Gustavsen scores winner in OT thriller

Brett Gustavsen scored the winning goal at the 2:09 mark in overtime to lead the Ottawa 67’s to a 4-3 victory over the visiting Barrie Colts.

The 67’s came strong out of the gate, dominating the play and outshooting the Colts 6-2 within the first 3 minutes.  However, it was the Colts that drew first blood.  Gregg Sutch muscled Jake Cardwell off the puck skated into opened ice and released a quick wrist shot that zoomed past Petr Mrazek and it to the net.

Continuing to put the physical pressure on the Colts, the 67’s attempted to wear down an already delpleted team.  Coach Chris Byrne commented, “Yeah, that was the idea.  We wanted to finish checks and did a great job of getting pucks low on their [defensemen].”

This resulted in the Colt’s losing forward Ivan Telegin after what seemed to be a harmless low hit from Steven Janes.  Telegin did not return and the Colts certainly missed him.

The play continued at both ends of the ice forcing both goaltenders to make some tough saves.  The 67’s wouldn’t tie it up until the halfway into the second period when Tyler Graovac found an opened Dalton Smith in the slot.  Smith made no mistake and tapped it past Mathias Niederberger.

Coach Byrne praised Smith after the game, “He’s played hard.  He plays the same way every night. It’s nice to see him get rewarded with that goal going to the net.”

Momentum switched and it was all Ottawa for the next twenty minutes.  That was until Josh MacDonald streaked in from the right side and beat Mrazek with long shot that tipped off Cardwell’s stick.  The Colts regained their 1-goal lead and sucked the atmosphere out of the J Benson Cartage Centre.

Just under 4 minutes later, Cody Ceci wired a bullet shot from the point.  The puck hit Steven Janes’ stick and deflected the puck over the pad of Niederberger.  This sparked new life into the 67’s and into the crowd.  Niederberger stood on his head making several key saves to keep his team in it.

The 67’s then got a break.  With 1:05 remaining in a tied game, the Colts were caught with too many men on the ice as Gregg Sutch was sent to serve it.  With 25 seconds left in the third period, Toffoli fed the puck into the slot where Monahan shot it past a screened Neiderberger.

It was all but over.

Something remarkable happened.  With 8.7 seconds left in the period and 16 seconds after the 67’s go-ahead goal, Mark Scheifele bats the puck out of mid-air and Mrazek had no chance.

“It was a tough break, you know.  We got the puck on a stick, it hit the glass in the air and came back up in front of the net.  It was a tough tough break you know,” Coach Byrne commented on the play.

It was now a tied game and headed for overtime.

Both teams came out firing, but it was the 67’s that were the last standing.  Just over two minutes into the extra frame, Brett Gustavsen shoots the puck on the sharp angle and the puck squeaked past Neiderberger for the win.

“There was a shift before too.  Everyone was going to the net, everyone was working hard. And that’s what happens you know, when you get momentum out there you’re going to score goals and that’s what we did,” said Gustavsen commenting on his big game winning goal.

What does Coach Byrne think of the rookie forward?

“There’s no quit to him.  Sometimes it’s to his own detriment, but most of the time it helps us a ton and he had a great first year here.  That’s for sure.”

The 67’s stormed back from a 3-1 series deficit and won the series in 7.  All credit to the 67’s as they slowly took the series game by game, one shift at a time and were rewarded by forcing a game 6 and later a game 7. It was a roller coaster of a series and this game summed it up.

“We got work to do, so we’ll get at it right now for sure … They’re a good team, so we’ll have to be ready for them on Friday night,” comments Coach Byrne regarding the win and facing the Niagara Ice Dogs in the Eastern Conference finals.

2012 OHL Draft: A Ottawa 67’s review

The 2012 OHL Priority Selection took place this afternoon.  Here is a review of the Ottawa 67’s pick…

ROUND ONE: 18th overall

Dante Salituro

2011-12 Team:  Don Mills Flyers
Position:  Centre
Ht: 5.09
Wt: 170 lbs
D.O.B.:  11/15/1996
Hometown:  Willowdale, ON
GP    G    A     PTS   PIM
30  47   44    91      62

Scouting Report: Dante is one of most pure goal scorers in the draft. He has a knack for the net and doesn’t miss on many of his scoring chances.  He scores goals in many different ways whether it’s a one timer on the powerplay, using his speed to beat some or driving the net for a rebound or pass. He possesses one of the best shots in the GTHL. It’s accurate and hard and he releases it very quickly as well. Since he is a smaller forward with a very strong base he is hard to knock off the puck in the corners. Dante is an explosive skater and is very quick off the start. (via OHL Central Scouting Bureau)

From HockeyProspect.com:
Dante Salituro has proven he can be a game changer at the minor midget level, and a player to watch out for next year should he choose to make the jump to the OHL. Although he’s a little undersized,  Dante is very strong. He has plenty of skill and has shown a willingness to compete. He has a great release on his shot, and his ability to finish is among the best in this draft class. He is speedy as well as very agile, and can elude defenders one on one fairly easily. Hp’s Laura Barney caught up to Dante at the OHL Cup and spoke to him about the draft.

