One last tune-up for 67’s on Saturday in Cornwall
After nearly two weeks off from game action, the Ottawa 67’s are finally back, as they’ll play their fourth and final preseason game against the Kingston Frontenacs on Saturday afternoon, at the Cornwall Civic Complex.
In the past couple of weeks, the Barber Poles – much like every other OHL franchise – have been a bit of a shell of themselves, losing eight regulars to NHL training camps. Practice has looked a little different, but as Assistant Coach Norm Milley pointed out last week, that’s not always a bad thing.
“It has been easier for the coaches to spot our mistakes with fewer guys on the ice,” said rookie defenceman, Kaleb Dietsch, who has taken advantage of the extra attention to gain valuable experience.
For those young players like Dietsch, it has been almost a month since they came to Ottawa and began living an entirely foreign lifestyle. Between starting at a brand new school, seeing OHL action for the first time, and even playing some games with the Ottawa Jr. Senators for some of them, things have been chaotic.
The result has been a forced maturation of sorts. As Dietsch looks back, it already feels like a lifetime ago. The break in game action allowed for some time to buckle down, and now, he knows what he needs to do to take the next step.
“I was super nervous for the first game, but after the first couple of shifts, I got used to the pace and how fast the game is,” he explained. “It’s a big difference, many of these guys are either pro-level players, or will be in the future, so you really have to step up your game to play with them.”
The maturity and comfort Dietsch is now feeling comes largely thanks to the veterans who have stepped up in the locker room. Even in the absence of some tremendous leaders, the 67’s culture has ensured everyone feels the responsibility to be role models, allowing expectations to remain high despite less-than-ideal circumstances.
Among them, Derek Smyth, who has placed extreme importance on spending time with his new teammates away from the rink, aiming to pull the team closer together, and foster positive relationships.
“I learned from what the guys last year did,” Smyth said. “I’ve tried to take on a leadership role and get the guys to gel off the ice. We already have a great relationship with the guys who aren’t here, so we want the group to be tight.”
So far, Smyth believes there’s a lot to be positive about, in many facets.
“I’m excited by the skill level we have, and the group of guys, it’s a really good bunch,” Smyth said. “I feel like everyone has my back, and everyone is going to go to battle together.”
Packing up the bus for Cornwall on Saturday morning, the players who have been lucky enough to have played there before will remember that feeling. The town has been starved of major junior hockey since the Cornwall Royals moved to Newmarket in 1992, before eventually becoming the Sarnia Sting, but they have always shown up whenever the Barber Poles make the short trip.
“They came out and supported, and we loved that,” Smyth said. “It’s cool to see [67’s jerseys in the crowd]. You don’t always see that, but we have a great fan base, and that gets the boys going.”
In their two-week break, the 67’s have missed the “surreal feeling” of running out of the tunnel with fans screaming, Dietsch says, and the excitement to experience that once again is palpable.
For both teams, Saturday’s meeting offers one more kick at the can for players to make their mark, and prove to the coaching staff that they should be in the lineup on opening day. The expectation is a hotly contested game, in which the 67’s want to win, despite no points being up for grabs.
“We want to get the dub,” Smyth said. “We’re hoping to work out all of the kinks we have, so we’re ready to be smooth and have everyone on the same page for the home opener in a week.”
Puck drop from the Cornwall Civic Complex comes at 2 p.m on Saturday.
