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February 23, 2010

Hey! Ottawa has clinched a spot in the playoffs!

I completely missed this development!

See the recent standings on the OHL site.

Not that I doubted that they would make it to the playoffs - playoff tickets are ordered and ready to be picked up.

February 21, 2010

Solid Game for the Barberpoles: 5 -2 Over the Petes

The 67's jumped on the Petes right away and rode the momentum to a solid 5-2 win here in the Urbandale Centre.

Forward Combos:
Cowick, Nigro, Nesbitt (starters)
Smith, Lindsay, Toffoli
Prince, Merrett, Carnevale
Janes, Hanes

D-pairs
Demers, Gibbons (starters)
Zanetti, Ceci
Hartwick, Cuma

Goal: Mrazek

Scratches: Graovac, Martindale

There was a whole lotta skating in the first period and the 67's outshot the Petes 14 - 1 but there really weren't that many solid scoring chances. The Petes got themselves in a world of penalty trouble but the 67's were not able to take advantage - including a 55-second 5-on-3 that generated 4 shots on Missiaen but no goals.

Ottawa finally got on the board early in the second period, just as the last Peterborough penalty from the first period expired. Shane Prince tucked in a nice feed from Anthony Nigro. Corey Cowick got the second assist.

The 67's power play finally clicked when Corey Cowick was standing in the blue paint when he took another nice pass from Anthony Nigro and put it through the 5-hole of Missiaen. Travis Gibbons got the second assist on that one.

Despite having played so much of the game short-handed, the Petes managed to start getting some shots on Mrazek. With 45 seconds remaining in their 3rd PP, top rookie Matt Puempel jumped on the rebound and shot the puck past a lunging Petr Mrazek.



Ottawa went right back on the PK but they played it well - limiting the Petes to two shots while getting one of their own.

The 67's started the third period a little flat and the Petes were able to get some pressure going. But it didn't last long. Under three minutes in, Anthony Nigro got a shot to the net right off the face off and Corey Cowick was there to bury the rebound and restore the two-goal lead. Number 27 scored what would eventually become the GWG on the 27th shot of the game.

And just over a minute later, Andrew Merrett scored from the high slot on a screened Jason Missiaen. Dalton Smith got the other assist (I guess for having the puck lost in his skates?). At this point, the Petes managed only 12 shots all game.

At about the 4 minute mark it seemed like the 67's were backing off just a little and the Petes were able to control the play in the Ottawa end. So Ken McRea pulled a gutsy move and pulled Missiaen for the extra attacker and it worked. Liam Heelis jammed the puck past Mrazek when he lost the puck after it hit him in the mask. And the Petes were within two.

Missiaen was back in the net for the face off but scooted to the bench as soon as the Petes had control. A Petes' icing call caused Missiaen's return to the net but he was soon on the bench once again.

Tyler Toffoli got control of the puck after a great scoring chance by Puempel and was breaking in on the empty Petes net with Sedlak trying to angle him off. Sedlak threw his stick in an effort to interfere with Tyler's shot and Christopher Breen threw himself at the net and knocked it off its moorings. The ref awarded Ottawa the goal. Tyler Cuma got the assist.

And that was it for the Petes. It was a strong, convincing 5 - 2 win for the 67's on home ice. This was an important win as Kingston beat the Erie Otters. Ottawa stays ahead of Kingston by 7 points with a tough road trip for the 67's coming up against Kitchener, Erie and Niagara whereas the Fronts play Oshawa on Wednesday and have a home and home against Belleville on the weekend.

Here's the game sheet.

Three Stars as selected by the Team1200


Hardest Working 67's as selected by the Team1200: Thomas Nesbitt


Random Thoughts:
  • Good to see Cuma back in the game.
  • This was a very solid game by the 67's. Lots of great energy and second efforts. They played physically and aggressively. It worked very well against the Petes. They had nothing in return.
  • Derek Hartwick took a shot to the head behind his net in the first period and the 67's took him out of the game.
  • A lot of penalty minutes handed out: 30 for Peterborough and 28 for Ottawa. Only 2 PPGs between the two teams.
  • Anthony Nigro is doing well back in his natural position as a centre in the last few games. He was pretty feisty too.
  • Missiaen made some really good saves. This could have been a much higher-scoring game for Ottawa.
  • Since that bad non-goalie interference call by the refs on Friday, it seems that the officials must have been reminded about it. Two goals called off last night in the Windsor - Barrie game and one in this game. The head of officiating was in the house for the game.