What some people have to say about him:
RT @SeanLafortune And its Salituro. Best finisher in the draft in my opition. Going to be a Christian Thomas type of player #OHLDraft
RT @RyanHPscout Ottawa 67’s select F Dante Salituro from Don Mills Flyers. Dante is very small for a 1st rounder (5’7″) but plenty of offensive talent..
RT @HockeyOps Salituro had 10pts in 4GP at the OHL Cup this year. Exciting to add a player this skilled to the 67’s Organization.

Follow Dante Salituro on twitter at @dantesalituro.

ROUND 2: 17th pick, 39th overall

Jonathan Duchesne
2011-12 Team:  Vaughan Kings
Position:  Defense
Ht:  6.00
Wt:  200 lbs
D.O.B.:  2/12/1996
Hometeam:  Brampton, ON
GP  G   A    PTS  PIM
36  3   17   20

Scouting Report:  Jonathan is a big stay at home defensemen that is very effective when he keeps his game simple. He makes a good first pass breaking out of his own end and has a very heavy shot from the point that usually finds the net. Jonathan is a very physical defensemen.  He does a good puck of separating the man from the puck and is not shy to try for the big open ice hit as well. Jonathan is a very competitive player and he plays better in the bigger games. (via OHL Central Scouting Bureau)

From Top Shelf Scouting:  Jonathan was a member of the 2010 champion Toronto Titans MM Prospect team, was selected to the ‘All-Star N.A. Team’ at the Summer International Selects Invitational in Munich and played on the 2009/10 GTHL Regular Season Champions. Also in 2009/10, he was a Silver Stick champion and was selected to the SS All-Star team. At school, Jonathan is an Honours student and was named the Athlete of the Year in 2009. He was also named MVP of his school hockey team.

From his interview:  He sees him as a tough guy and likes to play like Dion Phaneuf,

RT @RyanHPscout Ottawa Jr. 67’s select D Jonathan Duchesne. Jonathan is an interesting pick. Didn’t progress much but has great size, and good potential

ROUND 3: 16th pick, 59th overall

Andrew Abou-Assaly

2011-12 Team:  Ottawa Jr. 67’s
Position:  Left Wing
Ht:  5.10
Wt:  157 lbs
D.O.B.:  5/18/1996
Hometown:  Ottawa, ON
GP  G      A    PTS    PIM
38  34   44    78      81

Scouting Report: Andrew is a true goal scorer and has done it all seson, in league play and at tournaments. He has very good one on one skills and uses his speed and elvusiveness to beat the opposition. Andrew shoots the puck very well and is also able to shoot while moving his feet which not many players at this age can do. Andrew does a great job at getting open and finding space in the offensive zone where his teammates can find him. He competes hard in the offensive zone and does things with the puck that will get him to the next level. (via OHL Central Scouting Bureau)

Notes:  He completed at 2012 OHL Cup, he’s not afraid to be physical, he sees himself more of a finesse player and has been working on shot.  He likes to set up the play.  Was named the ODMHA Player of the Year at the OHL Cup.

RT @RyanHPscout Ottawa 67’s select local F Andrew Abou-Assaly from the Jr. 67’s program. Andrew is good with and without the puck, and gets to stay home.

Follow him on twitter @andrew_abou9.

Round 4: 17^th pick, 80^th overall

Nevin Guy        
2011-12 team:  Winchester        
Position:  Right Defense              
Ht:  5’10
Wt:  160
D.O.B.:  06/11/1995

Round 5: 17th pick, 100th overall

Trevor Dulong
2011-12 team: London Knights- Gold
Position:  Left Wing       
Ht:  5’11
Wt:  179
D.O.B.:  06/09/1996

Round 6: 17th pick, 120^th overall

Daniel Potter
2011-12 team:  Toronto Young Nationals
Position:  Goaltender   
Ht:  6’3                
Wt:  172              
D.O.B.:  05/24/1996

Round 7: 17^th pick, 140^th overall

Theo Lewis
2011-12 team:  Oakville
Position:  Right Wing
Ht:  6’2                
Wt:  180
D.O.B.:  02/07/1996

