Great success for 67’s so far this season
As much as it’s always more about how a season ends than how it starts, the way the Ottawa 67’s have started the 2018-19 season is off the charts.
Can we dare say the 67’s, presently at least, appear unstoppable as they approach the onethird mark of the regular season?
After completing a clean sweep through Windsor, Flint and Saginaw, by outscoring the opposition 16-6 plus, the 67’s are on pace for something like a 110-point or more season.
The 67’s ran their win streak to six and current overall run to 12 wins and an overtime loss in their past 13 games by dismantling the Saginaw Spirit 8-2 Sunday evening at the Dow Event Centre in the former lumber capital of Michigan.
Playing their third game in less than 72 hours, not to mention the bus travel, the 67’s demolished the Spirit with a six-goal first period that surely made the long trip back seem a whole lot shorter.
And the 67’s will get two full nights sleep before facing the Kingston Frontenacs Wednesday morning in the Arena at TD Place in the annual school-day game with a puck drop just after recess at 11 a.m.
The 67’s have 15 wins against only three regulation losses and another in overtime in 19 games, good for 31 points to lead all Ontario Hockey League clubs. It may just move them to the No. 1 spot from No. 2 in the Canadian Hockey League rankings, though the Prince Albert Raiders are also on a roll.
The rate of ascent also has them a point ahead of the pace the Soo Greyhounds had last season on their way to a 116-point season and seven points ahead of the trajectory the Hamilton Bulldogs had at this juncture on their way to an OHL Championship.
The 67’s spread the scoring out with Austen Keating opening it at 2:16 and when Mitchell Hoelscher made it 2-0 at 5:10 … well, there was no turning back.
Samuel Bitten and All-World rookie Marco Rossi scored 55 seconds apart at 7:42 and 8:37 and the rout was on.
Sasha Chmelevski, the game’s first star, and Tye Felhaber, the former Spirit No. 1 pick, also scored opening period goals before Graeme Clarke made it 7-1 after 40 minutes with his ninth of the season and third on the trip.
Felhaber’s goals was his 19th in 19 games to keep him tied for first in the league in goal-scoring and he’s only 12 off his career high with 49 games to go.
Keating, meanwhile, is tied for fourth in league scoring with 30 points, a point behind Felhaber, and leading the league in assists with 23.
Hoelscher added another in the third and things went so well they even got to use head coach Andfre Tourigny’s son J.P. in the third in the net as a fill-in for Cedric Andree with rookie backup Will Cranley away at the U17s in the Maritimes.
The 67’s are now 7-2-1-0 on the road for 15 of a possible 20 points.
“Obviously, we had a great road trip,” said Tourigny. “Windsor put us through some adversity and that helped us the rest of the trip.
“We were better in Flint and very good (against Saginaw). We also got great goaltending throughout the trip and production throughout our lineup.”
Obviously, we had a great road trip. Windsor put us through some adversity and that helped us the rest of the trip.