Ottawa 67's 2023-24 Off-Season Thread (Part 1)

[Larionov]

Ugh - 6-2-2 in our last ten and still stuck in sixth - that is rough. That mid-season swoon we went through proved to be very costly in the standings...

 

[NordiquesForeva]

GeneralsLive or GeneralsUpdate, or whatever is handle is, popped up on my Twitter feed last night and I’ve got to say whoever runs that account either knows nothing about hockey, is the worlds biggest homer, or is a f***ing idiot. Probably all three.

Barlas gets buried from behind - bad call and a dive by the Ottawa player. High stick goal gets overturned - bad call and clear officiating bias. Oshawa forgets to get off the team bus and when they do decide to show up puts forward an embarrassing effort against a divisional rival - no mention of that of course. Oshawa clearly lost because of the officials.

 

[OMG67]

GeneralsLive or GeneralsUpdate, or whatever is handle is, popped up on my Twitter feed last night and I’ve got to say whoever runs that account either knows nothing about hockey, is the worlds biggest homer, or is a f***ing idiot. Probably all three.

Barlas gets buried from behind - bad call and a dive by the Ottawa player. High stick goal gets overturned - bad call and clear officiating bias. Oshawa forgets to get off the team bus and when they do decide to show up puts forward an embarrassing effort against a divisional rival - no mention of that of course. Oshawa clearly lost because of the officials.

GU is good when it has nothing to do with Oshawa. I ignore the Oshawa bias and focus on the rest. Sort of like Kenny Walls. I ignore a lot of Kenny when it comes to anything 67’s on ice analysis. Same with GU.

The high stick goal was a clear high stick. You didn’t have to see the puck deflect. You could see the trajectory of the puck off the D-Man’s stick with nothing in front other than the stick of the Gens player. MacK clearly reacted funny to the puck at the last split second so it obviously went off the high stick.

I can see the take on the Barlas hit. I sort of thought the same thing. He got poked the first time and got into that fun area where if you get poked the second time and go down, it would be a penalty. Considering how Barlas stood his ground on the exact same crosscheck a second before, I think he went down too easy on the second one. But, that is part of the game. All good players will take advantage and that is what Barlas did. He put the officials in a position to have to call it. They did.

Sometimes homer frustration comes out. People on other threads call me a homer. Anyone on here that used to be on the old NOOF board knows I am far from being a homer. I was the guy criticizing Kilrea as a GM (not a coach) back when Kilrea was still a God (his last 5-7 years as the GM) when we wasn't trading guys like Couture and McGinn when sitting in 7th-8th place at the deadline. I call it like I see it. If I see Ottawa as a potential contender, I say it. If I see them as a tire fire, I call it. A lot of people see that Gens roster piece by piece and see a good team on paper. The reality is they are really good on paper but they struggle against the speedy teams that play a pesky game. That is Ottawa. People on the outside look at Ottawa and call them a middling team because they don’t understand what this team is and how the component parts fit together. We are lacking that one winger but outside that, the team when healthy and energized are as good as any team.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

GU is good when it has nothing to do with Oshawa. I ignore the Oshawa bias and focus on the rest. Sort of like Kenny Walls. I ignore a lot of Kenny when it comes to anything 67’s on ice analysis. Same with GU.

The high stick goal was a clear high stick. You didn’t have to see the puck deflect. You could see the trajectory of the puck off the D-Man’s stick with nothing in front other than the stick of the Gens player. MacK clearly reacted funny to the puck at the last split second so it obviously went off the high stick.

I can see the take on the Barlas hit. I sort of thought the same thing. He got poked the first time and got into that fun area where if you get poked the second time and go down, it would be a penalty. Considering how Barlas stood his ground on the exact same crosscheck a second before, I think he went down too easy on the second one. But, that is part of the game. All good players will take advantage and that is what Barlas did. He put the officials in a position to have to call it. They did.