Round 8: 6^th pick, 159^th overall

Justin Wain
2011-12 team:  York Simcoe Express      
Position:  Right Centre
Ht:  5’11              
Wt:  157              
D.O.B.:  02/26/1996

Round 8: 17^th pick, 160^th overall

Kevin Groulx
2011-12 team:  Ottawa Valley   
Position:  Left Winger   
Ht:  6’1                
Wt:  182              
D.O.B.:  07/04/1996

Round 9: 17^th pick, 180^th overall

Zack Pittman    
2011-12 team:  Detroit Honeybaked U16’s          
Position:  Left Defense
Ht:  6’2                
Wt:  195              
D.O.B.:  07/17/1995

Round 10: 17^th pick, 200^th overall

Maxime St. Pierre         
2011-12 team:  Eastern Ontario Wild      
Position:  Right Wing
Ht:  6’2                
Wt:  190              
D.O.B.:  12/12/1996

Round 11: 17^th pick, 220^th overall

Dallas Farr         
2011-12 team:  Ottawa Valley
Position:  Right Wing
Ht:  6’2                
Wt:  192              
D.O.B.:  07/23/1996

 Round 12: 1^st pick, 224^th overall

Nicholas Ngwafusi
2011-12 team:  Ottawa Jr 67’s   
Position:  Right Defense              
Ht:  5’10              
Wt:  184              
D.O.B.:  06/07/1996

Round 13: 17^th pick, 260^th overall

Stephen Jablonski         
2011-12 team:  Burlington Eagles
Position:  Left Defense                
Ht:  6’1                
Wt:  165
D.O.B.:  06/02/1996

Round 14: 17^th pick, 280^th overall

Noah Delmas   
2011-12 team:  York Simcoe Express
Position:  Right Defense
Ht:  5’9                
Wt:  145              
D.O.B.:  04/29/1996

For a complete list of all OHL draftees click here.

Round 2 Preview: Ottawa 67’s (2) vs Barrie Colts (3)

REGULAR SEASON

Ottawa 67’s 1-1-1-1
Barrie Colts 3-1-0-0

This was a very close battle all season long.  All four games were decided by 1 goal with the exception to the third game of the regular season series where Ottawa netted a late insurance goal for a 2 goal win.

Nov 18/11 Barrie 6 @ Ottawa 5, OT
Dec 17/11 Ottawa 6 @ Barrie 4
Jan 28/12 Ottawa 1 @ Barrie 2
Feb 24/12 Barrie 5 @ Ottawa 4, SO

The two teams match up very well from top to bottom including goal differential.  Both have great firepower, but lack the same level of talent on the blueline.  Ottawa’s depth at scoring could become a determining factor.

OTTAWA                              POST-SEASON
Goals For- 268                   Goals For- 16
Goals Against- 216           Goals Against- 16

BARRIE                                 POST-SEASON
Goals For- 248                   Goals For- 16
Goals Against- 210           Goals Against- 16

The top performers during the regular season between these two clubs are as follows.  With Tanner Pearson out with an injury, the Colts will look to Telegin, Behenna and Sheifele to fill Pearson’s vacant role.  Toffoli has performed well so far in these playoffs, but the likes of Shane Prince and Dalton Smith have a lot of room to improve.

• Tanner Pearson- 3 goals, 7 points in 3 games
• Ivan Telegin- 4 goals, 5 points in 4 games
• Colin Behenna- 3 goals, 5 points in 4 games
• Mark Sheifele-1 goal, 5 points in 3 games

• Tyler Toffoli- 4 goals, 7 points in 4 games
• Shane Prince-3 goals, 4 points in 3 games
• Dalton Smith- 2 goals, 4 points in 4 games

 

LINEUP CHANGES

Barrie’s Tanner Pearson will likely miss the remainder of the playoffs after breaking his fibula early in the final game of the regular season.  The Colts are also unsure about centre Zach Hall who has been out with a concussion since game 2 vs Mississauga.

After sitting 5 games for a pre-game spearing incident, Ottawa Captain Marc Zanetti is eligible return for game 1 of this series.  Joining Zanetti will be Daniel Broussard who was sitting the full first round series with an injury.  These two additions will help solidify the Ottawa defense back to how it was this regular season.

