67’s lace up for big meeting with IceDogs
It’s a big one for the Ottawa 67’s (22-33-4-6) tonight in Niagara, where they’ll meet the IceDogs (29-28-4-4). Puck drop from the Meridian Centre is at 7 p.m. You can catch the action on Rogers TV and CHLTV, or hear Kenny Walls’ online-only broadcast here.
Two points back of the North Bay Battalion for the final postseason position in the Eastern Conference, the Barber Poles can neither clinch a berth, nor be eliminated tonight.
The 67’s scored three massive points this past weekend, beating the Oshawa Generals and falling in overtime to the Kingston Frontenacs, despite both clubs being favourites to represent the Eastern Conference in the J. Ross Robertson Cup Final this spring. Swedish import Filip Ekberg scored three points on the weekend, extending his point streak to eight games, during which time he has 11 points.
On Friday night, Ryan White scored his first career OHL goal, while Luca Pinelli scored his 35th of the season on Sunday.
Niagara has struggled of late, going 2-7-1-0 in their past 10 games, something they’ll want to correct going into their first playoff run since 2019. They have plenty to play for, still grinding for a chance to finish sixth in the Eastern Conference and avoid playing a division winner in the first round.
Last time out, the IceDogs fell to the Brampton Steelheads 6-2, with goals coming from Ryan Roobroeck – his 40th of the year – and Blair Scott. In his first game in the Niagara net since February 16th on Saturday, Owen Flores stopped 39 or 41, backstopping the ‘Dogs to a 5-2 win over the Erie Otters.
The IceDogs have claimed a pair of wins in the season series, both of which have been one-goal games, with one going to overtime. Ottawa won the last meeting 6-2.
By the numbers
| Ottawa 67’s | Player | Total |
| Goals | Luca Pinelli | 35 |
| Assists | Matthew Mayich | 33 |
| Points | Luca Pinelli | 67 |
| Power play goals | Luca Pinelli | 15 |
| +/- | Filip Ekberg, Shaan Kingwell | +3 |
| Niagara IceDogs | Player | Total |
| Goals | Ryan Roobroeck | 40 |
| Assists | Ryan Roobroeck | 42 |
| Points | Ryan Roobroeck | 82 |
| Power play goals | Andrei Loshko | 16 |
| +/- | Mathieu Paris | +13 |
Keys to the game
- Control
Control what you can control. Trust that if you do what you need to, everything else will take care of itself.
- Effort
At the end of the night, make sure that when you look at yourself in the mirror, you can say that you gave everything you had and then some.
- Special teams
The power play and penalty kill have to be clicking tonight. Make the most of those opportunities.
