Ottawa 67s Fan Report: Bell Scores Shootout Winner as 67's Edge Petes 3-2

By Kathryn Jean

Brendan Bell was the shootout hero in the Ottawa 67's 3-2 victory over the visiting Peterborough Petes Sunday afternoon.

It wasn't the prettiest of wins, but it was a big win against an interdivison rival so close in the standings. The shootout win gets the 67's one point within the Petes for 7th spot in the Eastern Conference.

Despite not playing yesterday, both teams came out of the gates looking tired. The first shots came 3 minutes in, but were shots from the perimeter & no real scoring chances until later in the period.

The Petes had the first best chance at the 14 minute mark and scored on the play. The officials determined that the puck was kicked into the net and the goal was disallowed. A hard call to make and one that the Petes cannot be too happy about. It was a big break for the 67's who had not been playing well up to this point.

The 67's ran into penalty trouble early in the game which ended up being costly as it deteriorated any momentum that the 67's had.

When asked about the slow starts, Coach Chris Byrne explained, "We took 3 penalties (early in the game). Our first penalty was 20 seconds into the game & that just slows momentum down & allows them to get rolling a little. So for us it's the fine line of being ready and excited and playing hard but not being in the box three times early in the game."

The Petes with draw first blood on the powerplay. Clark Seymour scored on a weak point shot that saw the puck trickle in under Trudeau's glove. A goal he wishes he had back.

The 67's started to regroup and play better in the last half of the period but NHL draft prospect Michael Giugovaz came up with some timely saves to keep the 67's goalless.

The 67's play continued to improve in the game. For a game that did not feel intense, you could tell there was no love lost for these two rivals with several scrums after the whistle.

Nick Ritchie showed some frustration taking a double minor for crosschecking late in the first (was upset with a clean hip check from Lintuniemi). The 67's powerplay was not good early on but got some help after Bell was hauled down in front of the net. Unfortunately, the 67's were unable to convert on the full 5-on-3 man advantage.

The 67's scored two quick goals midway through the second. Middleton scored from the point and Fielding scored on a breakaway in the slot 18 seconds apart to grab a quick 2-1 lead.

Three minutes later, Stephen Nosad would get the game tying goal after he banked a shot off Taylor Davis skate and in behind Trudeau.

The two teams were scoreless in the third.

Overtime was easily the most entertaining period with action at both ends of the ice. The Petes had more shots, but the 67's had the better scoring chances.

"I thought we had some chances in overtime, they have some chances in overtime. Out of the box Gustavsen had a good break and a second chance. Probably a pretty entertaining game there," said Byrne.

Both goaltenders were solid in overtime and the game was forced to be decided in a shootout.

It took 5 rounds of shooters to resolve the game. Only three shooters scored including Greg Betzold for the Petes and Joseph Blandisi and Brendan Bell for the 67's.

The 67's moved on to win their first and only shootout of the season so far. A big win for the 67's but one to learn from as well.

Coaches Corner:

Philippe Trudeau was one of the best players on the ice and made 53 saves for the win. He was named the game's first star. Byrne on his starting goaltender, "(He was) Solid, yeah. I thought a little bit of inexperience there in the third period. We had a hard time winning draws & couldn't get the pucks out. I thought he held the fort pretty good. Our D did a good job at pushing pucks of the outside but when we needed a save, obviously he was there."

It's still early in the season but Byrne's opinion on how the team looks and if the players are playing the way he wants them to. "Sure but there's lots of improvement, there's lots of guys that are playing well. There's lots of situations where we need to coach and teach and do better at but especially with Vlajkov now out its a young Blueline and I think they played pretty well tonight."

As the games go on, more and more teams clue in that Konecny is a player that needs to be covered. When asked if he thought Konecny was being targeted, Byrne explained, "I think he puts himself in those situations too. He goes to the tough areas of the ice. He doesn't back down from people. He plays hard so he's going to come across some guys that are going to hit him and that's gonna be a part of his game. He's going to have to figure out where to go and when to go and who to go with, so that's a part of his learning curve for sure."

Game sheet can be found here.

Three Stars as Selected by TSN1200:

Hardest Working 67's: Taylor Davis