 

SPECIALTY TEAMS

The 67’s powerplay has suffered, but they are still up 5% from the regular season.  Their penalty continues to be strong up 1.4% from the regular season.  Meanwhile the Colts stats have gone down from their series with the Mississauga Majors – down from 22.7% on the powerplay and 75.0% on the penalty kill.
Ottawa                 Barrie

PP- 25.0%            PP- 17.6%
PK- 82.4%            PK- 75.0%

 

FORWARDS

With Pearson out, the Colts will rely on the other three big guns to fill the void left by him.  Overage captain Colin Behenna was paired with World Junior and Winnipeg Jet standout Mark Scheifele.  The two players complement each other.  Behenna’s hard work and Scheifele’s hockey sense and playmaking skills have helped them become solid forces to beat on the Colts.  Ivan Telegin is another Colt that had an impressive regular season.  He represented Russia in the World Juniors and is also a prospect of the Winnipeg Jets. He started off slow, but really turned things around once he returned from the tournament finishing 64 points in 46 games.

Tyler Toffoli, Shane Prince and Sean Monahan were the three top standouts in terms of offensive production for the 67’s.  While Prince and Monahan have shown some flashes of brilliance, Toffoli has stolen the show with 9 points in 6 games.  Monahan has some great moves, but has not been able to finish.  It seems as if the loss of newly acquired centreman John McFarland has added some extra pressure on Monahan’s role.  If Prince and Monahan can find their game, they will be hard to beat.  Add in Dalton Smith and Tyler Graovac (two players who have put up the points before) and the depth is just that much stronger than the Colts.

The skill and speed of the forwards are interchangeable on both sides.

 

DEFENCEMAN

It is a young defense on the Colts that have been taken advantage of in the past.  Aaron Ekblad has arguably been one of Barrie’s best defenseman.  This young underaged player has logged high minutes and been put in important situations (PP & PK) by his coach. He needs to work on his consistency to stay effective in this series.  His d-parter, Reid McNeill has also been a standout this season.  He has also been places in key situations and has more importantly been a mentor for Ekblad.

The 67’s blueline is relatively young and inexperienced like the Colts.  The team really suffered when the lost both Zanetti and Broussard for the first round.  The 67’s relied heavily on Cody Ceci, Jake Cardwell and Sean Callaghan.  Cody Ceci has had an outstanding year.  This draft prospect has rose to the challenge and has a key role with quarterbacking the powerplay.  Jake Cardwell has also shown some great skill and work ethic.

The two teams match up well with defense… as long as they can both stay healthy.

 

GOALTENDING

Mathias Niederberger was the early favorite for starting goaltender after a strong camp.  Alike the rest of his club, but started to struggle in late October.  After appearing in the recent World Juniors (Division 1-A) and being awarded the tournament’s best goaltender, things started to turn around.  He hasn’t been outstanding in the playoffs but has played well enough to win.

Petr Mrazek been coasting most of the season.  A few bad games, a few great game – but ultimately gave Ottawa a chance to win on any given night.  He struggled with the Barrie Colts this season losing both games – one in OT and one in a SO.  His play in the post-season has been mediocre to great.  He started to come back to form in the last two games after helping Ottawa close out their first round series in 6 games.

Because of Mrazek’s previous experience with OHL playoffs and the World Juniors – the difference in this series could come down to goaltending & Mrazek could potentially steal this series.

 

COACHING

Chris Byrne has been with the 67’s since the 2006-07 OHL season.  Byrne took over as head coach in 2009.  He has consistently coach his team to a top spot in the OHL Eastern Conference standings.  Unfortunately, playoffs have not been the strongest point.  Of the five years with the 67’s, this is only the second time the 67’s have made it past the first round.

On the other end, Dale Hawerchuk is only entering his second OHL season.  Barrie did not make the playoffs last season and has since rebuilt into a contender this season.  His first OHL playoff experience is now.

OHL Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

Ottawa (1) vs Barrie (3)

Friday, April 6, 2012 in Ottawa, 7:00pm (Rogers Sportsnet)
Sunday, April 8, 2012 in Ottawa, 2:00pm (Rogers 22)
Tuesday, April 10, 2012 in Barrie, 7:30pm (Rogers 22)
Thursday, April 12, 2012 in Barrie, 7:30pm (Rogers 22)
Friday, April 13, 2012 in Ottawa, 7:30pm (Rogers 22) **if necessary
Sunday, April 15, 2012 in Barrie, 7:30pm (Rogers 22) **if necessary
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 in Ottawa, 7:00pm (Rogers Sportsnet) **if necessary

Series preview to come shortly.

Breakdown of Dalton Smith’s hit

Dalton Smith’s hit on 2012 NHL Prospect Daniil Zharkov during period one in game 5 of the OHL Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Smith was handed 5 minute major for “hitting to the head” and a game misconduct in conjunction. Zharkov left the ice, but would return to the game.

Full video http://twitvid.com/CQZX2
Slow motion http://twitvid.com/HWC1

Hit to the head? No.
Left the ice? No.
Charged? No.
Led with elbow? No.
Legal hit in OHL? Yes.

