Barber Poles head north, begin weekend in North Bay
A trip to Northern Ontario is on the docket for the Ottawa 67’s (3-4-1-1), a swing which they’ll kick off on Thursday night in North Bay, against the Battalion (6-4-1-0). You can catch all of the action on Rogers TV and on CHLTV, or you can hear the call from Kenny Walls on TSN 1200. Puck drop comes at 7 p.m.
Recently, the 67’s have been playing some good hockey according to their coaching staff, but the results haven’t been what they want to see. They earned a pair of points last weekend, but have dropped five straight contests. In their last three outings, they’ve had a goal differential of minus three, though one of those goals was into an empty net.
Cooper Foster and Filip Ekberg both have points in each of their last three games, with four and five points in that span respectively. Additionally, Kohyn Eshkawkogan scored his first OHL on Sunday against the Barrie Colts.
The Troops had a very similar weekend in comparison to the 67’s last time out. They fell to the Sarnia Sting on Thursday night, before beating the Brantford Bulldogs in overtime. They then lost to the Sudbury Wolves a few nights later in overtime, once again.
North Bay still sits in second place in the Central Division, despite losing a great deal of talent after their third-consecutive trip to the Eastern Conference Final a season ago. Now, they’re reliant on the likes of Ethan Procyszyn, Jacob LeBlanc, and Shemar Moses, who has eight points in six games since being acquired from Barrie in the Dalyn Wakely trade.
The Barber Poles currently hold the slim one-game lead in the season series, taking the only previous meeting back on October 5th. Cooper Foster and Luca Pinelli both scored hat tricks, helping the 67’s capture a 6-3 victory.
What they’re saying
Norm Milley, Assistant Coach, on the key to success: “North Bay is a team that we know. They have got a great coaching staff, and they’re structured. They work hard, and they compete. The bottom line is that we have to compete and worry about the rest of the stuff afterwards. If we compete and work hard for 60 minutes, I like our chances.”
By the numbers
| Ottawa 67’s | Player | Total | North Bay Battalion | Player | Total |
| Goals | Cooper Foster | 8 | Goals | Ethan Procyszyn | 8 |
| Assists | Henry Mews | 7 | Assists | Jacob LeBlanc | 11 |
| Points | Cooper Foster | 10 | Points | Jacob LeBlanc | 14 |
| Powerplay goals | Luca Pinelli | 3 | Powerplay goals | Ethan Procyszyn | 5 |
| +/- | Kohyn Ehskawkogan, Matthew Mayich | +3 | +/- | Bronson Ride | +5 |
Keys to the game
- Hard 60
For 60 minutes or more, the 67’s must be ready to do battle in the hard areas of the ice with a North Bay team who will be keen to be physical
- Positivity
Stay up. No matter the score, the most important shift is the next one, whether you’re chasing the game or looking to ice it away.
- No lapses
Keep the focus, especially on the penalty kill. Teams in the OHL are too good to be given freebies.
