67’s avoid early pitfalls of last season
It’s difficult to say whether the Ottawa 67’s are twice as good as they were this time last season or whether they’re just 12 games and 26 days ahead of where they were at this point in 2009-10.
After 10 games, the 67’s are setting a pace for 95 points, which would be the most by Ottawa’s Ontario Hockey League team since 2002-03, when it had 44 victories and 98 points. Only the Kitchener Rangers (100) had more points in the OHL that season.
That’s all very well, but 67’s head coach Chris Byrne isn’t big on statistics, believing they’re mostly for nutty guys who like baseball.
Byrne also likes to point out there is a lot of the season left to play: 58 games to be exact, including home contests tonight at 7:30 p.m. against the Brampton Battalion and Sunday at 2 p.m. against the Oshawa Generals.
Yet the numbers do say something.
After Wednesday’s 5-2 win against the Kingston Frontenacs in the last of five consecutive road games, the 67’s were 7-3-0 overall, looking up at only the Niagara IceDogs in the Eastern Conference standings.
That beats the heck out of two wins and seven points in the first 10 games of last season, and the 67’s should also be able to get ahead of their five victories and 15 points in the first 20 games of 2009-10.
Exactly a year ago, the 67’s were mired in a seven-game losing streak, and their poor start left them playing catchup all season.
“We all remember it well,” captain Thomas Nesbitt said Thursday. “Last year’s start wasn’t as much disappointment as it was shock. We knew the type of team we had, and we were simply not living up to it.
“Everyone was very frustrated. Everybody wants a good start … and nobody was happy with their play.”
The explanation for the difference last season and this season is as easy as goals-for and goals-against.
Through 10 games a year ago, the 67’s were averaging three goals scored a game, but figure is up this season by 50 per cent to 4.5 per game. Meanwhile, the goals-against average is 2.90, down from 3.70.
The power-play remains middle of the pack at 16th, but should get better, and the penalty killing has been outstanding: first in the league at 92.3 per cent.
“You’ve got to remember that, besides dumb coaching, we were pretty banged up this time last year,” Byrne said.
“For now, we’re healthy and it makes a big difference. You win with the older players, and right now, our top six forwards are all playing well.
In the end, though, it doesn’t really matter how a team starts the regular season, but rather how it’s playing as it heads into the playoffs.
“We’re not going to start talking about how good we are until, oh, maybe after a couple of rounds of playoffs,” Byrne said.
Series Rosters Unveiled
67’s forwards Tyler Toffoli and Ryan Martindale have been selected to the OHL roster for next month’s Subway Super Series against a team of Russian juniors.
Calvin de Haan of Carp, Erik Gudbranson of Orléans and Ryan Spooner of Kanata with also participate in the two-game series Nov. 11 at London and Nov. 15 at Sudbury.
A team representing the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, including Gatineau Olympiques defenceman Nicolas Deslauriers and goalie Maxime Clermont, will face the touring Russians on Nov. 8 at Saint John, N.B., and on Nov. 10 at Drummondville.
A Western Hockey League squad will play host to the Russians on Nov. 17 at Kamloops, B.C., and Nov. 18 at Prince George, B.C.
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A Tale of Two Seasons
The record of the Ottawa 67’s after 10 games last season and this season:
W L OTL SL Pts GF GA
2009-10 2 5 2 1 7 30 37
2010-11 7 3 0 0 14 45 29
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