Unfortunately Zharkov put himself in a vulnerable position and had his head down while carrying the puck. Smith lead with his forearm and hit him right in the high chest area. His skates remained in the ice and did my lift.

My call? No suspension.

What you may have missed… Pre-game 5: Bulls @ 67’s

What you may have missed….

Suspension

After a spearing incident before game 2, Marc Zanetti’s OHL playoff fate was finally decided on Tuesday afternoon.  He was slapped with a 5 game suspension and won’t be available until game 7 if this current series goes that long.  Interesting to note, there was no video explanation for Zanetti’s suspension. I have attached a link to a video of the incident captured by from my phone.

Video here: http://www.twitvid.com/PD53R
Official word here: http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/article/ohl-announces-disciplinary-action/119767

Game 3

It was 3-1 going into the third period and it appeared the 67’s would take a 3-0 stranglehold on the series; however, the Bulls had other plans. Michael Curtis, Jake Worrad and the Bulls clawed their way back to tie the game to force overtime.  With momentum now in the Bulls favour, it took all of 14 seconds into the extra frame to decide the fate of the game.  Off the faceoff, Adam Payerl chipped a puck past rookie d-man Sean Callaghan creating a two-on-one rush. Jordan Mayer fired the puck top-shelf past Petr Mrazek to give the Bulls the overtime win and life in the playoff series.  The 67’s would now lead 2-1.

Game Summary: http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/schedule/show/game/61437

Game 4

After a heart-breaking overtime loss, one would think the 67’s would come out firing.  Instead, they became quickly frustrated after a series of undisciplined plays causing them to be short-hand for nearly half of the period.  Two quick goals and it was 2-0 Bulls before the 4 minute mark.

After taking 4 more penalties (8 straight), the 67’s began to regrouped in the second period and Petr Mrazek helped keep them in the game stopping all 14 shots in the period.  But Malcolm Subban was the difference as the 67’s had several great chances including a flurry of scoring opportunities late in the period. They were unable to capitalize. The score remained 2-0.

Austen Brassard gave the Bulls a 3-0 lead after he scored half way into the third period.  However, it was all but over.  Something clicked and the 67’s stormed back scoring three goals in a span of 7:15 to tie the game and force overtime.

Brady Austin stole the 67’s thunder after he fired a wrist shot past Mrazek who was screened by Jake Cardwell.  The Bulls tie the series at 2 with game 5 heading back to Ottawa Friday night.

Game summary: http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/schedule/show/game/61447

Thoughts.

Coming into this series, most thought it would be a walk in the park.  However, analyzing the regular season more closely gives you some other thoughts.

–Home ice advantage. The atmosphere plays a huge part, but in this series the ice surface has played a bigger part.  On the Olympic-sized ice, the 67’s struggle with part of their game.  The 67’s outscored the Bulls 24-4 in Ottawa, but only 17-14 in Belleville.  During the regular season, all the games were close 1-goal games with the exception to one 2-goal game.  The ice surface encourages speed and reduces physical play which has led to many 67’s wins this season.

–Lack of discipline.  The 67’s were the third least penalized team during the regular season, but they are now at the middle of the pack.  Good news is that the 67’s penalty kill is top in the playoffs at 95.5% success rate, but the undisciplined play has more importantly affected the momentum shifts during the games.  Their getting away from their game plan and getting caught in Belleville’s.

–The 67’s best players have not their best players this series. Generally speaking, Tyler Toffoli has been the only veteran to step up.  Petr Mrazek has shown flashes of brilliance, but no one has come close to what they showed in the regular season.  Toffoli needs to continue his good play, but the likes of Shane Prince, Dalton Smith, Cody Ceci and Sean Monahan need to find a spark to get them going again.

–Mrazek mediocre.  While Mrazek’s season hasn’t been as flashy as last season or his time during the 2012 World Junior Championships, his game has not been up to par.  He has been making some outstanding saves, but he also has let in some weak ones that he wishes he could have back.  Defense has to improve, but Mrazek needs to be there as well.

Bulls seeing red as 67’s take a 2-0 series lead

The Ottawa 67’s faced off against the Belleville Bulls for the 12^th time this season in front of a home crowd of 8,958.  There was no love lost between these two teams tonight.  After several minutes of chirping at centre ice lots of pushing and shoving broke out during the pre-game warm ups.  It was quickly broken up by the officials and Marc Zanetti was assessed a 5-minute match penalty for spearing and thus thrown from the game before it even started.

This set the tone.

Fired up after last night’s overtime thriller and tonight’s pre-game incident, both teams came out of the gate flying.  The 67’s started to throw the body around more and made an impact on the pace of the game.

