67’s just a second short of brilliant comeback
RANGERS 3, 67’S 2
As a team that seemingly lives by the most improbable of comebacks, the Ottawa 67’s came within a fraction of a second from pulling out the downright near-impossible against the sixth-ranked club in all of Canadian Major Junior Hockey.
Down two goals in the final minute to the all-in Kitchener Rangers, 67’s spark plug Tye Felhaber scored with 27.2 seconds to play and Austen Keating scored what would have been the game-tying goal about 27.3 seconds later — just short of beating the buzzer — as the 67’s fell 3-2 to the Rangers before a raucous Family Day crowd Monday afternoon of 5,596 that forced staff to pull back some of the curtains inside the Arena at TD Place.
Keating, who also had a goal disallowed in the first period, went ahead his celebration and jumped into the glass, unaware referee Sean Reid had his arms signalling no-goal.
And a few minutes later, video review confirmed the “no-goal” though the red light clearly did come on in the east end.
“Reider said he saw a second on the clock when I got the puck and heard the horn go before I shot,” said a dejected Keating, who is presently playing his finest allaround hockey as a 67. “But at the end of the day we had 60 minutes to win this one and we fell short.
“At the end of the day, it’s just another one-goal game.”
Still, the 67’s likely deserved a little better playing their third game in four days and fourth in six with a few hundred kilometres to Guelph and Owen Sound factoring into the equation.
The Rangers went for it at the trade deadline in trades and might be the only team capable of standing in the way of a trip to the Memorial Cup for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
And the 67’s still went time-totoe with a lineup that includes Ottawa Senators No. 1 pick Logan Brown, part of the trade deadline upgrades.
After a scoreless opening period, with Keating ’s first disallowed goal, more tough luck followed the 67’s into the second when 67’s defenceman Hudson Wilson appeared to be hooked down behind the net by Connor Bunnaman. Neither referee saw it that way and Bunnaman fed Adam Mascherin out front and he one-timed it past Tremblay at 5:44.
The game came down to just two critical 67’s defensive miscues which led to Kitchener goals by Ottawa native Greg Meireles at 9:07 and what should have been the back-breaker by Kole Sherwood at 16:03.
“The guys showed a lot of resiliency,” said Ottawa head coach Andre Tourigny. “I am proud of that.”
With 57 career goals as an Ottawa 67, Austen Keating knows a goal when he scores one.
And Keating honestly thought he scored twice Monday in a 3-2 loss to the Kitchener Rangers.
Keating thought he had his 23rd of the season 13:35 into the opening period when he gloved the puck down in the crease and tried to whack it in. He sure celebrated like he did.
The referees went upstairs instead and said Keating ’s stick failed to make contact with the puck and that there would be no goal, ruling the puck went in off his hand.
At that point, Keating sure wasn’t ready to admit he didn’t get it with his stick.
Post-game, he was a little more honest.
“I tried to grab it, throw it down and whack it in ... so I guess I need to work on my baseball skills, I guess,” said the wily, soon-to-be 19-year-old (March 7). “I tried to ‘sell it,’ but no, I didn’t get a piece of it.”
As for the second no goal of Keating ’s afternoon, the play just happened a fraction of a second late, not that the sound of the horn prevented him from celebrating again, jumping high and hard into the glass with what he hoped would be the game-tying goal as the clock registered zero seconds.
“I just had to get it and whack it and I did,” Keating said. “But (the referee) said there was just a second on the clock when it came to me and he heard the horn as I shot.
“You know, we only have four losses in regulation since the new year, so we have to be happy with what we’re doing.”