Trio is goal-oriented
The head coach of the Ottawa 67’s is noted for being just a tad understated.
But when it comes to the numbers being put up by his top line, well, Chris Byrne is over the moon.
But he’s not just excited by the numbers you’d expect — the goals and assists being tallied by the new Big 3 of Ryan Martindale, Tyler Toffoli and Shane Prince.
Sure, it’s great that Prince, Toffoli and Martindale hold down the fifth, sixth and ninth spots in the Ontario Hockey League scoring race.
But what’s really got Byrne primed is that the three are ranked fourth, fifth and ninth in the plus-minus rating, with Martindale and Prince each a plus-16, and Toffoli right behind at plus-15.
Even the low-key Byrne can get behind numbers like that.
“I’m always more worried about wins and loses than who is getting the points,” Byrne said Thursday as his 67’s prepared to shoot for a season-high fourth win in a row tonight against the Belleville Bulls at the Rona Centre.
“It’s more impressive that their plus-minuses are among the best. … That means they’re not getting scored on.”
Three teams dominate the league’s Top 10 in plus-minus. Three members of the Owen Sound Attack hold down first, third and 10th place, led by league-leader Garrett Wilson’s plus-22.
The Mississauga St. Michael Majors hold the other four spots in the top 10 and six of the top 20 spots.
That’s hardly surprising. The Majors have allowed by far the fewest goals, just 45 in 20 games.
As for the 67’s big line — they don’t have nickname yet — it’s simple why they’re not getting scored.
Of late, it’s rare that either Prince, Toffoli or Martindale is not in possession of the puck.
They are performing like three players who don’t want the head coach doing any more line-tinkering — at least not with them.
The trio played together for a stretch in October, then were broken up for a spell, and only reunited Nov. 7 in Guelph.
“At the time we were trying to get other guys going,” said Byrne.
In their first game back as a unit, Martindale and Co. combined for six points against the Storm. Last weekend, they collected 23 points in three games, and could easily have had more.
Together or not, collectively, their 40 goals represent 45 per cent of the 67’s Eastern Conference-leading 88 goals, which is third overall in the league behind Owen Sound and Kitchener.
In recent years, the only 67’s line that can compare, point-wise, is the threesome of Corey Locke, Matt Foy and Scott Sheppard in 2002-03.
Locke and Foy finished 1-2 in league scoring that year, with Sheppard at No. 17. The line combined for 155 goals and 361 points. Both Locke (63) and Foy (61) topped 60 goals while Sheppard notched a respectable 31.
You have to go back 31 seasons to 1979-80 to the last time the 67’s had three players in the league’s Top 10 in scoring at season’s end.
That year, Jimmy Fox won the scoring championship with 65 goals and 166 points and Yvan Joly was second with 66 goals and 159 points. Sean Simpson (65 goals and 149 points) would have finished third, but was nudged out of the spot on the final day of the season by Oshawa’s Mike Bullard.
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