With scoring, it's easy to forget the goal. However, the 31 save performance is impressive. Last season, Costanzo struggled from start to finish with a 5.05 goals against average (GAA) and a .855 save percentage (SV%). This season, he is near the top of the league with a 2.32 GAA and .918 SV%. Night and day development and Wednesday's performance is worth noting.
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