Barber Poles Rout Petes in Key Divisional Matchup
The Ottawa 67’s are slumping no more. After being held to just three goals in their past two games, the Barber Poles broke out in a big way, potting nine goals and dispensing with the Peterborough Petes, by a score of 9-4.
“It was just nice to finally get rewarded,” said Head Coach Dave Cameron. “We’ve been close for a couple of games now, and were deserving of a game like this.”
It didn’t take long for Tyler Boucher to get things rolling for Ottawa, scoring his fifth goal of the season, on a rebound chance. The Petes responded soon after, thanks to J.R. Avon, but Luca Pinelli found the back of the net for the 67’s to restore their lead before the end of the first frame.
Leading the pivotal matchup at the start of the second, the 67’s once again started the period fast. Jack Matier scored his ninth goal of the season, and fourth against the Petes to extend the lead to 3-1. Shortly after the ensuing faceoff, Boucher laid a mammoth hit, breaking a pane of glass between the benches. Both teams were sent to their respective dressing rooms, and after a lengthy delay, play was resumed.
If the Barber Poles weren’t in control of the game at this point, they were about to be. Shift after shift, the 67’s created chances offensively. They were rewarded in a big way, scoring five goals in the second period, after the delay alone. Thanks to Boucher once again, Alex Johnston, Thomas Johnston twice, and Anthony Costantini, the game was essentially on ice as Ottawa led 8-1 at the end of two.
Peterborough answered back early in the third period, and with the score at 8-2, a breakthrough came for one of the Barber Poles. After 24 games without finding the back of the net, Vsevolod Gaidamak beat Michael Simpson, and after a sigh of relief, Gaidamak was swarmed by his teammates, who were fired up for the beloved forward.
“It was good to see Seva [Gaidamak] score,” said Boucher of his teammate. “Everyone loved to see that, and a lot of guys were contributing tonight.”
The game would end with the Petes finding two goals on the powerplay in the closing stages of the game, but it was much too little, and much too late for the maroon and white. The Barber Poles took the victory in a massively important game, and for the time being, hold seventh place in the Eastern Conference by a margin of three points.
“We knew [that we are battling them for seventh], we definitely wanted to take it to them,” said Boucher. “We did that, and we got them once again. We want to do the same thing next time out.”
Game Notes
- Seven different members of the 67’s scored goals, with 14 different players registering at least a point.
- Vsevolod Gaidamak scored a goal in the third period, ending his scoreless drought at 24 games.
- In his 200th career OHL game, Adam Varga assisted on Gaidamak’s goal.
- Tyler Boucher and Thomas Johnston both had multi-goal games, with Boucher’s being the first of such nature.
- Luca Pinelli led the Barber Poles in plus/minus, ending the game as a +3.
Game Highlights: Peterborough at Ottawa