More Pictures:



















Game Set Up - Peterborough

The Peterborough Petes return to the Urbandale Centre for their last regular season game coming off a hard-fought shoot-out loss to London in Peterborough last night. At one point they held a 3-goal lead on the Knights but there were unable to hold it. Peterborough tied it in the dying seconds of the game only to succumb in the shoot-out. Andrew d'Agostino was in net for the Petes, presumably saving big Jason Missiaen for today's important divisional game.

Both teams went 2/8 on the powerplay and the Petes scored a shortie. Ottawa specialty teams will have to sharpen up. With Cuma and Martindale likely remaining out of today's game, everyone will have to step up again as they did on Thursday. There are no unimportant games.

Peterborough has won 4 of the 6 games these two teams have played against each other - 2 in shootouts.

Ottawa 67'sHead to HeadPeterborough Petes
30-22-4-3 67 pointsRecord25-30-1-3 54 points
2nd EasternRank - Conference6th Eastern
208 GF190
188 GA241
5-5-0-0P102-7-0-1
(47/267) 17.6 (12th)
PP% (rank)(52/262) 19.8 (9th)
(56/253) 77.9 (17th)
PK% (rank)(54/289) 81.3 (7th)


Top Guns
Ottawa 67'sPeterborough Petes
Lindsay (34-39-73)Daley (22-33-55)
Toffoli (30-34-64)Spooner (19-35-54)
Martindale (16-37-53)Puempel (25-21-46)
Nigro (15-37-52)Doornbosch (10-35-45)
Nesbitt (28-21-49)Larson (15-21-36)

February 19, 2010

It Otter Have Been Closer

The 67's could not recover from a bad first period (spotting the rested opposition two PPGs) and a bad non-call from a ref. They ended up losing 5 - 2 to the Erie Otters but it was closer than the score indicates (at least for one period).

Forward Combos:
Cowick, Nigro, Nesbitt (starters)
Smith, Lindsay, Toffoli
Prince, Merrett, Carnevale,
Janes, Anderson

D-pairs
Zanetti, Ceci (starters)
Hartwick, Gibbons
Demers, Hanes

Goal: Perugini

Scratches: Graovac, Cuma, Martindale (injuries to all)

The 67's only took three penalties all game and they were all in the first period. The efficient Erie Otters jumped on the opportunities and scored on two of them. Actually, the Otters scored on both halves of a 4-minute high-sticking call on Ryan Hanes just over 5 minutes into the game. It was Anthony Luciani (first of what would turn out to be a hat trick night) and Greg McKegg getting Erie to the early lead. McKegg's goal was during a 5-on-3 as Nesbitt was called for hooking.

Ottawa had a few good opportunities very early, before the short penalty parade but once they were in the hole, they were not very effective. Ottawa seemed flat and tired and had trouble generating steady offensive pressure. To be fair, Erie played very well. Perugini made 14 saves to stave off the early rout.

Whatever was said in the first intermission, it worked. Well, except for the first 11 seconds. Erie gained control of the puck after the face off and it was Mike Cazzola who picked up the rebound and fired it high far side and in the net.

Ottawa shook it off and bounced back with a strong, controlled response, getting to the puck faster and getting way more pucks to the net. It paid off with a couple of very quick goals to make it a one-goal game. Corey Cowick started it with a wrist shot from the faceoff circle that beat Courchaine top shelf. Anthony Nigro set him up with a nice pass. Cody Ceci got the third assist.

And just as the in-arena announcement of the goal was finishing, Dalton Smith followed up on his own shot that Courchaine bobbled allowing Smith to tuck it in the net to cut the lead to 1. It was at the end of his shift and he was pretty gassed. Marc Anthony Zanetti was credited with an assist.



The 67's continued working hard including Perguini stoning Jeremy Gottzmann on a break away, but it was a controversial goal that may have taken the wind out of their sails. Gottzmann slid into the net and made contact with Perugini and Perugini could not get to the post for the save. This was a bad call by the officials.

So, can anyone explain why this isn't goaltender interference?


