GAME RECAP: Whitehead hat-trick pulls 67’s over Petes
The 67’s secure a much needed win over the Peterborough Petes, ending their home stretch with 6-3 win.
“Overall, happy with the result,” said assistant coach Paul Stoykewych. “It’s nice to get back in the win column.”
“It means a lot for us,” Whitehead said. “The past few games have been tough, I just think getting over that has been pretty big for us.”
“With the last games coming around, we just want to be prepared for playoffs,” said Marrelli.”They are gonna be chippy, rough, we’ll need all four lines.”
“Every guy in the room loves games like that,” he added. “Tonight, everyone showed up, everyone was physical, playing hard.”
Having dropped the last two meetings, the 67’s came into the game with a predatory gleam. The 67’s imposed their will on the Petes to start the game, with a few massive hits and two goals from Spencer Bowes and Frankie Marrelli. However, the 67’s would get a little carried away, leading to a couple penalties, both of which the Petes would capitalize on to bring the game to 2-2 just after the ten minute mark. The animosity would continue deep into the period, with both teams trying to force both hits and shots, but the period would end 2-2.
“Everytime I get asked (about the penalty kill) from media, we give up a couple of goals,” laughed assistant coach Paul Stoykewych. “It happened today earlier on TSN 1200 with Kenny Walls.”
After those first two penalty kills, the 67’s would shut down the Petes power play four times over the next two periods.
“Overall, since the trade deadline, our penalty kill has been unbelievable,” he retorted. “There’s these lapses, but consistently we’ve been a hard team to score on.”
“It’s tight, connected, detailed, and it’s going to help us win games, especially when we are in situations where we can’t score five-on-five or our power play is struggling,” he said. “It’s gonna be a huge factor moving into the playoffs.”
The Petes would catch the 67’s off-guard to start the second with a goal from Aiden Young to put the Petes ahead. However, Ottawa would continue to keep up the pressure, finding success in the slot. Zach Houben and Nic Whitehead would beat Rye clean to jump ahead of the Petes. Both teams would continue their back-and-forth barrage of offence, with both teams tied at 28 shots after two periods.
After a tough first period, Nelson began to find his way and ended up being an x-factor in the Petes’ struggle to come back into the game.
“I thought Jaeden Nelson, second period on, was unbelievable,” said Stoykewych.
The Barber Poles would extend their lead, with a second marker from Nic Whitehead in the opening minutes of the third frame. They’d use the goal as momentum, controlling the flow offensively with the 67’s outshooting Peterborough 10-4 in the first 10 minutes of the third. The Petes would ramp up as the third period began to wither away from them, but Jaeden Nelson would come in clutch for Ottawa, making a few key stops. Nic Whitehead would seal the deal with his third of the night, his first career hat trick, to end the game 6-3.
“I’ve got to shout out my dad for telling me to shoot more,” Whitehead laughed. “Just taking it one day at a time and trying to do everything I can when I get the puck.”
He thinks a key to success on the upcoming road stretch will be tidying up play.
“Staying disciplined, I think, is our big thing,” he said. “I think our penalty kill is starting to play better.”
Box score
| Teams | Score | Shots on goal | Power plays |
| Ottawa | 6 | 42 | 1/6 |
| Peterborough | 3 | 38 | 2/6 |
First period
#12 Spencer Bowes (17) scores. Assists: #16 Nic Sima, #22 Jasper Kuhta
#8 Frankie Marrelli (12) scores.
#44 Yanis Lutz (11) scores. Assists: #22 Kieron Walton, #71 James Petrovski
#44 Yanis Lutz (12) scores. Assists: #22 Kieron Walton, #71 James Petrovski
Second Period
#26 Aiden Young (19) scores. Assists: #4 Calum Hartnell
#25 Zach Houben (5) scores.
#10 Nic Whitehead (20) scores. Assists: #8 Frankie Marrelli, #37 Thomas Vandenberg
Third Period
#10 Nic Whitehead (21) scores. Assists: #22 Jasper Kuhta, #19 Kohyn Eshkawkogan
#10 Nic Whitehead (22) scores. Assists: #37 Thomas Vandenberg
Up next
The 67’s will begin a three-game road trip on Thursday, heading to Barrie to face the Colts on March 12th at 7 p.m.
The Barber Poles return home Wednesday, March 18th at 3 p.m., hosting the Oshawa Generals. Fans can buy tickets to the game here.
