67's Lose Kid's Day Game 3-2, Chance at Playoff Spot

With their largest and loudest crowd of the season, the Ottawa 67’s took their divisional rival Kingston Frontenacs to a shootout this morning, before dropping the decision 3-2 in a game that could’ve boosted them into a playoff spot.    For the annual School Day Game, 11,303 boisterous children filled the seats to take in the back half of the home-and-home between the two teams.

 

Tyler Graovac was unable to add to his league-leading 14 goals on the year, but did score Ottawa’s lone shootout goal.  Henri Ikonen and Spencer Watson responded for Kingston.  Ottawa held two separate leads in the first two periods and appeared to take a third lead in the middle frame; however Connor Brown’s goal was called back as it appeared he kicked the puck in.

Taylor Fielding opened the scoring for Ottawa just 3:43 into the game.  Ikonen responded with his second goal in as many games against the 67’s just over a minute later to even the score at one.  In the second, a pair of rookie defencemen – Ottawa’s Taylor Davis and Kingston’s Roland McKeown, tallied to bring the game to a 2-2 draw which held up until the shootout.

The two teams swapped glorious chances in the extra frame, with Graovac hitting the post at one end and Sam Bennett being stopped from point blank range by Keegan Wilson at the other.  The teams even had a minute and a half of 3-on-3 hockey, but the overtime still solved nothing.

To go along with two stops in the shootout, Kingston goaltender Mike Morrisson had 31 saves on the morning.   Wilson had 34 saves in his eighth consecutive start since returning from injury.

It won’t be long until these two teams face off against one another as Ottawa’s next home game is next Tuesday against the Frontenacs.  Before then, the 67’s head on a road trip to Sault Ste. Marie and Sudbury.