Brett Gustavsen made a great effort to get the 67’s on the board.  He recovered from a collision in the corner, skated straight to the net, grabbed a rebound from Remy Giftopolous’ shot and fired it past Malcolm Subban for the early 1-0 lead.

Three minutes later, the Bulls respond as Sean Callaghan couldn’t hold the puck in at the blueline causing to a two-on-one break the opposite way.  After a great first stop from Petr Mrazek, the puck flew into mid-air and Michael Curtis tapped it in for a high rebound.

Sean Monahan would regain the 67’s lead after jumping on a big rebound and shooting it into the open net after the powerplay expired.  Subban made a great first stop, but with no defenseman covering the right side and Subban now out of position, the net was wide opened and 67’s capitalized.

Rough play started early, but the game’s first fight did not come until the 14 minute mark.  After making an extra shot at Mrazek after the whistle, Tyler Graovac took exception and attempted to drop the gloves with Joseph Cramarossa.  It wasn’t much of a fight since the linesmen jumped right in with Cramarossa still managing to get a couple extra shots.  Three minutes later, Dalton Smith and Adam Payerl continued what they started in the warmup.  Smith took Payerl to the ice with four shots.

Time expired for the first 20 minutes.  Unlike last game where the teams took their turns dominating the play, both teams skated away with an even effort.

They did, however take their turns with undisciplined play after the first and into the second period.  After killing off a lengthy 67’s two-man advantage, the Bulls were stopped on a lengthy two-man advantage for themselves.  There were several great chances and great goaltending on both ends as the teams were scoreless in the second.  Sean Monahan must have had 3 great chances but was unable to bury them.

Early in the third, Monahan jumped on a bouncing puck, grabbed his own rebound and made no mistake to fire it past Subban for the eventual game winner.

Cramarossa would respond for the Bulls and finally solved Mrazek again after some hard work from his line. It appeared that the puck re-directed off of Steven Janes, but it was Cramarossa original bullet shot that got past Mrazek.  The intensity just cranked up higher for the final 10 minutes of the third with the 67’s holding on to a thin one-goal lead.  After pulling the goaltender for an extra attacker, Prince rounded out the scoring on an empty net for his first goal of the playoffs.  Subban was solid with 29 saves, but Mrazek stole the show after stopping 44 shots fired his way,

The 67’s now hold a 2-0 series lead over the Bulls.  Both teams have a time to recoup before heading to Belleville for games 3 & 4 on Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night from the Yardmen Arena.

Three Stars
1. Petr Mrazek, Ottawa
2. Sean Monahan, Ottawa
3. Joseph Cramarossa, Belleville

First round playoff preview: Ottawa vs Belleville

Ottawa 67’s (1)

Record: 40-20-5-3

Last year’s playoffs: Swept in first round by the Sudbury Wolves

Top performers:
Tyler Toffoli 52 goals, 100 points in 65 games
Shane Prince 43 goals, 90 points in 57 games
Sean Monahan 33 goals, 78 points in 62 games
Cody Ceci 17 goals, 60 points in 64 games

NHL Draft Picks:
Shane Prince, Ottawa Senators, round 2, 61^st overall in 2011
Tyler Graovac, Minnesota Wild, round 7, 191^st overall in 2011
Dalton Smith, Columbus Blue Jackets, round 2, 34^th overall in 2010
Tyler Toffoli, Los Angeles Kings, round 2, 47^th overall in 2010
John Mcfarland, Florida Panthers, round 2, 33^rd overall in 2010
Petr Mrazek, Detroit Red Wings, round 5, 141^st overall in 2010

Top Eligible for 2012 Draft:
Cody Ceci, #16 of North American Skaters in CSS’ Midterm rankings

Season review:

The 67’s came out to a good start at the beginning of the season but things really started to click after the first month. The 67’s found themselves ranked in the CHL Top 10 for several weeks. Tyler Toffoli, Shane Prince and Cody Ceci – to name a few were at the top of their games. Despite their outstanding play, none of them were selected to represent their country in the World Junior Championships. Most came back with extra fire to prove their critics wrong.

By the end of the season, Tyler Toffoli was two points away from winning the OHL Scoring Title for the second year in a row (100 points). Toffoli did manage to have back-to-back 50 goal and 100 point seasons. Shane Prince was in the top 10 in scoring for the second half of the season and had the OHL’s longest scoring streak of 40 points in 21 straight games. Cody Ceci proved to be solid on the back end and saw his stock value rocket up towards the top 10 in a defense-heavy draft.