It's not as if the ref was not in a good place to see the interference


Not sure if the 67's just ran out of gas but they did not come out as strong in the third. On the other side of the rink, Erie realized that the 67's could be dangerous and stepped up their game - especially for their goalie.

Ottawa kept pouring the shots on Courchaine but very few of them were dangerous scoring chances. The Otters focused on defense, getting only 4 shots on goal. They potted an EN to make it a 5 - 2 win to start their on-the-road weekend.

Here's the game sheet.

Three Stars as selected by the Team1200


Hardest Working 67 as selected by the Team1200: Dalton Smith


Random Thoughts:
  • Former Ottawa goalie Adam Courchaine enjoyed a much better visit than the last time he was here. His team played very well in front of him and he made some good saves to preserve the win.
  • Way, way too many turn overs and unsuccessful clearing attempts.
  • I expected more outrage and energy from the 67's when Erie got that controversial 4th goal. Maybe they figured the stars (and the officials) were aligned against them. I got the distinct impression that the Otters appreciated that they got away with one. I also got the distinct impression that officials realized they goofed.
  • It went for review but the only decisions that can be made by video review are related to whether a goal is good or not.
    39.4 Situations Subject to Video Review - The following situations are subject to review by the Video Goal Judge:

    (i) Puck crossing the goal line.

    (ii) Puck in the net prior to the goal frame being dislodged.

    (iii) Puck in the net prior to, or after expiration of time at the end of the period.

    (iv) Puck directed or batted into the net by a hand or foot or deliberately bats with any part of his body. With the use of a foot/skate, was a distinct kicking motion evident? If so, the apparent goal must be disallowed. A DISTINCT KICKING MOTION is one which, with a pendulum motion, the player propels the puck with his skate into the net. If the Video Goal Judge determines that it was put into the net by an attacking player using a distinct kicking motion, it must be ruled NO GOAL. This would also be true even if the puck, after being kicked, deflects off any other player of either team and then into the net. This is still NO GOAL. See also 49.2.

    (v) Puck deflected directly into the net off an Official.

    (vi) Puck struck with a high-stick, above the height of the crossbar, by an attacking player prior to entering the goal. The determining factor is where the puck makes contact with the stick in relation to the crossbar. If the puck makes contact with the portion of the stick that is at or below the level of the crossbar and enters the goal, this goal shall be allowed.

    (vii) To establish the correct time on the official game clock, provided the game time is visible on the Video Goal Judge’s monitors.

    The video review process shall be permitted to assist the referees in determining the legitimacy of all potential goals (e.g. to ensure they are “good hockey goals”).

    Possible goaltender interference is not reviewable; the on-ice decision stands. Only the officials themselves can change the call - and that would take courage - which is not a hallmark of officials when it comes to reversing a bad call. They resort to the "make-up" call method of evening things out.
  • A cousin from Austria and her boyfriend are in town and they are hockey fans too. They noted that fans at their games are much noisier with a lot of back and forth between rival fans. It's probably due to the close proximity of the teams and the soccer influence (the game is so boring that the fans have to do something to amuse themselves so they make a lot of noise between the on-field theatrics). Their assessment of the game: the goal should not have been allowed, Erie played really well, Zanetti, Nigro, Cowick, Smith, Lindsay and Ceci all played really well for Ottawa.

More Pictures:


The Skate with the Stars honouree was hoping to be invited onto the bench








No call on this high-stick into Nesbitt's face

February 18, 2010

Game Set Up - Erie

Ottawa is returning to the Urbandale Centre off a tough, character 6-4 win in Peterborough. I didn't get the explanations but the 67's were a seriously depleted team missing Cuma, Demers, Martindale and Graovac. And they got themselves into a world of penalty trouble that the Petes were happy to take advantage of.

The Erie Otters will be well rested, with the Friday game being the start of their 3-in-3 trip through the Eastern Conference.

