67’s weekly: bright spots
This season, the road for the Ottawa 67s has been less like a smooth highway and more like a dirt road cutting through the middle of nowhere. It has been bumpy.
Their 15-22-3-5 record is enough to hold down the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference right now, but the North Bay Battalion are hot on the 67’s heels, down just a single point with a pair of games in hand.
The Barber Poles do have reason to believe, however, as evidenced by their 5-4 victory over the Kingston Frontenacs — the second-best team in the Conference by points percentage.
“It was exactly what we’ve been demanding, what we’ve been preaching and what we’ve been asking for from our athletes,” said 67’s Assistant Coach Paul Stoykewych. “They played with an edge, they were executing plays, they competed for 60 minutes, and we got the result we wanted because of that.”
The week also churned out a pair of big milestones, as Shaan Kingwell and Matthew Souliere potted their first-career OHL goals. Kingwell, a native of Ottawa, fired a shot under the crossbar of the 67’s loss in Kingston on Wednesday, while Souliere scored a big goal to give the Barber Poles a late lead over the Fronts on Saturday.
“You’ll never forget your first goal,” Stoykewych said. “It’s exciting to see the young guys produce. Their job and responsibility is to come in and push every single veteran player on this team, and they’ve done an amazing job at it.”
Still in search of his first career goal is trade deadline acquisition, Nolan Jackson. Picked up alongside eight draft picks in exchange for Henry Mews, the Barrie native hit the scoresheet for the first time as a 67’s over the weekend, but his seven games with the club have done plenty to impress.
“Nolan is an unbelievable kid,” Stoykewych raved. “He’s mature beyond his years, extremely competitive, and his hockey IQ and emotional intelligence are through the roof. I’m extremely happy he is a part of this organization. He is going to be one of our pillars moving forward, and I’m grateful he’s here because I get to work with him every single day.”
Jackson has been paired with rookie Kohyn Eshkawkogan, which should have fans giddy with excitement.
“Sometimes you forget that they’re just 16 and 17-year-old kids,” Stoykewych explained. “I couldn’t say enough good things about these two guys, and I’m really looking forward to continuing our relationship.”
Even with everything written down on the positive side of the ledger, the Barber Poles are in a precarious situation at present.
They’re missing many regulars from the lineup, which certainly hasn’t helped matters, and there have been a number of outright unlucky bounces, exemplified by the first goal on Sunday’s game against Saginaw, where a harmless dump in bounced out front for an easy goal for the Spirit.
It’s not for a lack of effort, Stoykewych says, but the Barber Poles aren’t hiding from the fact that the results aren’t there right now.
“When you make more mistakes than the other team, they’re gonna capitalize,” he said. “It usually comes down to three key components of the game. It’s goaltending, special teams and then five-on-five, and we’ve been outplayed in all three. We’re gonna have to dig down deep and solidify an identity.”
Getting back to the form of Saturday’s win is what the 67’s will be striving for this weekend, but they know it won’t be an easy feat.
“The biggest key to sports is consistency,” Stoykewych said. “If you can master consistency, you will give yourself an opportunity to win every single night as a team. Consistency is one of the hardest things to do in sport and life, and when you accomplish it, you can achieve great things.”
This weekend, the Barber Poles will meet the Barrie Colts on Thursday night, and then clash with a pair of out-of-conference foes in the Owen Sound Attack and the Guelph Storm on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Though none of the opposition is in the East Division with the Barber Poles — and none of them are in the same postseason battle the 67’s are — these games have astronomical meaning in the standings.
“Every game is huge,” Stoykewych said. “We’re fighting for our playoff lives. Regardless of the opponent, every game will be competitive, but if we stick to our plan, we’ll give ourselves an opportunity to win.”
