All Lines Firing

Well, after the Coach's public lambasting last week, the 67s got their collective act together.

Game Recap - October 15/04 - Ottawa vs Sarnia

Friday night the 67s hosted Sarnia. They won 6-4, with production from 3/4 lines (all but the fourth line). They came out playing fast and aggressive, resulting in 5 goals in the first period, but seemed to sit back in both the second and third.

Noticed that Sarnia continues to have some discipline problems. The culprits: Hecimovic, Carcillo, and Caprara. It will be interesting to see how new coach Camp handles that delicate little situation this year (remember the whole 'we-won't-play, call-our-agents, fire-the-coach' crap that went on last year).

Anyway, Talbot had a great game, along with Guadagnolo (both receiving stars for their play). Guadagnolo faced an amazing number of SOG (59). I also think that Tsimikalis had a great game. He does not seem to have any problem keeping up with his Czech line mates.

One player that stood out for poor play, surprisingly, was Wharton. He seemed at times to not know where he should be on the ice -- looking at his fellow defenceman, going offside, coming on too early causing a 'too many men' penalty twice. I wonder if he is injured in some way, as his play was just not normal for him.

Injuries of note: Beard crashed hard into the end board, injuring his arm. We learned today that he has separated his shoulder.

Overall, a great effort and more importantly: A WIN!


Game Recap - October 17/04 - Ottawa vs Belleville

Sunday the 67s hosted Belleville. They won 5-1, with 3/4 lines scoring. The fourth line scored their first OHL goal (Lahey scoring, with Alphonso and McGinn assisting). Mancari had a very productive game, scoring two goals in the first period. He was awarded first star. Battachio received second star, but only faced 22 SOG.

The 67s again came out playing aggressive, rushing to the puck, forechecking hard, skating fast. Playing like this, it is easy to see why they were talked about so highly pre-season. They did sit back a little in the second period, but they had a strong third period, and continued to play hard right until the last second. Good w/e for confidence and team-building.

Really impressed by the rookies this year. They seem to have a lot of confidence, and don't let other teams intimidate them. Alphonso and Van Herpt for instance in today's game. Also, Joslin is very solid at defence, plus his ability to score is a bonus. With the contribution from the veteran players, the team is really exciting to watch.

Another win for the 67s, two straight, has to give them some confidence. Hopefully they will be able to differentiate between the play required for these wins and what they were doing during the losses. Hope they can keep it up.

NEXT GAME

The 67s play next Friday night at home against the Barrie Colts.