Ottawa 67'sHead to HeadErie Otters
30-21-4-3 67 pointsRecord27-23-5-2 61 points
2nd EasternRank - Conference
7th Western
206 GF204
183 GA222
6-4-0-0P106-4-0-0
(47/261) 18.0 (12th)
PP% (rank)(53/253) 20.9 (7th)
(54/250) 78.4 (15th)
PK% (rank)(58/253) 77.1 (18th)


Top Guns
Ottawa 67'sErie Otters
Lindsay (34-39-73)Torquato (28-49-77)
Toffoli (30-34-64)McKegg (30-37-67)
Martindale (16-37-53)Cazzola (27-38-65)
Nigro (15-36-51)Luciani (24-27-51)
Nesbitt (28-21-49)Yogan (23-25-48)

February 14, 2010

No Love Lost in Ottawa's 3 - 2 Win over Kingston

The Ottawa 67's were back to their hard, forechecking selves today as they really took the game to the Fronts. If it wasn't for the solid goal tending of Beskorowany the Behemoth (39 saves!), the game would not have been as close as the score indicates.

Forward Combos:
Smith, Lindsay, Toffoli (starters)
Cowick, Martindale, Nigro
Prince, Merrett, Nesbitt
Janes, Hanes, Carnevale

D-pairs
Zanetti, Cuma (starters)
Demers, Gibbons
Hartwick, Ceci

Goal: Perugini

Scratches: Graovac

The Ottawa 67's got back to the business of playing their opponents hard. If there was a stat for puck possession, my guess it that it would favour the 67's by a large margin.

The first period opened with a few chances by the 67's, even with Kingston getting an early PP, and finally Shane Prince started the scoring with under 5 minutes left in the first when he tipped in Thomas Nesbitt's pass. Travis Gibbons got the second assist.

The Frontenacs got themselves into penalty trouble at the end of the first period and were down two men for 1:17 to start the second. Tyler Toffoli took quick advantage of it when he potted a rebound. Julien Demers and Travis Gibbons were credited with the assists. The 67's were not able to take advantage of the back half of the PP.

The rest of the period was scoreless but it certainly wasn't uneventful. 16 penalties were called - many at the same time. There were only 5 PPs for all that time spent feeling shame.

Kingston had back-to-back PPs early in the second period. Perugini made a super save in the first PP, Beskorowany nearly put the puck in his own net when he fanned on his pass, and the 67's pretty much kept the Fronts on the other side of the blue line on the second PP.

A lot of late period shenanigans resulted in a whole lotta players to the penalty boxes: Moon started the parade by running Perugini and Cowick got the even-up call; Nigro took exception to Odam's face wash and he and Odam scrapped over it; as the period ended Smith and Gudbranson finally took out their frustrations on each others' helmets; Geldart received a 10-minute misconduct for not following the referee's instructions to go to his bench as the fight was on and someone from Kingston earned a bench minor - perhaps Gilmour for his views on the officiating.

Andrew Merrett joined his team mates just 15 seconds into the third. And Mitch Lebar took only about 30 seconds to get his team on the board and cut the lead in half when he put the puck over Perugini's shoulder.

Cody Lindsay restored the two-goal lead when his backhand shot just managed to beat Beskorowany. Tyler Toffoli and Tyler Cuma assisted.

But Kingston got it right back on the very next shift when Hartwick misplayed the puck and Derek Froats pounced on Michael Farrell's rebound and buried it.

The Fronts made a good push for the tying goal with the extra attacker in the final minute. Between Nigro and Lindsay, Ottawa won most of the faceoffs and even though they ended up icing the puck a few times, they held off the Fronts for the win.

Three Stars as selected by the Team1200


Hardest Working 67 as selected by the Team1200: Dalton Smith


Find the game sheet here.

Tomorrow's game in Kingston should be a testy affair.

Random Thoughts:
  • A new top line - the high scoring partners of Lindsay and Toffoli, joined today by Dalton Smith who has been playing very well of late.
  • I can see why the Fronts are the 4th most penalized team in the league - they're dirty! Slashing behind the play and running the goalie among the tricks in their repertoire as well as just being chippy.
  • Dalton Smith took a lot of grief in the form of many many cross-checks from Gudbranson in front of Beskorowany. It culminated in a scrap between the two. Call goes to Smith.
  • Doug Gilmour was seriously upset with the officials as he left the ice for the second intermission.
  • There were some really great second efforts by the 67's today - excellent energy and commitment.
  • A very well-deserved first star for Beskorowany. He really kept his team in this game.
  • Valentine's Day today and the 67's celebrated with a pre-game celebration with many of the players' moms here today to get a rose from their son.

