Month-long stretch critical for 67’s success
Between now and December 13th, the Ottawa 67’s play 13 games, nine of which come at home.
It’s going to be an absolute grid of a month for the Barber Poles, with a pair of meetings against the Oshawa Generals, Sarnia Sting, London Knights, and Peterborough Petes, with a road game against the red-hot Windsor Spitfires, to boot.
There are also dates with the Kingston Frontenacs, Owen Sound Attack, and Barrie Colts, all beginning with Friday night’s clash with one of the best offensive units in the entire CHL, the Brampton Steelheads.
On December 14th, when this long stretch of games is over, the 67’s will board the bus bound for Sadlon Arena in Barrie, beginning a long road trip. With the World Juniors moving into TD Place, the Barber Poles will be living life on the road for just under a month, only heightening the importance of the impending home stretch.
“It’s big,” said 67’s forward, Nic Whitehead. “The last three or four games, we’ve been coming together as a team. At practice, we’ve been sharper, and then in the games, it’s showing, that’s for sure. As a group, we’re growing right now, which is great.”
Riding a four-game point streak, the 67’s are currently eighth in the OHL’s Eastern Conference, only five points back of the third-place Frontenacs. Their recent success is a welcome change from where they sat just a few games ago.
Though they were playing solid hockey, the 67’s had lost seven games in a row. They didn’t change much, Whitehead says, but doubled down on their process, turning their fortunes around.
“I don’t know what it was, you know,” Whitehead admitted, still unable to point out one or two things that caused the slide. “I think we had a ‘come to Jesus’ moment, where we just needed to figure some things out, and we did, and right now, it’s showing.”
“I just think our mindset coming to the rink is great. Obviously, we come in early every day, and we’re different from other teams. I think we work the hardest in this league, and I think we all just came together and we built a positive mindset, which is working for us.”
Playing as well as they are, the 67’s have bought into the “every point is critical” mindset, with the focus of advantageously positioning themselves in the standings as early as possible.
“It’s showing right now,” Whitehead said. “We’re bringing some games to overtime, even though we lost that game to Kingston. The point is still big, and we’ll take it.”
In that Kingston game, the 67’s trailed by a couple of goals late in the third period, but battled back to earn a single point. It brought some confidence, momentum, and belief that the Barber Poles’ young roster can put in the bank to draw on later.
“It showed what our team could do in those nail-biting moments,” Whitehead said. “That’s what we train for. That’s what our positive mindset does.”
Thanks to their recent run, there is a mojo and swagger about the group. With so many big games and tests coming up, with players like Porter Martone, Easton Cowan, Colby Barlow, and Dalyn Wakely leading their teams through Ottawa, the 67’s need to be on their Ps and Qs.
“I mean, those are good teams and players, but I think we’re a good enough team,” Whitehead said. “We have a good enough system where we can shut those top guys down. We’ll keep rolling what we’re doing right now, and we’ll be fine.”