Sometimes homer frustration comes out. People on other threads call me a homer. Anyone on here that used to be on the old NOOF board knows I am far from being a homer. I was the guy criticizing Kilrea as a GM (not a coach) back when Kilrea was still a God (his last 5-7 years as the GM) when we wasn't trading guys like Couture and McGinn when sitting in 7th-8th place at the deadline. I call it like I see it. If I see Ottawa as a potential contender, I say it. If I see them as a tire fire, I call it. A lot of people see that Gens roster piece by piece and see a good team on paper. The reality is they are really good on paper but they struggle against the speedy teams that play a pesky game. That is Ottawa. People on the outside look at Ottawa and call them a middling team because they don’t understand what this team is and how the component parts fit together. We are lacking that one winger but outside that, the team when healthy and energized are as good as any team.

It’s also the insinuation that Oshawa lost because of the officiating. Like, that was THE reason.

I agree with your take on the high stick. When the puck changed direction with the Gens player’s stick up, it was already at face level and rising. A tip by the high stick was the only logical call there.

The boarding call on Barlas gets called on the OHL every single time it happens. The Gens player, Punnett I think (who had himself a rough outing) put himself in a bad position to take a penalty there. It’s the kind of play the OHL should want to eliminate from the game, even IF Barlas could have been a little stronger on his skates there.

Overall I agree with your take on KW.

 

[Mild Italian]

GeneralsLive or GeneralsUpdate, or whatever is handle is, popped up on my Twitter feed last night and I’ve got to say whoever runs that account either knows nothing about hockey, is the worlds biggest homer, or is a f***ing idiot. Probably all three.

Barlas gets buried from behind - bad call and a dive by the Ottawa player. High stick goal gets overturned - bad call and clear officiating bias. Oshawa forgets to get off the team bus and when they do decide to show up puts forward an embarrassing effort against a divisional rival - no mention of that of course. Oshawa clearly lost because of the officials.

I would say homer.

 

[ottawarenegader613]

I was across the river at the Halifax- Gatineau game last night which was entertaining after Gatineau scored two straight goals to tie the game in the dying seconds before losing to Halifax in OT. I followed a bit of the Generals and 67s through my phone. Great hearing that goalie Colin Mackenzie returned to action and picked up a shutout. I hope he stays healthy in the 67s stretch run towards the playoffs. I heard that the game got chippy with the infractions as well.

It's going to be a very tough game today for the 67s against the London Knights, a team that has 10 NHL draft picks, and 3 more eligible draft picks for the 2024 NHL draft. Dale Hunter's team always plays that pro hockey style which is why there tons of Knights alumni playing in the NHL. It is also a reason why London has been a destination for highly skilled players destined to play in the NHL after the Hunters transformed the Knights into a mini NHL organization. I know some people can't stand the Knights and the way they keep staying on top each year as well as their questionable recruitment of players but those criticisms are due to jealousy. You do have to admire the play of NHL prospects Easton Cowan, Oliver Bonk, Denver Barkey, and 2024 NHL draf eligible player Sam Dickenson. I look forward to seeing them in action today.

I hope the 67s beat the Knights to inch close to a playoff spot but like I said before, it's going to be tough. I also hope for a close scoring game as well. As the legendary former pxp voice of the 67s, Dave Schreiber and other have said about the London Knights.

The Knights don't rebuild, they reload.

 

[OMG67]

Ugh - 6-2-2 in our last ten and still stuck in sixth - that is rough. That mid-season swoon we went through proved to be very costly in the standings...

I prefer to look at it the other way. We got points we shouldn‘t have gotten early in the season with crazy goaltending like the two games against SSM. We are always going to go into a funk during a rash of injury and for Ottawa it was that time around the Christmas break. Unfortunate but predictable. I thought because we played Kingston three times we may come out of it ok but they mostly waxed us. It was like stealing Hallowe’en candy from little kids!

I am more surprised at how Brantford has held on to win so many 1 goal games. They seem to find a way to win. Good for them. They work hard for 60 minutes and get rewarded. They are not the most fun team to watch but they get the job done.

Ottawa has two games in hand and two games against Brantford. Brantford plays their next two games against Saginaw. If Saginaw can do their part and Ottawa continues to play well, maybe we can narrow that gap. Our 65th game is against Brantford on March 16th. If we can reel them in and only be behind 3-4 points, we have a good opportunity to make the final game of the season on March 24th at home to win the division.

 

[OMG67]

Mackenzie in net today. Looks like he feels good after yesterday.