The 67’s held first place in the Eastern Conference for the majority of the season until the Niagara IceDogs did a full 180 and stormed to the top knocking everyone out of the way. It wasn’t until the last month that first in the East became unreachable for the 67’s – this was largely in part of the IceDogs stellar play but the 67’s not so great play either. In the last month, the 67’s have struggled offensively and relied on a relatively young defense. Sometimes the team was bailed out by World Junior standout Petr Mrazek. Even then, Mrazek has not put up the numbers like he has in the past but alike rookie Michael Nishi, they both were able to put up a solid game consistently.

Facing the Belleville Bulls for the first time in the post-season is probably the best thing the 67’s could hope for. After winning only 4 of their last 11 games, the lack of momentum going into the post season could be a killer for confidence and would risk them being heavily under prepared – like last post season.

Keys to victory:
-Top players & consistency. The 67’s best players have to be their best players. In the last month, this hasn’t been the case & the players have lacked consistency.
-Physicality. Ottawa plays well against Belleville when they throw the body. The Bulls do not respond well to it.
-Take advantage of opportunities. Specialty teams are important and so is home ice advantage. This team needs to win right away to gain more confidence.

 

Belleville Bulls (7)

Record: 35-32-1-0

Last year’s playoffs: Swept in first round by the Mississauga St. Michaels Majors

Top performers:
Brendan Gaunce 28 goals, 68 points in 68 games
Austen Brassard 27 goals, 51 points in 64 games
Adam Payerl 22 goals, 47 points in 61 games
Jordan Mayer 17 goals, 47 points in 64 games

NHL Draft Picks:
Austen Brassard, Winnipeg Jets, round 5, 149^th overall in 2011
Stephen Silas, Colorado Avalanche, round 4, 95^th overall in 2010

Top Eligible for 2012 Draft:
Brendan Gaunce, #11 of North American Skaters in CSS’ Midterm rankings
Daniil Zharkov, #19 of North American Skaters in CSS’ Midterm rankings
Garrett Hooey, #61 of North American Skaters in CSS’ Midterm rankings
Malcolm Subban, #1 of North American Goalie in CSS’ Midterm rankings

Season review:

The Bulls were off to a fantastic start in the first 28 games of the regular season with a record of 19-9-0. But were subject to a lot of man injuries and found themselves falling in the last half of the season. The record fell to 16-23-1 in remaining 40 games.

Despite his stats dropping and his games vs Ottawa, Malcolm Subban has the Bulls MVP for a lot of the season. He finished the season with a 2.50 GAA, save percentage of .923, won two CHL Goalie of the Week Awards and is the top-ranked goaltender in the upcoming NHL Entry draft. He is capable of stealing wins for his team and has done so a couple times this season.

Brendan Gaunce has been another great player for the Bulls. He is his team’s leading scorer with 68 points in 68 games. Gaunce is also ranked high in this year’s NHL Entry draft and has proven to be a very effective on both ends of the ice vs the 67’s.

Keys to victory:

-Malcolm Subban is the top ranked North American goaltending prospect for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft for a reason; however, he has yet to prove it to Ottawa after losing all 4 games vs 67’s this year.
-Stick to the game plan. The Bulls need to play to their game plan and not let the 67’s force them into theirs. Position by position, Ottawa is arguably better on paper.
-Take advantage of large ice surface. Use the speed to try to beat Ottawa.

Hamilton leads IceDogs to a 5-1 win

Freddie Hamilton scored his 6^thgame winning goal at the 19:52 minute mark in the first period to lead the Niagara IceDogs to a 5-1 victory over the Ottawa 67’s.

It was a highly anticipated battle for first place in the Eastern Conference.  The Ottawa 67’s were hosting the red hot Niagara IceDogs – a team that has only lost 3 games in their last 26 games since the new year.  Instead of coming out firing, the 67’s allowed themselves to get caught up in lost momentum from an early double highsticking minor and set the tone for the remainder of the game.

The 67’s successfully killed off the 4 minutes against the league leading IceDogs’ powerplay but the IceDog’s momentum continued.  The Niagara IceDogs drew first blood after Freddie Hamilton scored right off the faceoff just under 7 minutes into the game.  The 67’s would get their first shot on net only 7:28 into the first.

After some decent chances, the 67’s would finally respond when Shane Prince grabbed a Tyler Graovac drop pass and fired it past Mark Visentin to tie the game at 1.  With 4 minutes left in the first, it appeared the two teams would head to intermission in a tie.  However, F Hamilton had other plans.  He notched his second of the game with 7 seconds left to give the IceDogs a 2-1 lead going into the second period.

