Weekly Junior Wrap – Senators Prospects Shine in Area Sweeps
Senshot recognizes that while the Senators are the biggest game in town, there are other hockey stories to be told. Also, of interest to Senators fans is the fact that two of the club’s top prospects play every week right in our own backyard.
As a result, we will be bringing you weekly updates on the Ottawa 67’s and Gatineau Olympiques in a weekly “Junior Wrap”. We hope you enjoy it.
OTTAWA 67’s
The Ottawa Senators are not the only local club turning heads these days. The Ottawa 67’s also made a statement on the weekend with a pair of victories over the divisional rival Peterborough Petes on Thurdsay and the conference leading Mississauga St. Micheal’s Majors on Friday night.
They didn’t make either game easy on themselves and the games were more wide open than coach Chris Byrne would have liked, but when the final buzzer went, they came out on the winning end both nights. They defeated Peterborough 6-4 in OT on a Tyler Toffoli winner, and defeated the Majors 4-3 in a shootout.
Big numbers were put up by Ottawa’s top line of Sean Monahan, Tyler Toffoli and Senators prospect Shane Prince. Toffoli scored 5 goals, including a hat trick in the win over the Petes. Monahan, who will be a first round pick in the 2013 draft, amassed 2 goals and added 4 assists, while Prince played the role of playmaker, adding 7 assists. Monahan scored the lone goal in the shootout to give the 67’s the win against Mississauga.
The wins gave the 67’s a temporary hold of first place in the OHL’s Eastern Conference, but have since dropped to 2nd after the Majors win in Oshawa Sunday night. Ottawa should move back into the CHL’s top 10 ranking this week on the back of the wins, after being in the “Honourable Mention” spot for the past two weeks.
The 67’s have a busy week ahead with a Wednesday trip to Belleville, followed by a friday home game against the OHL champion Owen Sound Attack. The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds pay a visit to Ottawa on Sunday and Monday is the annual School Day game against the Kingston Frontenacs. This is the 10:30 start that allows thousands of elementary school children the opportunity to get out of class and attend the game. It is traditionally very loud and exciting to see many kids get their first opportunity to see a live 67’s game.
GATINEAU OLYMPIQUES
Meanwhile, across the river the Gatineau Olympiques used a pair of home wins to move back up to the .500 mark. Senators prospect and Olympiques captain Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored a pair of goals in the 3-0 Friday shutout of the Drummondville Voltigeurs. Pageau scored the winner on a penalty shot, and was the first star of the game. Pagueu was relegated to second star on Saturday in the Olympiques 6-1 drubing of the Ruyon-Noranda Huskies. He scored another pair of goals and added an assist in the win.
The weekend wins stopped a 4 game losing streak, and they now sit third in the tight West Division, although they have played fewer games than the teams ahead of them. By winning percentage, they are the only team at or above .500 in the division. The ‘Piques have a light week ahead, with a pair of home games. First up, on Wednesday they host the Quebec Remparts, coached by Hall of Famer Patrick Roy and featuring 2012 top draft prospect Mikhail Grigorenko. The Remparts sit third in the dominant East Division, where all teams are well above .500. Then Friday, the PEI Rocket pay a visit to the Robert Guertin Arena. The Rocket have struggled so far this season, and sit in the basement of the Maritime Division