Ottawa 67's Maintain Momentum with Ninth Win in 10 Games
The red-hot Ottawa 67's have solidified their position as one of Canada's premier junior hockey teams with another impressive weekend performance. By completing a two-game sweep at TD Place, the team demonstrated why they're climbing both conference standings and national rankings.
Victorious Weekend at TD Place
Following Saturday's convincing 5-1 victory over the Ontario Hockey League-leading Brantford Bulldogs, the 67's marked a significant milestone on Sunday. Their 5-4 win over the Owen Sound Attack coincided with coach Dave Cameron's 1,000th game behind an OHL bench, creating a memorable weekend for the organization.
With this ninth victory in their last ten contests, the 67's maintained their position just one point behind the Brantford Bulldogs in the Eastern Conference standings. The Bulldogs had earlier defeated the Kingston Frontenacs 5-2, keeping the race for top spot tightly contested.
National Recognition and Team Focus
While overtaking Brantford for conference supremacy remains the primary objective, the 67's are also keenly aware of their standing in the Canadian Hockey League rankings. Ottawa entered the week as the eighth-ranked team in the country, while the Bulldogs held the third position despite winning just five of their last nine games.
"We all have social media, so we see it," acknowledged overage centre Nic Sima regarding the CHL rankings. "We don't look too much into it. We know we're a great team and we know what we're capable of, but obviously we kind of know it's there in the back of our mind."
Sunday's Dramatic Victory
Filip Ekberg emerged as Sunday's hero, scoring twice including the game-winning goal early in the third period. His second marker of the game and 18th of the season proved decisive in the 5-4 outcome.
The 67's received scoring contributions from multiple sources. Jasper Kuhta netted his 25th goal of the season, while Nic Sima and Spencer Bowes each scored their 14th. Sima's goal held special significance as it marked the 50th of his 291-game OHL career, coming during a weekend where he scored three times.
Goaltending Adjustments and Opponent Response
Sunday's game saw the 67's make their first in-game goaltender change of the season. After Jaeden Nelson allowed two goals on 11 shots in the first period, Ryder Fetterolf entered the game and improved his record to 24-4-1 while stopping 15 of 17 shots in relief.
Owen Sound received goals from Noah Roberts, Cole Zurawski, Lenny Greenberg, and Jared Langdon, with Trenten Bennett making 32 saves in net for the Attack.
Young Players Stepping Up
Spencer Bowes, an 18-year-old from Carleton Place, continued his impressive development with another strong performance. The winger contributed a goal and an assist on Saturday, with five of his goals coming in the ten games since the OHL trade deadline.
Coach Dave Cameron praised Bowes's progression, noting "I think he's just becoming more comfortable with the league. It's like anything else, when you're a new kid coming into the league, it's just a matter of getting your games in, and your reps in, getting up to speed with the league."
Cameron emphasized the importance of practice for young players, adding "For young guys coming in, that's the practice part of it. Because if you don't get up to speed in practice, your game doesn't get to the level where you're going to play enough minutes that you're just going to get real good in games. You've got to do it in practice. So he's embraced that, and he's a really skilled kid."
Busy Week Ahead
The 67's face a demanding schedule in the coming days as they look to maintain their momentum. The team hosts the Oshawa Generals on Wednesday evening before traveling to Peterborough to face the Petes on Thursday. They return home to take on the Kitchener Rangers on Saturday afternoon and conclude their busy stretch by entertaining the Barrie Colts next Monday in a special "Family Day" game at TD Place.
With their recent success and continued development of young talent, the Ottawa 67's have positioned themselves as legitimate contenders in both the OHL Eastern Conference and the national CHL landscape.
