Coach's Corner

 Coach Craig Donovan

Re: Orangeville 5 – Spirit 4 / Loss in OT

Tonight's game went from boring to exciting over 60 minutes.  Our first period was terrible and probably the worst 20 minutes we have played on home ice this season.  We fell behind and traded goals with Orangeville all night.  In the third period we played a fast paced and disciplined game and were rewarded with a goal with only 1.2 seconds remaining to tie the game at 4-4.  For the third OT game in a row, we made a bad error in our zone which lead directly to Orangeville scoring.  Orangeville is a much improved team since the first time we played them this season and played tough with the lead.  To win consistently in the OJHL, we have to play more than 20 good minutes.  Tonight, we lost this game in the first period with a poor start.

 Coach Craig Donovan

Re: Spirit 6 Markham 3

 We wanted to have a better start to our game and accomplished that tonight with two quick 1st period goals by Brandon Gaudette and Christian Finch.  Markham added one late in the period on a rush that appeared off-side.  In the 2nd period, two bad changes lead directly to Markham goals.  We didn't get the puck deep enough and our guys did not finish their shifts by skating hard enough to the bench...the result both times was an odd man rush and Markham found the open guy both times.  Alex Botten scored the winner and Brandon Gaudette the clincher on similar goals that they rifled right under the bar from close range.  Chris Porter scored into the empty net for the second game in a row.  Cole Hutchinson played a steady and physical game on D for us tonight.  We have now earned points in 10 straight games and have jumped past Newmarket into 1st place in the North Conference.

 Coach Craig Donovan

Re: Spirit 4 Markham 2

Knick Dawe provided great goaltending for us tonight, especially in the 3rd period, enabling us to hang on for a road victory. Rookie Centre Robert Rawlins scored the game winner, his 1st junior A goal shorthanded late in the 2nd period on a great pass from Christian Finch.  Robert is a tenacious checker who was rewarded for his good play so far this year on PK.  We finished the game tonight as the best team PK in the entire OJHL.  We are happy to earn 3 of 4 points after back to back road games vs division rivals Newmarket and Markham.

  Coach Craig Donovan

 Re: Newmarket 3-2 in OT

 Last night was a carbon copy of our last road game (a 3-2 OT loss to Aurora) in many ways beyond the score.  We played the first period with no energy which is a habit we need to break.  After falling behind by two goals, we started to play better and were able to tie the game heading into the 3^rd period.  After trading chances in the 3rd period, but no goals, we had a breakdown in our D zone in OT which led to Newmarket getting a good scoring chance which they capitalized on.  Christian Finch and Paul Geiger continue to play excellent hockey for us and both scored again tonight.  Matt Heffernan played his first game after suffering an injury in pre-season.  

 Coach Craig Donovan

 Re: Stouffville 4 Huntsville 3

I was pleased with the way we rebounded from last night's effort.  Today we played with much more intensity throughout the line-up and we moved the puck much quicker.  Huntsville tried to slow us down by playing a physical game, but we took advantage with our powerplay opportunities to build a lead and then hang on when some late penalties were called against us.  Today, our young players were able to play more minutes and they all took a step forward in their development.  Tommy Tsicos scored 2 more today and now has 5 goals in our past 3 games.

Coach Craig Donovan  

Re: Aurora loss 3-2 in OT

Tonight was our worst effort of the season, especially the first period where we lost all one on one battles for pucks.  Knick Dawe was the only player on top of his game tonight facing 45 shots.  We played better in the 2nd to tie the score and an even 3rd period before Aurora won it on a one on two rush in OT.  Despite a better effort in the last 40 minutes, we lost tonight's game in the first period.  You need to play 60 minutes to win consistently and tonight we didn't.