More Pictures:



Nearing a full house in the hoosegow






Getting instructions from Bryne during Kingston's time out






Carnevale's break-away



Kingston scratches Mort, Werek and Cullen







Game Set Up - Kingston

Today's game is the first of an important home-and-home series with Divisional rivals, the Kingston Frontenacs who sit in second place in the Division just 7 points back.

So far, Kingston holds the edge on the season, winning 3 of the 5 games these two teams have played although the 67's have outscored the Fronts 17 - 13 in those 5 games.

Four Frontenacs have had success against the 67's: Fine (11 pts), Werek and Moon (8 pts each) and Odam with 7 points. Ethan Werek is expected to be out for a couple of weeks to heal a knee injury.

Lindsay (8), Toffoli (5) and Nigro (5) are the 67's who have done well against Kingston.

I know I have been commenting on the 67's specialty teams and it suddenly occurred to me that, since the 67's are the second least penalized team in the league, it kind of stands to reason that they would not necessarily have among the better PKs - they just don't get a lot of live-round practice. The Frontenacs are among the teams that get a lot of in-game practice; they are the 4th most penalized team in the league.

Ottawa 67'sHead to HeadKingston Frontenacs
28-20-4-3 63 pointsRecord26-24-1-3 56 points
2nd Eastern Rank - Conference
4th Eastern
194 GF178
172 GA200
7-3-0-0P106-3-0-1
(43/245) 17.6 (12th)
PP% (rank)(40/285) 14.0 (18th)
(50/233) 78.5 (15th)
PK% (rank)(52/272) 80.9 (4th)


Top Guns
Ottawa 67'sKingston Frontenacs
Lindsay (30-39-69)Moon (25-35-60)
Toffoli (29-30-59)Werek (24-29-53)
Martindale (16-37-53)Harnden (20-32-52)
Nigro (15-34-49)Pleckaitis (17-23-40)
Nesbitt (26-18-44)Farrell (11-22-33)

February 13, 2010

Colts? More Like Mustangs...Barrie Wins 6 - 4

Spotting the conference leading team with 3 goals in the first 14 minutes is a tough hole to climb out of. But the 67's tried and got within 1 goal at one point but the tough, confident and very capable Barrie Colts kept it out of reach.

Forward Combos:
Cowick, Martindale, Nigro
Smith, Lindsay, Toffoli (starters)
Prince, Merrett, Nesbitt
Janes, , Carnevale

D-pairs
Zanetti, Cuma (starters)
Demers, Gibbons
Hartwick, Ceci
Hanes

Goal: Mrazek

Scratches: Graovac

The Colts have loaded up for the playoffs with World Junior players Alex Pietrangelo and Stefan Della Rovere, trading for former Kingston goalie Mavric Parks, and with plenty of fire power in Luke Pither, Alex Hutchings and Bryan Cameron.

The 67's started with a couple of quick chances but on their second shot on goal, Alex Hutchings beat Mrazek right from his doorstep before the game was 2 minutes old.

The Colts played their PK very aggressively all game and many times was still the more dangerous team even without the 5th player. They served notice on their first PK of the game when Burmistrov beat Cuma and fed the puck to a driving Alex Hutchings who tipped it past a sprawling Mrazek for the short-handed goal to put the Colts up by 2.

Ottawa certainly had its chances with a couple of breakaways and goal crease shots but they were unable to beat Parks.

With two-thirds of the period done, the Colts rounded out their scoring with a PPG. The 67's were keeping them to the outside but with a minute left in the PP, and on their first shot of the PP, Crawford's shot from the point was tipped in by Bryan Cameron to put the Colts up by three on 7 shots.

It didn't look good. Especially with Ottawa taking a delay of game penalty not long after this goal. But this was a very good kill, not only limiting the Colts to 1 shot, but also getting a couple of very good short-handed opportunities by Ryan Martindale and later by Toffoli and Lindsay.

Julien Demers finally got the 67's on the board with a shot from just across the red line that essentially went through Mavric Parks. Ryan Martindale with the assist.

But the Colts got that right back when Stefan Della Rovere picked up the Burmistrov rebound and tucked it in the net. Back to a 3-goal lead.

Chris Perugini was in the goal at the start of the second period but it still seemed like Barrie was going to continue scoring at will when Matt Kennedy scored just 2 1/2 minutes in.

