It looked like it was over.
Down 4-1 in the third period to the Peterborough Petes, and mere minutes from elimination, the Ottawa 67’s roared their way back for the most incredible comeback victory of the season, taking Game 5 by a final score of 5-4, in front of a raucous crowd of 5,062 inside The Arena at TD Place.
“Our whole motto all year is stick with it,” said Head Coach Dave Cameron. “We just wanted to play with speed, and not pass up any shots.”
After Logan Morrison scored in the first period, and the Barber Poles found themselves in a late hole, when Frankie Marrelli got the rally started in the third. Brad Gardiner made it a one-goal game soon after, and Morrison’s second of the night tied things up at the 9:45 mark. With 2:08 left on the clock, Will Gerrior tipped home a Marrelli point shot, sending the crowd into a frenzy, and giving way for an utterly indescribable win.
“The whole game, we believed we could win,” Marrelli said. “It wasn’t our best performance in the first and second, but in the third, playing for the guy beside us, for our older guys whose careers would have been over. We knew that with our coaching, and teammates, we’d be good.”
The Petes, as they have so often in the series, struck early, with a pair of goals from Tucker Robertson, and Connor Lockhart, respectively.
In the final moments of the frame, though, Morrison converted on a beautiful feed from Vinzenz Rohrer, cutting the lead to one.
Ottawa had their chances in the second, but it seemed like Peterborough was primed to take the series, with goals from Jonathan Melee, and Brian Zanetti midway through.
When the third period began, the 67’s resolved to leave everything on the ice, no matter the result.
They did that, and then some.
3:33 in, Marrelli ripped home a point shot for his third of the playoffs, making it a 4-2 game. Less than three minutes later, Gardiner’s first career postseason goal came by way of blasting a rebound past Michael Simpson, cutting the lead to 4-3.
Reeling, Petes coach Rob Wilson called his timeout, but the Ottawa onslaught continued. Finally, just before the halfway point of the third, Morrison batted a puck out of midair on the doorstep, blowing the roof off of The Arena at TD Place, and tying the game 4-4.
Not content to play for the tie, the 67’s kept pressing the attack, and were finally rewarded with the go-ahead goal. Marrelli let another shot go, and parked out front was Gerrior for the game-winner as the Barber Poles sent the series back down Highway 7.
Game 6 goes down Monday night, at 7:05pm from the Peterborough Memorial Centre, as the 67’s look to force a Game 7 at home, one night later.
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