67’s perseverance key in Game 5 comeback
The Ottawa 67’s looked to be down for the count after the second period in Game 5, but it’s clear that they weren’t ready to see their season come to a close on Saturday afternoon.
Trailing 4-1 with just 20 minutes to go, and facing elimination, the Barber Poles headed back to the locker room for the intermission in about as bad of a spot as possible. As they came down the hall, before taking a seat in their stalls for a 17-minute break, they knew something needed to be done.
Others may have thrown their hands up, accepting their fate and giving up, but not this group, who all season long, have lived by the motto “stick with it.” The leaders stood up and rallied the team, beloved Head of Athlete Performance Trainer Sean Young gave an emotionally charged speech, and when they took the ice for the third, you never would have known the peril they were in.
“We had that look in our eyes that we weren’t ready for our junior careers to be over,” said Jack Matier, who was facing the potential of Game 5 being his last as a 67.
It started early with Cam Tolnai – who has played every minute of his OHL career with the Barber Poles, dating back to his rookie season in 2018-19 – getting in on the forecheck, and making life difficult for the Peterborough Petes’ defenders.
In his time, Tolnai has watched junior careers end with a heartbreaking loss in the OHL Final, because of COVID-19 snatching away a chance, and in a sweep last season. Now an overager himself, he faced the same reality, but his mindset was quite simple as the puck dropped.
“Leave it all on the ice, have no regrets,” Tolnai said. “In that room, we have a lot of trust in one another, and everyone – from the first line to the bottom – was grinding on the forecheck, and I think you saw it.”
The 67’s got on the board quickly in the third, courtesy of rookie defenceman Frankie Marrelli. Then Brad Gardiner scored his first career playoff goal, and just moments later, Logan Morrison tied the game. Overtime seemed a likely result, where the Petes would have the chance to rally the troops, just as Ottawa had done 20 minutes prior.
Then, as time had run down near two minutes to play, Marrelli took a shot from the point, beating Micheal Simpson to give Ottawa the lead. Marrelli’s shot was tipped by Will Gerrior, the game’s first star, resulting in an Ottawa win, and a bus ride back to Peterborough for Game 6 on Monday night.
Even with the biggest goal in his hockey career, Marrelli kept it no secret that the players graduating the 67’s program after the playoffs are over had just as much of an impact on his game as anyone.
“We were playing for the guys beside us, knowing that if we lost, their junior career was over,” Marrelli said. “I wanted to learn more from them. Pavel Mintyukov’s time here has been short, and I wanted to extend that and continue to learn from him on the ice.”
This is a 67’s team that never doubts itself, and always believes in themselves, no matter how dire the circumstances. On Saturday afternoon, with 5,062 screaming, adoring fans in the stands, the Barber Poles fed on the energy they produced, with Tolnai suggesting it’s the best crowd he has seen since the pandemic.
“That was probably the biggest difference from our first two home games of the series,” Matier said. “The crowd was really into it tonight, it was a great showing from the people of Ottawa. It’s great to have them on your side, they were electric tonight, and we hope to see them for Game 7.”
The win feels great, and opens the door for the 67’s, but Tolnai and the rest of the team are fully aware that there is still plenty to do, but after a comeback effort like that, belief is at an all-time high.
“Ride the high, but we have a lot of work to do,” Tolnai said. “They’re still up 3-2, and we’re going into a barn where they can trap it up a lot. We have to come out with the same attitude and play north. We just have to keep going at them.”
