67’s crease like a little goalie family

Some say that being a goaltender is the loneliest position in sports, and in a way, that’s true, but the Ottawa 67’s netminders might beg to differ.

Through just over a quarter of the season, the Barber Poles have relied heavily upon both Collin MacKenzie and Jaeden Nelson, but have called on Liam Conway to backup on numerous occasions, due to the over-age numbers crunch that has involved MacKenzie.

With Goaltending Coach Andrew Mercer, the trio have formed a rare kind of working relationship, that has sparked friendship.

“It’s fun,” MacKenzie said. “We put in good work every day. Behind the scenes, Jaeden has been my biggest supporter. We’re always on each other’s sides, and Connie fits right in with us. He comes up when we need him, and he’s had to come up a few times this year, so he’s right in there with us now. We’re all like a little goalie family, it’s nice.”

Only in his rookie year, Nelson spent last season with the Navan Grads of the CCHL, where he was one of the top Jr. ‘A’ goalies in the country, capturing the Top Goaltender Award at the Centennial Cup, and the CCHL Playoff MVP.

For all of the success he achieved, the OHL is an entirely different beast, and he has turned to his partners whenever he’s in need.

“Macker and I stay together and knowing that we’re good goalies, and we’re going to get through this, especially him, someone who’s established in the league, he knows he’ll get through this,” Nelson said. “It’s always positivity, even when things aren’t going his way. Seeing how he fights through things, that’s something that inspires me as someone who’s still figuring his way out.”

“Connie has also been a good support,” Nelson explained. “He’s not here all the time, but I was in that role last year, and I know it can be a bit awkward at times. He’s still being positive, and I think it’s good that we’re already building that relationship, especially when he was on the bench for my first win. I think he’s doing a good job with it.”

Both netminders own save percentages at or near .900, and have flashed their talents with big saves at different times. Of course, only one of them can play on any given night, and they both want that opportunity, but someone is sitting out no matter what.

Mercer has the job of informing them who will get the start a few days before the game on most occasions, but with this group, there are never any hard feelings.

“It’s healthy competition,” MacKenzie explained. “We want to push each other each day in practice and when we’re in games, we support each other. So I think it’s a good little thing we got.”

Helping one another to get better is ultimately the key, especially when the pair think so highly of one another.

“He’s going to be so good,” MacKenzie said of Nelson. “The fact he’s basically doing what I’m doing right now, but he’s three years younger than I am [is impressive]. He’s going to be so good.”

This past weekend, MacKenzie was superb, holding his 67’s teammates in games until the bitter end. He’s been doing that for years, and he has gained the reputation of being one of the league’s top goaltenders.

In Nelson’s last game, he out-dueled top goalie prospect Jack Ivankovic in a 5-1 win over the Brampton Steelheads. Though he stopped 29 of the 30 shots he saw, he’s hard on himself, and expects nothing but the best.

“I think it was a good step in the right direction,” Nelson said. “It’s easy to beat myself up if things don’t go perfectly, especially after how good things were last year, but I think I understand now that it’s building game by game every time in the net, there’s going to be something to take away and something to learn from. Whether it’s a good game or bad game, there’s always going to be something I can improve on.”

The one shot that did beat him wasn’t a bad goal according to Mercer, but still, the youngster is trying to be better because of it.

“He has a learning mindset right now,” Mercer said. “Yeah, that one goal may not look good on camera, but when you look at what was going on around it, and how he was reading the play, [it changes things]. That’s the thing, as a young goalie, you’re going to make reads, and sometimes, they’re not going to be right.”

Nelson is sure to start games against other good teams in this league, maybe as early as this season, but it’s not an opportunity that has been handed to him, it has been earned.

“He’s been working really hard for this, and he knows what he has here with this team and his future here,” Mercer said. “He came in day one, committed to being that guy, and he’s given us no reasons not to believe in him. He believes in himself. He’s a strong, confident kid, and we absolutely want him in the net for a lot of those hard games.”