67’s lock up second straight East Division title
The Ottawa 67’s are East Division champions for a second straight year following Friday’s 4-1 win over the visiting Oshawa Generals.
Cedrick Andree stopped 37 of 38 to secure his second consecutive 30-win season while Marco Rossi, Cameron Tolnai, Mitchell Hoelscher and Austen Keating took care of the scoring, helping Ottawa improve to 45-11-0-1.
The 67’s, who also secured the first seed in the Eastern Conference with Friday’s win, have been a force throughout the season having scored the League’s second-highest goal total of 265 while surrendering the fewest goals at 157.
Clinch Playoffs: ✔️
Clinch Eastern Conference Title: ✔️✔️ pic.twitter.com/gXtZclv4OA— x-Ottawa 67’s (@Ottawa67sHockey) February 29, 2020
The 2020 East Division title secures the franchise’s 17th Leyden Trophy as the 67’s are well within range of improving upon last season’s total of 50 wins with 11 games remaining on their schedule. The Leyden Trophy was first presented in 1975-76 when the OHL was split into divisions with the expansion of the League to 12 teams. The award originated in recognition of former long-time Oshawa Generals general manager Matt Leyden for his contributions to junior hockey in Ontario.
The 67’s currently boast the OHL’s leading scorer in top 2020 NHL Draft prospect Marco Rossi who helped them reach the Rogers OHL Championship Series last spring. Rossi has 107 points (35-72–107) over 51 contests while overage blueliner Noel Hoefenmayer leads all rearguards with 74 points (23-51–74). Another highly regarded draft eligible forward in Jack Quinn currently sits tied for the OHL goal-scoring lead with 47 markers through 57 contests. Fifth-year winger Austen Keating recently became the first player in franchise history to play in over 300 games while also registering over 300 career points.
The 67’s are led by reigning OHL Coach of the Year André Tourigny behind the bench as they currently boast the League’s top power play at 29.3% along with the fourth-ranked penalty kill at 81.7%.
Ottawa is back in action at home on Saturday afternoon, playing host to the Barrie Colts in a game that can be seen live across the country on Sportsnet and NHL Network at 3:30pm.
