Barber Poles Earn 3-1 Win Over Wolves
Though the score was deadlocked at 0-0 after the first period, the Ottawa 67’s rode a strong second frame to a 3-1 road victory over the Sudbury Wolves, Friday night.
Alex Johnston recorded his third straight multi-point game, with a goal and an assist, as Thomas Johnston tallied his 10th of the year, and Vinzenz Rohrer his 11th, powering the Barber Poles, offensively. Max Donoso turned in a gem, stopping 33 of 34 shots.
After a first period that saw the 67’s forced to kill off three penalties, they were finally able to get rolling in the second frame. Just 3:25 in, Cooper Foster made a great play to absorb a hit, and feed Alex Johnston streaking into the slot all alone. He made no mistake, beating Mitchell Weeks with a quick snapshot, and opening the scoring.
Ottawa didn’t stop there, and it was another Johnston coming through. Shorthanded, Thomas Johnston made a dash to the net, but couldn’t quite get the puck on goal. Fortunately, Alex Johnston was able to recover it in the corner, and sent it back out to “TJ” in the slot, who fired one home to make it a 2-0 lead.
As time wound down in the second, with the two teams at four-on-four, Rohrer bolted into the Sudbury zone, and his initial shot was denied, but the Wolves inadvertently put the puck into their own goal, giving the 67’s a 3-0 advantage with just 11 seconds to go in the period.
Nick DeGrazia got one back for Sudbury early in the third, but that would be the last gasp for the home team, and the 67’s earned a hard-fought victory in the Nickel City.
Game Notes:
- Alex Johnston’s three-game multi-point streak is the longest by any member of the 67’s, this season.
- With his tally and assist on the night Alex has now earned 50 and 51 career OHL points.
- This is the second of Max Donoso’s three OHL wins to come against Sudbury.
- The 67’s were a perfect 5/5 on the penalty kill.
- Vinzenz Rohrer has three points in four meetings with the Wolves, this season.
Up Next: The Barber Poles visit the North Bay Battalion, Sunday, at 2:00pm ET.