The 67’s never seemed to recover from the early momentum changing penalty.   Niagara continued to beat Ottawa to the loose pucks, the battles in the corners, quality chances and most importantly on the scoreboard.  Mrazek made a couple highlight reel saves on Alex Friesen but was beat moments later.  Ryan Strome stole the puck away from Jake Cardwell creating a 2-on-1 rush the opposite way.  He fed the puck to F Hamiliton who made no mistake to tap it past Mrazek for his hattrick goal.

The IceDogs would add two more early in the third period.  Andrew Agozzino got his 39^th of the season than 30 seconds later Joel Wigle would add his 9^th.  Visentin was not tested much, but helped keep him team in the game.

The 67’s remain in the second spot in the Eastern Conference while the IceDogs go up 3 points remaining in the first spot.  The IceDogs also clinch their division with the convincing win.  Ottawa will look for redemption on March 17^th when they travel to Niagara for their final meeting of the season.

Meanwhile, the 67’s will prepare for their other three remaining games in the regular season vs Majors, Wolves & Battalion and will try to gain ground on the IceDogs.  The 67’s host the Mississauga St.  Michael’s Majors Sunday afternoon at 2pm.

THREE STARS
1. Freddie Hamilton
2. Andrew Agozzino
3. Mark Visentin

67’s lose captain & fall 5-4 to the Colts in the shootout

The Barrie Colts skated to a 5-4 win over the home team Ottawa 67’s.  It took the Colts until the 7^th round of the shootout when Zach Hall scored the winner in front of a crowd of 5,722 who bared the snowy weather.

It was a wild one at the J Benson Cartage Centre with back to back action throughout the game.  The Colts and 67’s both came out of the gate flying firing a total of 26 shots in the first period.  It wasn’t until the 12:35 mark of the first period that the Ottawa 67’s would open the scoring.  Off a Colts turnover inside their own zone, Shane Prince jumped on the puck, made a move in close and a slid the puck past rookie Alex Fotinos in the Colts net.  The goal extends Prince’s league leading point streak to 19 games.

The Colts continued to press, but couldn’t solve Petr Mrazek until the 8:29 mark of the second period.  Ivan Telegin converted on a Steven Beyers drop pass and wired a shot top shelf over Mrazek.

The pace of the game shifted after 67’s captain Marc Zanetti was pushed by Telegin and hit the boards awkwardly.  Zanetti left for the locker room and returned late in the second period.  He took one shift and did not return.   The pace continued to shift after some undisciplined play arose.  The 67’s took three straight penalties but managed the keep the score tied at 1 against the OHL’s second best powerplay team.

With Gregg Sutch off for slashing at the end of the second period, Shane Prince would pick up his second tally of the night.   Chris Byrne must have had some choice words as things seem to turn around early in the third… or so fans originally thought.

That lead would last just over 1 minute until Colin Behenna and Alex Lepkowski scored within 2 minutes of each other to take the Colts first lead of the game.  Behenna tied the game off a nice backhanded feed from Tanner Pearson then Lepkowski fired a shot from the point and the puck bounced past a screened Mrazek.

Telegin would pick up his second goal of the night and his 11^th in 7 games after he took advantage of a Tyler Graovac giveaway in the 67’s zone.  Graovac would redeem himself after directing an innocent shot towards the net that trickled past Fortinos.  A monkey off his back, it was Graovac’s first goal in 13 games.

Graovac’s goal sparked the 67’s bench as they continued to turn their play around and eventually tie the game on another weak trickling goal – this time birthday boy Steven Janes was awarded with the tally.

Credit to rookie Fortinos, after two very weak goals, he step it up in the extra frame and helped keep his team in it including successfully killing off a full man advantage.  There were some great efforts on both sides, but overtime would not solve it.

It took seven rounds to end this game.  Tyler Toffoli and Ivan Telegin scored the only two goals in the first three rounds.  A couple missed shots (and hit crossbars) and a couple nice saves.  Zach Hall would finally notch the winner in the 7^th round to give the Colts their second straight shootout victory in two days.

NEXT UP

The Ottawa 67’s have the day off and will host the top team in the CHL, the Western Conference London Knights on Sunday at 2pm.  The Colts travel back to Barrie to get ready to host the Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors tomorrow night at 7:30pm.

THREE STARS

1.  Ivan Telegin, Barrie
2.  Shane Prince, Ottawa
3.  Mark Sheifele, Barrie

NOTES

The Niagara IceDogs lost in regulation tonight which means the 67’s move into a tie with them for first in the Eastern Conference … While Tyler Toffoli scored in the shootout, his OHL goal streak is halted at 6 games … Shane Prince’s league leading point streak is extended to 19 games … Marc Zanetti did not return to action in the 3^rd period, he will be looked at by team doctors tomorrow … Jake Cardwell and Daniel Broussard made their return to the lineup.