67’s leash IceDogs
The Ottawa 67’s polished up a clean win on Friday evening inside The Arena at TD Place, downing the Niagara IceDogs 6-2.
The first period was one of the best in recent memory for the 67’s, kicking off the festivities in a big way. Just under four minutes after the drop of the puck, Chris Barlas sent a pass in Caden Kelly’s direction, and the 19-year-old blasted it past the goaltender to open the scoring.
Exactly 30 seconds later, the goal light came back on, as Filip Ekberg toe dragged around a defender, and picked the top corner to extend Ottawa’s early lead to two. That wasn’t it for the action at the Niagara end either, with Josh Brady executing a similar play at the point, dragging around another defender, before launching home his fifth of the campaign.
The IceDogs fought back as the frame reached its latter stages, with Mike Levin banking a shot off the backside of the goaltender, bouncing it into the goal from an odd angle, but the Barber Poles held a 3-1 advantage at the break.
Offence didn’t slow down for the Barber Poles in the second, further extending their lead. Midway through, Luca Pinelli lengthened his point streak to 10 games with a nice pass to Nic Whitehead, who finished strong, scoring his eighth of the year.
Then, as the frame was nearing a close, Pinelli swiped the puck in the neutral zone and sprinted down the ice for a breakaway. He cleverly slid the puck between the netminder’s legs, putting Ottawa up 5-1 before the sheet was flooded.
Early in the third, the IceDogs picked up another marker courtesy of Alex Assadourian short-handed, but the 67’s weren’t startled. With about seven and a half minutes to go, Jack Dever restored the lead off of a faceoff, scoring his seventh of the year.
Jaeden Nelson stopped 25 shots en route to a 6-2 win for the 67’s.
Box score
| Teams | Score | Shots on goal | Power plays |
| Ottawa | 6 | 21 | 0/4 |
| Niagara | 2 | 27 | 0/4 |
First period
1-0: OTT #28 Caden Kelly (10) scores. Assists: #9 Chris Barlas
2-0: OTT #34 Filip Ekberg (10) scores. Assists: #22 Matthew Mayich, #5 Bradley Horner
3-0: OTT #3 Josh Brady (5) scores. Assists: #8 Frankie Marrelli, #16 Chase Yanni
3-1: NIAG #16 Mike Levin (12) scores. Assists: #11 Kevin He, #6 Jack Brauti
Second Period
4-1: OTT #10 Nic Whitehead (8) scores. Assists: #9 Chris Barlas, #20 Luca Pinelli
5-1: OTT #20 Luca Pinelli (30) scores.
Third Period
5-2: NIAG #8 Alex Assadourian (13) scores. SHORT HANDED
6-2: OTT #18 Jack Dever (7) scores. Assists: #34 Filip Ekberg, #24 Kimi Körbler
Up next
The 67’s are back on home ice on Sunday afternoon, hosting the Brantford Bulldogs. The weiner dogs, however, will have fans’ hearts, with the annual Wiener Dog Race taking place in the second intermission. You can get your tickets here.
