Spitfires by the numbers
Goalie Michael Newlove and the Windsor Spitfires have found their game. Newlove is on a three game shutout streak and the Spitfires are one of the hottest teams in the Ontario Hockey League.
Newlove In The Net. If there were any concerns about second year Spits goalie Michael Newlove (in above photo by Bob Davies) through his first eight games of the season when he was struggling with a record of 1-4-3 and a save percentage in the .850 range, they have been tempered. The 2007 birth year backstop has won his last four starts, including the past three by shutouts. Newlove began his turnaround by stopping 27 of 30 shots in a 4-3 road win over the Soo Greyhounds. Since then, Newlove made 27 saves in a 3-0 whitewash of the Erie Otters, 24 saves in an 8-0 shutout of the Owen Sound Attack and 30 saves in a 3-0 blank of the Brampton Steelheads. Only one other goalie in OHL history has ever recorded three successive shutouts — and that was Michael DiPietro of the Spitfires back in December of 2016. DiPietro, who hails from Amherstburg, is now in his first full National Hockey League season with the Boston Bruins.
Spitting Fire. Windsor has a record of 5-0-1 in its last six outings and is now in fifth place among the 10 teams of the Western Conference with 19 points from an 8-5-3 mark … Rookie forward Bogdan Yakushevsky tops the Spitfire scoresheet with 10 goals, 11 assists, 21 points … Another rookie, Jesse Debruyn, leads all Windsor defensemen in scoring with two goals, eight assists, 10 points. After going pointless in his first nine games of the season, Debruyn (in photo at left) has all 10 of his points over the past seven games … Yet another rookie, forward Ty Bergeron, has three goals, three assists, six points in his past six games after putting up zeroes in his first 10 outings of the season.
First OHL Goals. Two Spitfires recently scored their first OHL goals — defensemen-forward Thanasi Marentette and rookie defender Grady Spicer. A local lad, Marentette has two goals in just five games with the Spitfires after previously shooting blanks in 72 earlier contests with the Peterborough Petes.
