Fans roast Ceci for gaffe in Game 1

Status as native son keeps him under scrutiny

For Cody Ceci, the criticism hits home a little harder.

Born and bred in Ottawa, Ceci acknowledges it’s sometimes difficult to bear the heat — countless fans are on his back for failing to clear the puck on Brad Marchand’s game-winning goal Wednesday for the Boston Bruins — because he was raised here.

“I’ve tried to put that behind me, but it is tough when it’s your own city that you grew up in and people start getting on you and your team,” he said Thursday as the Senators began preparations to try to even up the series on Saturday.

“But we’ve put together a great season for Ottawa fans and I think they’re pretty happy with us, with everything we accomplished this season.”

Ceci and blue-line partner Dion Phaneuf have received the toughest of defensive assignments, regularly matching up against the Bruins’ top line: Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak.

While Ceci and Phaneuf, along with the forward line of Mike Hoffman, JeanGabriel Pageau and Tom Pyatt, kept them in check for 57 minutes, Marchand found the back of the net with only 2:33 left in the third period.

According to Boucher, the Bruins’ top line had only two good scoring chances during even-strength situations, and they cashed in with the second one.

In a perfect world, Ceci says, he would not have wanted the extra day between games.

“Everyone’s pretty anxious right now,” he said. “We want to play again right away, so it is a little tougher (to wait). It does allow us to give our bodies one extra day to recuperate, so hopefully we’re fresh for Saturday.”