Ottawa 67s (7-11-1)
This was a very disappointing week for the 67s, as they only managed to get one point in three games. I seem to say that a lot, “a very disappointing week for the 67s.”
Oshawa Generals (7) at Ottawa 67 s (1):
Ouch. That’s really the best way to describe this one. The 67s were outplayed in every category, especially shots (46-21). The Generals took a 1-0 lead off of Joe Machurek’s early goal. The 67s have allowed early goals way too often. Being down early is tough for any team, but when your team has one of the worst offences in the league, it’s especially difficult to come back. Cole Cassels would put the Generals up by 2, still not even 5 minutes into the game. Josh Sterk added to the Generals’ lead just over 10 minutes later. After 20 minutes, the Generals were ahead in goals (3-0), and in shots (19-6). The Generals continued to dominate in the second period, scoring another three goals. All three were scored by Cole Cassels, giving him the hat trick, plus an extra. Two of the three second period goals came within a minute of each other early in the frame, the third was scored as the period was coming to a close. The 67s were again outshot, this time 18-7. for a two period total of 37-13. Philippe Trudeau’s night had come to an end as Jacob Blair took over at the beginning of the third period. The 67s finally got on the board 54 minutes into the game as Sam Studnicka scored his fourth goal of the season. Jacob Blair was perfect in the period until Jacob Busch scored under a minute after Studnicka’s goal. The Generals only managed 9 shots that period, giving them a total of 46, as the 67s had 8 for a total of 21.
Saginaw Spirit (7) at Ottawa 67s (3):
The Spirit continued the trend of scoring early against the 67s, taking the lead just 54 seconds into the first period. The goal was scored by Dylan Sadowy. The Spirit continued to have a strong first period, scoring two more goals from Cody Payne and Eric Locke. The shots were even at 9 at the end of the first period, but Spirit goaltender Jake Paterson was having a much better game than Philippe Trudeau. Trudeau’s night got even worse as he allowed a fourth goal just 4 minutes into the second period. After allowing 4 goals on just 11 shots, his night was finished, and Jacob Blair replaced him for the second time in two games. Things were starting to look up after Blair took over however, as the 67s scored 3 goals before the period ended. Andrew Abou-Assaly scored his first goal of the season near the halfway point of the frame, followed by two goals from Brendan Bell just a few minutes later. The 67s were headed to the third period down by just one goal after being down by four. The 67s had 15 shots in that period, and comparing it to Saginaw’s 8, it shows they were definitely the better team in those 20 minutes. The third period did not go the way the 67s wanted it. The Spirit scored three unanswered goals as the 67s were only able to get 6 shots on net. Andrey Alexeev started the third period scoring, followed by a goal from Nick Moutrey. The Spirit closed out the scoring with former Ottawa 67 Sean Callaghan scoring his 4th goal of the season. The final shot count was 30-29 in favor of the 67s.
Kitchener Rangers (4) at Ottawa 67s (3):
The 67s managed to blow a 2 goal lead against the last place team in the league. It seems like an appropriate way to close out the week. Alex Lintuniemi scored his first OHL goal give the 67s their first lead of the week. The lead was soon padded by Brett Gustavsen who scored his fifth goal of the season. The Rangers outshot the 67s 10-7 in the period, but Trudeau was having a great game, as the 67s went into the first intermission with a two goal lead. Everything seemed to fall apart in the second period however, as the Rangers managed to surprise everyone and come back. Nick Magyar brought the Rangers within one 6 minutes in, and Justin Bailey tied the game just minutes later. Brent Pederson scored Kitchner’s third goal of the period with 4 minutes remaining to give the Rangers their first lead of the game. The Rangers absolutely dominated the 67s in that period, outshooting them 18-8. The Rangers would outshoot the 67s 18-8 again in the third period, but Philippe Trudeau stood on his head, stopping all 18 Kitchener shots. The 67s would pull Trudeau with just over a minute left as the play went towards the Kitchener end. Joseph Blandisi sent an incredible pass through the Rangers’ defencemen right on the stick of Travis Konecny who had a wide open net to shoot at, and tied the game with less than a minute to go. Ottawa was outshot 5-4 in overtime, but both goalies stopped all shots. We were off to the shootout. Brendan Bell scored on the first shot of the shootout, followed by Trudeau making a solid save on Radek Faksa. Things went downhill very though, as Joseph Blandisi missed for the 67s, and Darby Llewellyn scored for the Rangers. Travis Konecny missed on his shot, allowing Justin Bailey to score the winner for the Rangers.
This Week’s 3 Stars:
1st Star: Brendan Bell. Had 2 goals and 2 assists. I can’t say any of them were important since the 67s lost every game this week, but at least he’s putting up good numbers
2nd Star: Travis Konecny. I don’t think I’ve done a season recap without him being one of the three stars. One goal and three assists this week. It’ll be amazing to see what he can do when he isn’t only 16.
3rd Star: Sam Studnicka. One goal and 2 assists. He’s been very solid for the 67s this year, one of their best rookies.