67’s Aims to Make a Statement Against Western Conference Leaders

OTTAWA, ON – The Barber Poles are back on the road, heading to Windsor to face the Spitfires tonight at the WFCU Centre, with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Fans can catch all the action live on FloHockey or tune into Kenny Walls’ broadcast on TSN 1200.

Ottawa (7-3-0-0) comes off a busy three-game weekend, opening with a 3-0 win over Kingston, highlighted by Ryder Fetterolf’s first OHL shutout.  However, the Barber Poles faced some tough losses, falling 2-1 to Peterborough and 4-2 to Kingston. Overager Cooper Foster celebrated his 200th career game in Peterborough, while the weekend wrapped up with another milestone as Connor Bewick scored his first OHL goal. Tonight, the Ottawa 67’s are looking to break their two-game losing streak as they take on Windsor. With a power play efficiency of 19.05% and a penalty kill rate of 70.83%, which ranks near the bottom of the league, they will need to make the most of every opportunity to secure a win. Thomas Vandenberg continues to lead the team with 12 points (six goals and six assists) in 10 games.

The Windsor Spitfires have been one of the most complete teams in the OHL to start the season, currently sitting first in the Western Conference (10-2-1-0). Their success can be attributed to strong special teams, as they rank among the best in the league for both power play (30.9%) and penalty kill (89.6%). Goaltender Joey Costanzo has made an impressive start this season, recording eight wins and just one loss, along with a. .926 save percentage. Rookie Beksultan Makysh has also made a significant impact, contributing 11 points with six goals and five assists. Despite suffering a 5-3 loss to Sarnia in their most recent game, the Spitfires remain one of the toughest teams to compete against. They are facing a challenging three-game weekend that will test their early-season dominance.

Tonight’s matchup marks the first of only two meetings this season between the teams, with the next game scheduled for December 14. Last season, Ottawa and Windsor split their series 1-1. A strong performance against Windsor would not only boost Ottawa’s momentum but also demonstrate its ability to compete with the league’s best teams.

By the numbers