Stepped up
Brampton, ON – The Brampton Steelheads snapped a skid in style, as they overpowered the Ottawa 67s to a score of 7-3. A three-point night from Chase Lefebvre helped earn Anthony Paolini his first career OHL win.
Anthony Paolini and Jaeden Nelson had to be sharp early, as both netminders had to make a couple of key saves early.
The 67s came inches from the icebreaker when Filip Ekberg received a pass on the backdoor, but his one-timer slid through the crease to the far side.
It was the Trout who scored first though, as they would find the scoresheet just before the halfway point in the opening frame. After Kieran Witkowski’s shot was turned aside, Chase Lefebvre won a puck battle along the boards. The overage forward quickly threw a shot on goal which caught Nelson by surprise to give the Steelheads a 1-0 lead.
It took just under three minutes for Ottawa to find its answer. When the Steelheads pressured in the 67s zone, Filip Ekberg snuck behind the defence. The draft-eligible forward sprung in on a breakaway where he made a beautiful fake to the backhand to tie the game at 1-1.
The Steelheads regained the lead with five minutes to go in the first period. Kieran Witkowski forced a turnover in the neutral zone which Brampton turned into a rush. Aidan Lane crossed the blue line and dropped for Chase Lefebvre who quickly returned the feed. Lane cut to the backhand, throwing a shot on goal which bounced up and over Nelson. Lane’s second goal in as many games put the Trout back in front 2-1.
Vilmer Alriksson made his presence felt at the start of the second period when Henry Mews was forced to take a hooking penalty in order to slow him down. The Steelheads headed to the power play, but they came out empty-handed.
Shortly after the first penalty expired, the Trout found their way back on the man advantage. Angus MacDonell nearly doubled the Steelheads’ lead when he wired a shot on goal from the slot, but Nelson came up with a huge glove stop.
The power plays continued for Brampton as they headed to a third straight power play. The Trout continued to improve their man advantage, but they were again held scoreless.
That did not slow down the Steelheads though, as just a minute penalties expired, Brampton would find an even strength goal. Jaeden Newton kicked away Kieran Witkowski’s shot from the wing, but the rebound flew into the slot. Gabriel Chiarot jumped on the loose and unleashed a blast by Nelson to give the Steelheads a 3-1 lead.
The 67s gave the Steelheads a challenge when they went to their league-leading power play following a high stick from Reed Gee. Ottawa pressed on the man advantage with a flurry of shots. Finn Harding showed why he is the league leader in plus-minus when he made not one, but two goal-line saves to keep the Steelheads in front by two.
Built off the energy from the kill, Brampton pressured hard in search of another insurance goal. The Trout hemmed Ottawa in their own zone for over a minute, firing shot after shot on Nelson, but the young netminder held strong.
The Steelheads came out flying at the start of the third period when they scored two goals in just over three minutes. First, it was Mason Zebeski who parked in front of the net and jammed one past Nelson to make it 4-1. Then Mason Zebeski crashed to the net yet again. His bid was stopped, but William Eggleton chipped the rebound over the pad of Nelson to bring it to 5-1.
Just a minute later, the 67s would answer back. Matthew Mayich threw a shot from the point where it was tipped by Will Gerrior to cut the lead to 5-2.
The action was not done yet, as the Trout would erase the Gerrior marker just a minute later. Kieran Witkowski stole the puck behind the Ottawa net and found Parker Von Richter in the slot. The offensive defenceman picked his spot, sniping it to the top corner to put Brampton back up by four.
The 67s tried to start a comeback when the teams exchanged penalties. With four players on per side, Henry Mews slipped into a soft spot in the Brampton zone. The Calgary Flames prospect redirected home a feed from Chris Barlas to bring Ottawa a little closer to a tie.
A pair of fresh faces combined for the Steelheads to give Brampton a touchdown and the extra point. In the dying seconds of a penalty kill Vilmer Alriksson found Angus MacDonell wide open in front. The Goose made no mistake, as he undressed Nelson to the backhand, giving Brampton another insurance goal. MacDonell’s first goal back from injury brought us to a final score of 7-3 Steelheads.
The Steelheads are back in action on New Year’s Eve when they host the Sudbury Wolves. It will be a game you will not want to miss, so grab your tickets here!