Neither team generated many scoring chances early in the second after that. Travis Gibbons cut the lead to three with his quick one-timer from the slot on a feed from Ryan Martindale. Anthony Nigro with the second assist. This was during a 5-on-3 advantage; Ottawa was unable to score on the back half of that PP pair.

Dalton Smith cut the lead to two with under three minutes left when he snapped a pass from Travis Gibbons past the blocker-side of Parks. Anthony Nigro with the other assist.

Cody Lindsay continued his scoring ways and gave this team hope by pulling the 67's within 1 goal halfway through the third period when he snapped a fast one fast Parks after taking a behind-the-back-pass from Dalton Smith.

But just like they did for every other goal from Ottawa, Barrie responded aggressively and Bryan Cameron restored the two-goal lead on a play that should have been called on a high-sticking penalty by Cameron on Cuma.

And that's all she wrote. 6 - 4 for the Colts.

The 67's have to shake this one off and prepare for the back-to-back games against the Kingston Frontenac on Sunday and Monday. Kingston won and are in the rear-view mirror of the 67's.


Three Stars as selected by the Team1200


Hardest Working 67 as selected by the Team1200: Anthony Nigro


Here's the game sheet.

Random Thoughts:
  • If Ottawa wants to go deep in the playoffs, they are going to have to improve on their specialty teams. Staying middle of the pack league-wise is not going to cut it. 1 for 7 (and that was a 2-man advantage) is not good enough.
  • The Colts are the second most penalized team in the league and they don't appear to be worried about it. They play a very physical game and clearly believe in their 5th best PK in the league to bail them out if they get in trouble. They pushed the 67's around quite a bit; the 67's gave them a lot of room. Perhaps the 67's were hesitant given that the Colts' PP is pretty lethal.
  • Give some of the 67's a lot of credit for not giving up. Barrie was pretty much toying with them in the third period - slowing the game right down and running out the clock.
  • Dalton Smith with the Gordie Howe hat trick: a goal, an assist and a fight. Did you know that Gordie Howe never had a Gordie Howe hat trick (apparently that's true)?

More Pictures:



Missed high-stick that lead to a goal














Della Rovere challenging Cowick to a fight. Cowick accepted the challenge.

February 12, 2010

Game Set Up - Barrie

The visiting Barrie Colts sit atop the Eastern Conference with 90 points and having clinched a playoff spot. The only team with more points in the league is the Windsor Spitfires with 91 points - Barrie has 3 games in hand. Barrie comes to town after a solid 7 - 2 over the Peterborough Colts last night in Peterborough.

The Ottawa 67's come back to the Urbandale Centre after their 6 - 3 win in Belleville on Wednesday. Jon Carnevale was scratched due to an injury and Tyler Graovac is out for a while with his broken jaw. Dylan Anderson was called up to fill in the blanks. Julien Demers was also a scratch for that game because he was sick. Tyler Cuma was injured late in the game - looked like his left leg. Hopefully both these D-men will be ready for this measuring-stick game.

Ottawa 67'sHead to HeadBarrie Colts
28-19-4-3 63 pointsRecord44-7-0-2 90 points
2nd EasternRank - Conference
1st Eastern
190 GF249
166 GA138
7-2-0-1P108-1-0-1
(42/238) 17.6 (12th)
PP% (rank)(72/277) 26.0 (2nd)
(49/230) 78.7 (15th)
PK% (rank)(49/310) 84.2 (5th)


Top Guns
Ottawa 67'sBarrie Colts
Lindsay (29-39-68)Pither (30-39-69)
Toffoli (29-30-59)Hutchings (35-23-58)
Martindale (16-35-51)Cameron (39-18-57)
Nigro (15-32-47)Crawford (10-44-54)
Nesbitt (26-18-44)Brodie (5-45-50)

February 07, 2010

Note to the Players: The Game is 60 Minutes Long...

...and always respect your opponent.

Not sure what happened to my Ottawa teams this weekend. Seems like all this recent success has gone to their heads and they forgot that they actually have to show up and play for an entire 60 minutes - even against teams well down the standings.

The Guelph Storm, playing their third game in three days, out-worked and out-lasted the Ottawa 67's in a 4 - 3 that really wasn't all that close for much of the game.

