67’s weekly: off the schneid
It’s no secret that October has been a rough month for the Ottawa 67’s.
Currently 2-5-1-1 in the month, the Barber Poles wish there were a few more treats in their bag, instead of being handed more than their fair share of tricks, to put it festively. It hasn’t all been negative in the nation’s capital, however, and over that span, the 67’s have actually been playing pretty good hockey.
In October, the 67’s have a goal differential of minus four, which is below where they’d like it to be, no doubt, but hardly egregious enough to justify their two-win and seven-loss record. The fact is the Barber Poles have been close, but lacked some gusto in one or two key moments in games.
Up North last weekend, that continued in North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, as the 67’s dropped both contests by matching 3-2 scorelines. In Sudbury on Sunday, it felt like the dam finally broke, and some of those bounces went the Barber Poles’ way, resulting in a big win, and some weight coming off the collective shoulders of the group.
“I thought we played good with structure, we competed, we battled, and we could have come out with six points that weekend,” said 67’s Assistant Coach Norm Milley. “There are a lot of positives to take from it.”
Among the positives is the much-maligned penalty kill. The 67’s have been in search of some kind of remedy and in the final two games of the trip, they seemed to be heading in the right direction. On their combined nine attempts short-handed, Ottawa was around 78 percent successful killing them off.
“It’s one step away, one small detail away,” Milley said without revealing what that could be, keeping his cards close to his chest. “I know that we’re working hard at it as a group. We just have to keep positive, and the penalty kill will figure it out.”
To have played as well as they have without seeing the results could have led the Barber Poles to concede the weekend after the first two games, but that didn’t happen. They fought back, and proved their winning capability.
“The biggest thing is the resilience we’re showing as a group,” Milley said. “It’s not easy to come to work every day when you’re grinding and you’re not getting the results, but they’ve done a great job. Our leadership group has done a great job of keeping things level and keeping guys ready to go.”
Back on the winning path, the 67’s are walking into an awkward stretch in the world of junior hockey. This weekend, they’re set to face the Guelph Storm and Kingston Frontenacs at home, before they head to Kingston for a Wednesday morning clash with the Fronts. Then, it’s a game on November 8th, before hosting their own school day game on November 13th.
On top of the oddities that come with that ordinarily, including juggling around school work and classes for many players, they’ll be without rookie defenceman Kohyn Eshkawkogan for the next little while, as he showcases his abilities on a national level at the World Under-17 Challenge in Sarnia.
With their seven-game losing skid snapped, the 67’s are solely focused on putting some points in the bank, and there’s a sense of urgency to do that now.
“We have to be aware of the teams we’re playing,” Milley said. “There’s not one easy game for us, and we’re in the battle for the playoffs. Every game counts for us. We have to take every game as if it’s our last. The next 10 games could be the difference between making or missing the playoffs, you never know. We’re in a position where every game – every point – counts for us.”
The Storm come into Friday’s matchup with a 3-8-0-1 record that currently sees them occupying the bottom spot in the Western Conference, but don’t be fooled, they’re a talented squad.
Jake Karabela, Max Namestnikov, and Cam Allen, to name a few, are good players in this league, and they’re getting a huge boost to their lineup: the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jett Luchenko.
The London, Ontario native has one game under his belt in the OHL this season, notching an assist in the Storm’s 10-1 loss against the Brampton Steelheads, but he also comes with four games of NHL experience with the Flyers this season.
“You know he’s an impact player, but he’s only one player,” Milley said. “You definitely want to be aware when he’s on the ice, he can change the game with one play, but like I always say, it’s up to us and how we respond and dictate.”
