67’s magic number now five
Four days from celebrating a four-month anniversary atop their division, the Ottawa 67’s have sliced their Magic Number to clinching the division to just five.
What that means is that any combination of points the 67’s get in their last four games, or points the Oshawa Generals don’t get in their last five games, adding up to five will give the 67’s their second consecutive Ontario Hockey League East Division pennant.
OHL-leading goal-scorer Tyler Toffoli scored his 51st and 52nd and Shayne Campbell earned his third straight win filling in for injured Petr Mrazek as the 67’s routed the Kingston Frontenacs before just 2,251 at the K-Rock Centre Wednesday night.
The 67’s, who will announce today they are going back to barber pole jerseys and socks next season, took over the East Division lead way back on Nov. 13 and have led by as many as 11 points and as few as one.
The lead currently stands at five and the 67’s appear poised to grab the all-important No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference with four home games to close out the 2010-11 regular season.
“I think it’s good (Oshawa) has pushed us,” said 67’s captain Thomas Nesbitt, who scored once to move to within two goals of his career-high 33 set last year. “We’ve been forced to play more playoffstyle games down the stretch,
“It would be nice to clinch as early as possible where we could rest some guys. But if it comes down to our last two games, it still doesn’t matter.”
The Frontenacs, who appeared destined for the No. 5 seed and a first-round meeting with either Oshawa or Ottawa, struck first when Conor Stokes beat Shayne Campbell just past the 16-minute mark.
Stokes drew the ire of the 67’s after their last meeting when he suggested the 67’s were “soft’ to play against except for one or two players. It’s a statement that may come up again should
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