Collin MacKenzie earns 10th straight win to start OHL career with 67’s
With a 7-1 win over the Kingston Frontenacs in the annual School-Day Game on Tuesday morning, goaltender Collin MacKenzie notched his 10th consecutive win to start his OHL career.
MacKenzie, the Barber Poles’ 160th-overall pick in the 2020 OHL Priority Selection, won all four decisions he had in 2021-22, and so far this season, has won in all five of his starts, plus one win coming in relief in October. The mark, although certainly impressive, isn’t MacKenzie’s main focus.
“I’m just out there playing the game and having fun,” he said. “The guys are having success in general, not just me, so it’s a fun experience, overall.”
The achievement is far from meaningless, however. After going down early in the 2021-22 season with an injury, MacKenzie returned to find his position contested, and only played in one game after coming back.
The chance to return for another season between the pipes in the nation’s capital was something MacKenzie relished, and the importance of each game is heightened for him.
“It shows that anything can happen,” MacKenzie said. “When you come back, you don’t take anything for granted. My focus when I go back out on the ice is to enjoy the moment, and don’t worry about anything else.”
His return has been welcomed for Head Coach Dave Cameron, who says he was unsure of what to expect from MacKenzie at the start of the season. Despite missing nearly half of the season in 2021-22, and backing up goaltending partner Max Donoso for most games to start the year, MacKenzie has come back better than ever.
As he always does, Cameron stressed that there is still plenty of work to be done, and MacKenzie shouldn’t be satisfied with 10 straight wins, or how he is performing.
“[He] has risen to the occasion,” Cameron said. “We’re excited about [both goaltenders], they are off to a great start, but it’s still a work in progress.”
Turning aside 14 shots, MacKenzie took home the game’s second-star honours, helping the Barber Poles earn their seventh straight win, and second win over the Frontenacs on the season. The Elora, Ontario native couldn’t help but take in the atmosphere of the event, and was excited to play in an NHL arena, in front of more than 13,000 fans.
“It was crazy,” MacKenzie said. “The crowd was so loud, and they were into it, for saves, goals, and hits. It really made the experience 100 times better than I could have ever imagined it.”
On the season, MacKenzie boasts a goals-against average of 1.59, good for the league’s best mark, and a save percentage of .936, also the best in the league. MacKenzie is also among four goaltenders who have played in five or more games this season and are yet to lose.
