Troops set for five in row on road

BRAMPTON, Ont. – There was a time when Aaron Snow cheered for the Windsor Spitfires.rrBut the Brampton Battalion’s Snow will have no divided loyalties Thursday night when the Troops visit Windsor in the first of five consecutive Ontario Hockey League road games.rrLeft winger Snow, a Windsor resident who attended numerous Spitfires games as a youngster, acknowledged Wednesday he was nervous when he made his first visit home with the Troops, on Oct. 30, 2004.rrI think I’ll be a lot calmer this year,” said Snow. I’m playing a lot more this season and I’ve matured a lot. When I was younger, I looked up to the Spitfires and I went to a lot of games. I played some minor hockey in the Windsor Arena, too.rrI’ll have a lot of family and friends there, and I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve had it marked on the calendar for a while. It’s a big game for us.”rrThe Battalion continues its road trip against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Friday night and the Sudbury Wolves on Sunday. The Troops then visit the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors and Mississauga IceDogs next week before hosting the Ottawa 67’s on Feb. 26.rrWe have 15 games to go, and we’re battling to get the highest playoff seed possible,” said coach Stan Butler.rrRight now there are only eight points separating third place from eighth in our conference. There’s a lot at stake. It’s a tough road trip, but frankly these are games we have to win.”rrThe Spitfires, whose sale to a group that includes Bob Boughner, a defenceman with the National Hockey League’s Colorado Avalanche, and former NHLer Warren Rychel is pending, are on a 13-game home winning streak. rrWindsor, which is second in the West Division, two points behind the Plymouth Whalers, hasn’t lost at home since dropping a 3-2 shootout decision to the Owen Sound Attack on Nov. 27. The Spitfires haven’t lost in regulation at home since Nov. 19, when they fell 5-2 to Toronto.rrThey’ve made some very good trades, bringing in Patrick Davis, Bryan Bickell and Anthony Guadagnolo,” said Butler. They’re an older team, so it’s not surprising that they’ve been playing well.”rrSnow, who was chosen in the second round of the 2004 OHL Priority Selection from the Tecumseh Chiefs of the Western Junior B League, said the Spitfires’ ancient arena provides a considerable home-ice advantage. rrThe fans in Windsor are good. They’re loud and they support the team. They usually play pretty well at home, and we need to go in there and work hard. It’s an old barn, and it’s a compact place. When the fans get into it, the players get into it.”rrSnow, 17, is fifth in Battalion scoring with 21 goals and 27 assists for 48 points in 53 games. His offensive numbers have soared since he was placed on a line with centre Wojtek Wolski and right winger Luch Aquino after the Christmas break.rrI think our line has become one of the top lines in the OHL,” said Snow, who has 25 points, including 11 goals, since joining Wolski and Aquino. They’re veteran players and they’re fast.”rrAquino will miss the Windsor tilt while serving the final game of a five-game suspension. His replacement on the line is rookie Matt Smyth, who has scored in the last two games.rrMatt’s been playing really well with us,” said Snow, who scored a shorthanded goal in a 3-1 home-ice victory over the Spitfires on Dec. 16. He’s an unbelievable player with great speed and a high level of skill. If he matures next year he could be a great player.”rrGame time is 7:30 p.m. Fans in the Brampton area can see the game live on Rogers Cable 10.r