67’s reverse fortunes against Troops
OTTAWA – The Ottawa 67’s found just what they needed to end a four-game losing streak. It came in the form of a visit Friday night by the Brampton Battalion.
Logan Couture scored two goals, one shorthanded, to power the 67’s to a 5-0 Ontario Hockey League victory, Ottawa’s first win since a 5-0 blanking of the host Kingston Frontenacs on Nov. 28.
Jamie McGinn, Shea Kewin and Jakub Vojta, the last also shorthanded, scored the other goals for Ottawa, which got 33 saves from goaltender Brady Morrison, who recorded his second shutout of the season, including stopping Cody Hodgson on a penalty shot.
McGinn added three assists, Couture two and Vojta one for the 67’s, who handed the Battalion its second shutout loss of the season. The first was a 3-0 setback Oct. 12 to the host Barrie Colts.
Ottawa, which had earned one point from a shootout loss in its previous four games, moved its won-lost-extended record to 11-15-2 for 24 points, fifth in the East Division. The Battalion, having won its previous two, slipped to 13-16-3 for 29 points, fourth in the Central Division.
Underage goaltender Patrick Killeen made his first OHL start after two relief appearances for the Battalion, which has won six of eight since snapping a seven-game losing streak. Killeen, from nearby Carp, Ont., made 28 saves.
Ottawa carried the early play, with Matt Smyth getting the Battalion’s first shot on goal past the nine-minute mark of the first period, before McGinn opened the scoring at 10:24. Couture won a faceoff to Killeen’s left and fed the puck back to Joe Grimaldi on the right point for a shot that McGinn deflected home. It was his team-leading 17th goal of the season.
Kewin scored at 12:23 after Vojta carried the puck behind the Battalion net and attempted a wraparound. Kewin backhanded the rebound home for his fifth goal.
Couture scored at 19:37 during a two-man advantage that resulted from a bench minor against the Battalion for having too many men on the ice and an interference call against Kyle Sonnenburg. Couture blasted a screened shot from the left point.
Penalty killer Couture made it 4-0 at 12:21 of the second period. He gathered the puck at the Ottawa blue line and raced off on a breakaway to beat Killeen with a backhander from short range. It was Couture’s seventh goal.
With a delayed penalty coming against Grimaldi for tripping, Hodgson was awarded a penalty shot at 17:14 of the period after Grimaldi propelled a loose stick at puck carrier Hodgson. He skated in on Morrison, who got a piece of the shot with his left arm. Grimaldi then served two minutes as the Battalion power play continued to sputter.
Vojta scored on a 50-foot shot at 2:46 of the third period after Kewin and Stephane Chabot fought to a draw at 2:23, with Kewin receiving a roughing minor as well as a fighting major.
Tomas Stryncl, Jason Dale and John Seymour were scratched for the Battalion. Ottawa was without Jake Fischer, Matt Lahey and Jordan Gallea.
The Battalion hosts the Windsor Spitfires at 2 p.m. Sunday.
BATTALION NOTEBOOK: Attendance at the Ottawa Civic Centre was 7,188 … The Battalion was 0-for-5 on the power play. Ottawa went 1-for-7 … The Battalion is 7-11-0 on the road, while the 67’s are 6-6-2 at home … Among opening Battalion line combinations, John Hughes centred left winger Justin Levac and right winger Matt Auffrey, Hodgson skated between left winger Luke Lynes and right winger Michal Klejna and Graham McNabb worked with left winger Howie Martin and right winger Smyth. Mike Lomas centred left winger Conor O’Donnell and right winger Kyle DeCoste … Hughes had a seven-game points streak ended. He scored two goals and earned seven assists for nine points in the run … Hodgson saw a four-game points streak snapped. It featured four goals and one assist for five points … Defenceman Stryncl sat out after suffering a shoulder injury late in a 3-1 road win Wednesday night over the Mississauga IceDogs … Bryan Pitton, who backed up Killeen, saw his club record of 19 consecutive starts ended. Pitton had started every game since a 7-2 loss to the host Saginaw Spirit on Oct. 19, when the departed Aaron Rock got the call … In addition to Killeen, the Battalion roster boasts two other Ottawa-area residents. Defencemen Brad Albert and Chabot hail from Nepean and Rockland, Ont., respectively … Sebastien Savage, a former member of the Battalion and 67’s who suffered a broken neck in an Atlantic Universities Sport game while playing for the Moncton Aigles Bleus on Oct. 22, 2005, attended the game. His parents, Sylvain and Sylvie, conducted a ceremonial faceoff … The Battalion hosts Ottawa on Jan. 7.
