On the day where the Ottawa 67’s became the first Eastern Conference team to clinch a playoff spot, this season, they got some payback over the time that eliminated from the postseason a year ago.
Down 2-1 to the North Bay Battalion late in the game, Logan Morrison tied things up with the net empty, and 1:49 left on the clock. In overtime, it was Jack Matier playing the hero, and delivering a critical win for the Barber Poles. Pavel Mintyukov opened the scoring in the first, while Max Donoso made 24 saves, for his 26th win of the campaign.
Aside from clinching their postseason berth, it was another milestone night for the Barber Poles, as Head Coach Dave Cameron was behind the bench for his 800th OHL game.
“He’s very modest, and if you look at his resume, it’s unbelievable,” said Assistant Coach Norm Milley. “I think that’s what keeps, keeps him going. He’s so modest and humble, and it’s fun to be around. It’s fun to be able to learn from him every day.”
The 67’s struck early, when Will Gerrior made a terrific play in the neutral zone, and moved in on a two-on-one. Gerrior found Mintyukov driving the far post, and the Anaheim Ducks prospect made no mistake to give the Barber Poles a 1-0 lead.
North Bay answered in the second, on the powerplay, thanks to Matey Petrov, and the low-scoring game continued until past the halfway point of the third.
With less than two to play, Cameron pulled Donoso for the extra attacker. The 67’s gained the offensive zone, and Morrison walked into the slot, rifling a home a wrister to knot the score, and send the 6,672 fans inside The Arena at TD Place into jubilation.
“He’s brought a lot of calmness to our team under pressure,” said Milley, of Morrison. “He’s brought a lot to our locker room, he and Mintyukov have been great for us.”
In overtime, the Barber Poles controlled the flow of play, and it paid off with the winning marker. Vinzenz Rohrer, and Luca Pinelli combined to hit Matier streaking into the slot, and a deft shot beat Dom DiVincentiis.
“I think that that’s my first overtime goal, while I’ve been here, so probably probably one of the bigger goals I’ve scored here in Ottawa,” said Matier after the win. “Obviously, it was a big game for us. We knew they were a good team. We knew going in that it was going to be a really close game.”
After clinching their eighth straight postseason berth, the 67’s will look to win their third straight , Friday night, with the Windsor Spitfires in town at 7:00pm.
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