SPITS NEWCOMERS HIT SCORESHEET IN ROAD WIN
Douglas gets third goal in six games while Morgan notches assist in his first game
Newly acquired centre Cody Morgan looks like he will fit in just fine with the Windsor Spitfires.
In his debut for the Spitfires on Thursday, the 16-year-old Morgan assisted on Jake Smith’s game-winning goal as the Spitfires beat the Peterborough Petes 2-1 before 3,454 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.
“They’ve given me an opportunity to play,” Morgan said. “It’s always exciting when you know you’re going to play.”
Morgan was Kingston’s firstround pick in the 2017 Ontario Hockey League Draft, but came to the Spitfires with multiple draft picks on Monday in a trade for Gabriel Valardi and Sean Day.
“We still think we’re a pretty good team and can be a playoff team,” Spitfires general manager Warren Rychel said of bringing in Morgan and letting go of two veterans.
Morgan quickly slipped onto Windsor’s second line on Thursday between Jake Smith and Igor Larionov and is one of five players currently with the Spitfires who was taken in the 2017 OHL Draft along with Nathan Staios, Louka Henault, who returned Thursday after missing eight games with a shoulder injury, Daniel D’Amico and Jordan Frasca.
“That’s good,” Rychel said. “That’s the goal and intention to get the young guys and watch them grow together, much like we did a couple of times before. I think they’re all pretty good.
“It’s a fun time to be a young Spitfire. Just go out and play. Have no regrets every day and just go out and play hockey.”
The Spitfires got on the board first when newcomer Curtis Douglas, who was acquired from Barrie last month in the Aaron Luchuk trade, picked off a pass and snapped home his third goal in six games with the team.
Windsor held that lead into the second period after killing off a two-man Peterborough power play as the Spitfires killed off all five Petes power-play chances.
“That was a lot better,” Spitfires assistant coach Jerrod Smith said of his penalty-killing unit, which had allowed four goals in 11 chances over the past two games. “I challenged the group before the game to put up a zero. Guys were blocking shots and playing with desperation and, at end of the day when you need a save, Mikey (DiPietro) was there.”
The only puck to beat DiPietro, who made 32 saves, was a screen shot from Cole Fraser, but the Spitfires answered just over three minutes later.
Morgan fed Smith, who snapped a quick shot past Dylan Wells to put the Spitfires up 2-1 after 40 minutes.
“For his first game I thought he did really well,” Smith said of Morgan. “He’s got a bright future.”
Morgan also made a pretty behind-the-back feed to Larionov in the third period for a quality scoring chance, but the two teams would grind through a scoreless third period.
“I like to think I compete and have a good work ethic,” Morgan said. “I think I’m a playmaker and a goal scorer. I like to set guys up and score goals.”
Thursday’s win was the 20th of the season in 36 games for the Spitfires and, despite all the youth in the lineup, the club now holds a 13-point lead over Erie, which is outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference.