Spitfires lose 3-1 on road to Storm
Luke Boka has some support in his efforts to guide the young Windsor Spitfires.
A third-year forward, Boka has been wearing an alternate captain’s A all season, but the Spitfires have now placed an A on overage forward Jake Smith and second-year forward Cole Purboo.
“I’m really happy for those two,” Boka said. “We’re trying to get on the right track.”
The Spitfires weren’t able to do that on Friday as the club extended its longest losing streak of the season to five games with a 3-1 loss to the Guelph Storm before 4,031 at the Sleeman Centre.
“Even though we’ve lost a few, it’s our job as a leadership group to play the best few games that we’ve played so far and help get us out of this hole and lead by example,” Boka said.
The Spitfires traded captain Aaron Luchuk in December and alternate captain Logan Brown just before the Jan. 10 deadline. Head coach Trevor Letowski was anxious to settle his leadership situation. “That’s why I was so anxious to name those letters,” Letowski said. “I think we need that leadership.”
Less than a year after a Memorial Cup title, the Spitfires now have the league’s youngest roster, but Letowski will take his time before naming another captain.
“To me, I just didn’t feel that it was needed and that anyone was just quite ready for this year,” Letowski said. “There are some good candidates, but we’ll adjust in the summer.”
For now, it’s up to Boka, Purboo and Smith to try and set the tone for a developing roster.
“Just in terms of guidance to show them how to be every single day and the intensity you have to bring to the rink is definitely important,” the 18-year-old Purboo said. “Obviously, there’s a lot of guys that haven’t played a lot of games in the league and still trying to find what makes them the most successful and I think the (alternate) captains on the team now will help them reach their potential.”
All three are examples of what hard work and perseverance can accomplish.
Purboo was a ninth-round pick in 2015 who managed to crack a veteran roster last year while Boka is one of the league’s best penalty killers and part of the reason why Windsor set a modern league record in that department last season.
Smith was a picked by Mississauga in 2013, but the overage forward spent two seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before joining the Spitfires this season.
While Boka and Purboo will return next season, Smith is just months away from his junior career coming to an end and leading a young group is one way to leave his mark on the organization.
“I didn’t expect it to happen. I came in as an older player trying to be a leader,” the 20-year-old Smith said. “We have a really young team, but we just look at it as a really good group of guys and if I can do something each day to help someone, that’s what I’m going to try and do. If I can shape in any way, that’s what I want to do.”
For the young Spitfires, it’s about learning and maturing and that will take time.
“You have to bring it every day and that’s what we’re trying to get these players to become,” Letowski said. “Sooner they can understand, the better.”
The club is still searching for its first win since the trade deadline and the club had plenty of jump early with a 15-3 shot advantage in the first 10 minutes, but could not put one behind Guelph goalie Anthony Popovich.
A Windsor turnover at the blue-line allowed Liam Hawel to put Guelph on the board with its first shot of the game as he put a shot over Windsor goalie Mikey DiPietro’s blocker.
From there, the Spitfires’ offence stalled with just six shots over the next 30 minutes and Nate Schnarr and Barret Kirwan scored one minute and 58 seconds
apart to put Guelph up 3-0 after 40 minutes.
Smith fed Curtis Douglas, who beat Popovich with less than two minutes to play in the third period to break the shutout, but the Spitfires got no closer as the Storm pulled even with the Spitfires in the standings with 48 points each.