 

[Jawk]

I prefer to look at it the other way. We got points we shouldn‘t have gotten early in the season with crazy goaltending like the two games against SSM. We are always going to go into a funk during a rash of injury and for Ottawa it was that time around the Christmas break. Unfortunate but predictable. I thought because we played Kingston three times we may come out of it ok but they mostly waxed us. It was like stealing Hallowe’en candy from little kids!

I am more surprised at how Brantford has held on to win so many 1 goal games. They seem to find a way to win. Good for them. They work hard for 60 minutes and get rewarded. They are not the most fun team to watch but they get the job done.

Ottawa has two games in hand and two games against Brantford. Brantford plays their next two games against Saginaw. If Saginaw can do their part and Ottawa continues to play well, maybe we can narrow that gap. Our 65th game is against Brantford on March 16th. If we can reel them in and only be behind 3-4 points, we have a good opportunity to make the final game of the season on March 24th at home to win the division.

The job the Bulldogs have done with Lardis, then Hamara and Okitundu, out has most of us Bulldog fans pleased.

The 3rd D pairing last night was held together with hope and gum.

 

[OMG67]

Mews again being stupid with the turnover resulting in a breakaway goal. This kid needs to stop being dumb. His aggressiveness in very low percentage plays as the last man back has to stop. Enough is enough.

 

[ottawarenegader613]

Mews again being stupid with the turnover resulting in a breakaway goal. This kid needs to stop being dumb. His aggressiveness in very low percentage plays as the last man back has to stop. Enough is enough.

You can't turnover the puck against this highly skilled Knights team. Mews paid the price for that turnover that lead to London's first goal of the game.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

Ottawa is hanging in there but they can’t make those kinds of mistakes against a high quality team like London. The theme lately has been giving up goals on mistakes/turnovers by the last man back. They’re not giving up much in prime scoring areas.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

“Reverses the flow” - take a drink!

 

[mianjo]

3-3 with 4 to go in 3rd




GOAL
#17 Brady Stonehouse (17) scores.
2nd 15:31
+/-



GOAL
#28 Caden Kelly (4) scores. Assists: #24 Kimi Körbler, #19 Samuel Mayer
3rd 6:01
+/-

GOAL
#29 Cooper Foster (14) scores. Assists: #12 Braeden Kressler, #20 Luca Pinelli
3rd 6:45

 

[mianjo]

3-3 after 3

going to OT

still 3-3

Shootout

 

[mianjo]

67's N N N

London N N Y

67'S LOSE 4-3

SECOND
#29 Cooper Foster C
G 1A 0+/- 0Ottawa

 

[OMG67]

Well done. Come back from a 3-1 deficit in the 3rd period. Take a point. This was a game I had them in tight to get points so coming out with one has to be considered a bonus. Not happy with the Mews turnover on his brain fart. Mack would probably like the 2nd goal back. But there were a lot of positives today. They are really starting to find their legs Over the last two weeks. They were looking intermittently sluggish for a while there and now there is a consistent effort.

We are now into that last 13 game stretch that I have been highlighting as not overly difficult.

2x Niagara
2x Petes
2x Barrie
2x Missy
2x Brantford
Erie
Kingston
Oshawa

That is 8/13 games against teams below .500. We’ve had Oshawa’s number this season. I think our division winner is going to come down to the results of the two games vs Brantford.

 

[beastintheeast]

Good game If they play this way the rest of the season they may surprise people.

tonights game with saginaw will make a difference.

 

[OMG67]

Good game If they play this way the rest of the season they may surprise people.

tonights game with saginaw will make a difference.

It will only surprise the non-believers!

 

[OMG67]

Somehow Brantford managed to get a point after being dramatically outplayed the entire game. That team just finds ways to win. It is unreal. No ground gained or lost today.

 

[beastintheeast]

Somehow Brantford managed to get a point after being dramatically outplayed the entire game. That team just finds ways to win. It is unreal. No ground gained or lost today.

