Collin MacKenzie was lights-out in goal for the Ottawa 67’s, Friday night, stopping 26 of 27 shots through 65 minutes of action at GFL Memorial Gardens.
Luckily for the Barber Poles, the 17-year-old net minder had 15 more in him.
After falling behind 1-0 late in the game, Cam Tolnai tied it up for Ottawa with 1:43 to go in the contest. Overtime solved nothing, and in what became the second-longest shootout in OHL history, MacKenzie stopped all 15 shots he faced, before Gavin Ewles scored the winner in Round 15, giving the 67’s a 2-1 win over the Soo Greyhounds.
With the victory, the 67’s extended their franchise record season-opening winning streak to eight games.
It was a strong performance, yet again, for Ottawa, who outshot the Hounds in every frame, save for overtime. In the first, they controlled the margin 10-7, but Charlie Schenkel held firm in the Soo net, and the period was punctuated only by a brief fight between Derek Smyth, and Connor Clattenburg.
The second period saw the 67’s outshoot the Greyhounds 13-9, and log some Grade-A chances, but still found themselves unable to pull ahead.
As cruel as hockey goes, sometimes, Bryce McConnell-Barker gave the Hounds a 1-0 lead 5:52 into the third, on the rebound of a larcenous save by MacKenzie.
With time winding down, and the Barber Poles’ record streak in serious jeopardy, Head Coach Dave Cameron pulled MacKenzie for the extra attacker, with 2:10 to go. With just 1:43 left on the clock, hometown boy Jack Matier slid the puck to Henry Mews at the top of the circle, and the rookie found Tolnai in the slot, who redirected his second of the year past Schenkel to tie the score.
The overtime period saw only three shots on goal, but the two teams traded marvellous chances. The Hounds rang a breakaway chance off the crossbar, and Tyler Boucher, and Vinzenz Rohrer both came close to ending it for Ottawa, but the shootout was necessary to decide this game.
It took 15 round — yes, 15 rounds — to not only win this game, but to have a goal in the skills competition. MacKenzie was perfect, turning aside every shot he faced, and flipping the pressure on to Schenkel.
Finally, it was the unlikeliest of heroes ending things for the 67’s. On the first shootout try of his career, Ewles found the twine with a wicked shot, and the Barber Poles poured off the bench in jubilation, remaining perfect on the season.
Game Notes:
- 67’s General Manager James Boyd, and Assistant General Manager Jan Egert were also a part of the longest shootout in OHL history. Their Mississauga Steelheads fell 4-3 to the London Knights in 19 rounds on December 2, 2012.
- Henry Mews now has points in five straight games.
- Jack Matier extended his point streak to four games, with his family in attendance.
- Collin MacKenzie improves to 6-0-0 on his OHL career, going back to last season.
Up Next: The 67’s wrap up their Northern Ontario road trip on Sunday, with a visit to the Sudbury Wolves at 2:05pm ET.
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