Forward Combos:
Cowick, Martindale, Nesbitt
Nigro Lindsay, Toffoli (starters)
Smith, Prince, Carnevale,
Janes, Merrett,

D-pairs
Zanetti, Cuma (starters)
Demers, Gibbons
Birkhoff, Ceci
Hanes

Goal: Mrazek

Scratches: Graovac

As with the game on Friday, the 67's had some really good moments, in fact the last 10 minutes of the 3rd period had the most sustained effort from the 67's, but looking at the game in its entirety, it really was much less than what they have shown us in other games this year.

The team started with a jump, with Travis Gibbons scoring just 1:57 into the game when his quick wrist shot from the faceoff circle beat Foote over the blocker. Julien Demers got the assist.

Good jump, but it didn't last. The passing started getting sloppy, the feet stopped moving, a couple of penalties and bad PKs and before they knew it they were behind the 8-ball. Half of Guelph's SOGs came on the PP as did two of their goals. The first of their PPGs came with 5 seconds left on their 5-on-3 to tie the game. That was Adam Comrie's first of two goals of the game.

Guelph went up by one at the halfway mark when Taylor Beck jammed home a rebound off Zanetti's skate. Their third goal came on the PP when Adam Comrie's quick shot from the slot beat Mrazek. And that was it for him after allowing 3 goals on 11 shots. With just under 2 minutes left in the game, Chris Byrne wasn't taking any more chances.

The 67's had a burst of energy right after that change resulting in Andrew Merrett getting Ottawa within one when he picked up the rebound off Dalton Smith's shot on Foote. Tyler Cuma got the second assist. They had some pretty good energy for the rest of the period but were unable to solve Foote.

Just 3:21 into the second period, Connor Tresham put the Storm back up by two and scored what would be the game winning goal when his hard work and tenacity paid off causing the bouncing puck to get by Perugini.

The game winning goal


Shane Prince's 10th goal of the season got the team back within one but that was the last goal by the Barberpoles. Thomas Nesbitt got the assist on the goal.

And that wrapped up the scoring for the day.

As the 67's returned to the ice for the third period, I couldn't help thinking that they looked deflated and completely unenergetic. They started the period flat but something got them fired up about halfway through. They really started pouring it on as if they finally figured out that they just might lose the game.

The 67's thought they had the tying goal late in the third but the play was whistled dead just before the goal. It seemed like a quick whistle. So, not long later in another goal mouth scramble, the ref waited forever to whistle the play - perhaps acknowledging that the previous one was fast. The 67's were not able to capitalize on the ref's attempt to even it out.

The Guelph Storm weathered the storm and took these two important points from the 67's in their 4 - 3.

Here's the game sheet.

Three Stars as selected by the Team1200



Hardest Working 67 as selected by the Team1200: Shane Prince


Random Thoughts:
  • Tyler Graovac's injury on Friday resulted in surgery - screws and plates holding his jaw together. Not sure what they were able to do with the teeth that the Belleville players found and returned at the end of the period. 4 - 6 weeks is the prognosis. Man that's gotta hurt!
  • One of the refs forgot his jersey and had one jury-rigged (a linesman jersey with ad hoc red stripes). Perhaps his ad hoc red stripes affected his blood flow - interesting calls and non-calls.
  • Brandon Foote had some great saves to keep his team in this game.
  • Mike Fisher has some reasonable success using wrist and snap shots. Not sure whether the 67's had ANY success with slap shots today. The wind-up gave the Storm players enough time to get in the way with their bodies - which they were very willing to do. Travis Gibbons scored with a wrister. Speed verus brute force....hmmmm.
  • Seemed like the Guelph players were better prepared to sacrifice themselves to block shots and get in the way.
  • I checked out the display on meningitis prevention and had a chance to chat quickly with Garry Galley. He's very friendly and engaging - a great spokesman. I really liked him when he was on the Team1200 - he really explains the game well. And he can be quite funny too. Interested in more information on preventing meningitis? Check out the Meningitis Research Foundation of Canada website and Menactra.ca which provides information about how parents/youth can protect themselves from meningitis.

More pictures:
Belated Happy Birthday to Chris Perugini.












Garry Galley and Team Take a Shot for Meningitis Awareness