That's why I don't think we will catch them. They keep on finding a way

 

[OMG67]

That's why I don't think we will catch them. They keep on finding a way

Yes but you didn’t know that 6 weeks ago. Even my bet wasn’t originally to win the division. It was to finish ahead of Oshawa. I didn’t think that was a fair bet for Scout because I felt Ottawa would easily finish ahead of Oshawa when comparing schedule etc. I was the one that expanded it to Ottawa needing to win the division. I felt that was a more fair bet. Ottawa would need to actually finish ahead of all division contenders. Even Scout never mentioned Brantford as a serious contender. I don’t think anyone truly did.

At the end of the day, even if I do lose that bet, it won’t be because Ottawa didn’t do what I expected them to do. They will have lived up to their end of the bargain. It would be Brantford that found a way to maintain the lead against a lot of odds. Ottawa completed the tough part of their second half schedule and went 11-4-4. That’s a .684 win% without MacK for much of that portion f the schedule. I don’t care what anyone says at this point. The deadline strategy was the correct strategy. Ottawa is 15-7-2 vs the top 4 teams in each Conference (adding Oshawa to the mix because they are the 4th place team as a competitor in their own Conference). That is a .667 win%. The 67’s are a good team. They have demonstrated the ability to play the top teams and come out with points.

I’m not sure if their regular season success can translate into playoff success. They do have strong goaltending and if MacK is healthy, he can win a series himself. But, they have a chance. The trades at the deadline gave them a chance.

 

[ecraigs]

Yesterday's game surprised me in many ways. Ottawa played with focus and intensity and definitely made a statement by coming back for a point. London is a more polished offensive team, that converts on its chances.

Going 0 for on the PP is not going to win many games. Arguably, Ottawa had more scoring chances, but pucks in skates and too high to deflect means missed chances.

The shootout was one of the worst that I've ever seen, including a couple of 15 round marathons. Only two shooters had any chance to score and the winner was the shooter who did. The next time they get into that situation, the two teams should flip quarters for it, or need I say it? Rock, paper, scissors, Spock.

 

[OMG67]

Yesterday's game surprised me in many ways. Ottawa played with focus and intensity and definitely made a statement by coming back for a point. London is a more polished offensive team, that converts on its chances.

Going 0 for on the PP is not going to win many games. Arguably, Ottawa had more scoring chances, but pucks in skates and too high to deflect means missed chances.

The shootout was one of the worst that I've ever seen, including a couple of 15 round marathons. Only two shooters had any chance to score and the winner was the shooter who did. The next time they get into that situation, the two teams should flip quarters for it, or need I say it? Rock, paper, scissors, Spock.

Ottawa can play with any team. There is no doubt. The problem is they don’t have the elite players that can finish. They have a few players that are pretty good and can produce. Pinelli has had a pretty good year but outside him, no one else has been a bonafide go to player. Outside of the players we added at the deadline, Gerrior is the only other 20 goal Scorer and he has exactly 20!

If not for the fact that this season had a bunch of teams at or near the top that weren’t really all that great compared to past season, this would hav been a status quo or sell off year.

BUT, all of that said, this is a really good sign going forward. For a team that isn’t overly skilled, they are still at or near the top of the Conference. So many other people out there look at Ottawa as a middling sort of team. No one believed in this team, even many of the people that follow and contribute to this thread. What I am getting at is if this team can perform at a high level with a lack of skill, it means that future teams should be able to provided we maintain a decent amount of players year over year. The system and culture in place should carry over year after year. Just need to keep drafting guys that can skate and we will have a foundation.

 

[NordiquesForeva]

I was pretty happy with the London game yesterday. The 67s put in a really good effort against an elite opponent. We had several chance sto end it in OT and pick up 2 points, but c'est la vie. I'd like to see the 67s clean up those turnovers near the blue line by the last man back (something that has been happening a lot recently).

Looks like Foster got about half the game on Kressler's right side, with Pinelli. He made Cameron look like a genius by sniping one top corner off that nice play by Kressler. I can certainly see Cameron going back to that trio next game. Nice to see Kelly contribute on the scoresheet with a critical goal too. Stonehouse has been very engaged, physically and offensively, the last couple of games so let's hope he can build on these recent outings. The team performs better when Stonehouse is on his game. Finally, Dever is quietly having a really good season. His speed is off the charts, and he takes care of business in the d-zone.

MacKenzie had a really good weekend coming off a lengthy injury, which is a huge relief.