67’s host OHL leading Otters in Saturday afternoon contest at Canadian Tire Centre
The Ottawa 67’s will hit the ice Saturday under the bright lights of Canadian Tire Centre looking to build off of a pair of exciting home wins last week.
Coming off a 14-round shootout win over Kingston on January 25 followed by a thrilling overtime victory in front of 6,300-plus at TD Place last Saturday, the 67’s are getting hot at the right time.
In the midst of a home-heavy schedule and fighting for positioning in a tight Eastern Conference, Head Coach and General Manager Jeff Brown says the time is now to make a move up the standings, though he says his team can’t get too caught up in what others are doing.
“At the end of the day we just have to focus on our own game,” said Brown, whose team sits just four points behind fifth-place Hamilton. “We still have a favourable schedule ahead of us. We’ve got some good teams coming in, but we still have a lot at home. If we can win our home games, we’ll be fine.”
Of those “tough” teams Brown refers to, Saturday’s opponent may well be at the top of that list. Even without teen phenom Connor McDavid, the Otters are once again the cream of the OHL crop as Erie leads the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds by two points for top spot in the Western Conference. Nobody comes close to the Otters in the East, with the first-place Peterborough Petes a whopping 13-points back of the league leaders.
Heading into Saturday’s game, the Otters have two of the OHL’s top-three leading scorers, with Chicago Blackhawks prospect Alex DeBrincat leading the charge with 40 goals and 83 points in 43 games. Teammate Taylor Raddysh, a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning, is close behind with 78 points in just 38 games for an Erie team that boasts five players average a point-per-game or better this year.
And while the 67’s are starting to roll and will carry the momentum of two-straight wins into Saturday’s game, the Otters are also red hot, having won six straight and nine of their last 10.
The 67’s, meanwhile, continue to get contributions from throughout their lineup, led by leading scorer Artur Tyanulin, whose highlight reel goal in overtime against Niagara gave Ottawa its second-straight win.
After making way for the Davis Cup on Saturday with the game at CTC, the 67’s return to the familiar confines of The Arena at TD Place on Wednesday night to host the Petes followed by games against Owen Sound (February 11) and Sudbury (February 12) as part of REDBLACKS at Fury FC where players from both teams will be on-hand to meet with fans with the Grey Cup also in attendance.
All season tickets, previously purchased tickets and vouchers for Saturday’s game against Erie are still valid. Tickets for all remaining 67’s home games are available online at Ottawa67s.com, by phone at 613.232.6767 X1 or in person at The Box Office at TD Place.
Tickets for our REDBLACKS and Fury FC Game are available by clicking here, calling 613-232-6767 x1, or in person at the Box Office at TD Place.
