WarHero

"I love the habs!"

Ottawa, ON • Canada • 39 Years Old • Male

OHL LIVE BLOG: 67's vs. Petes at 7:00 PM - Feb 4th, 2011

Welcome to the LIVE Game Blog for tonight’s game versus the Peterborough Petes!

This is the 8th installment in a very lopsided season series in favor of the 67′s as far as the W’s are concerned. Last time out, the boys laid a 6 – 0 spanking on the Petes. That being said, I expect the Pete’s to remember that and use it as motivation to bring their “A” game to the 67′s tonight.

The question is, will it matter?

The 67′s have outscored the Petes by a whopping 31 – 16 over the series. With the hopeful return of Shane Prince to the line-up, we should expect to see more of the same.

Speaking of Shane, our top line just hasn’t been the same without him. No knocks against Dalton Smith, but he just doesn’t have the speed or the on-ice vision that Shane possesses. Shane’s speeds allows him to easily gain the zone and draw the defenders to him, ultimately opening up holes for Martindale/ Toffoli. Once they get there, Shane tosses one of those pretty passes and you know the rest …

I would like to see Dalton line up with Graovac and either Foglia or Carnevale. Either of those combinations would make a very good grind line that can also help out with some secondary scoring.

The last point I would like to speak to is the recent trend of late-game collapses. Now that we are in the final 20 games of the season, our boys have to figure this out before we get to the playoffs. From my perspective, there are 2 issues. The first being how they are collapsing around Mrazek. The second issue, poor coverage, is a direct result of not properly collapsing.

1. When they collapse, I notice that Mrazek always has a difficult time tracking the puck through the crowd due to the number of bodies being allowed to crash the crease. I agree with the collapsing, but you still have to take your man.

2. The second issue is that there always seems to be an open man at the side of the net for the opposing team. I get that the defensemen have to collapse as well, but again, you cannot forget the man you are supposed to be covering.

Let’s hope our boys have been addressing this in practice.

Pre-game Notes:

- This is the eighth meeting (6W- 1L) between the clubs this year. Ottawa won 6 – 0 last time.
- Keep your eye on Alan Quine & Matt Peumple for the Petes.
- The 67′s are 6-4-0-0 in their last 10 games. Going back in the right direction.
- Tyler Toffoli leads the OHL in scoring, Shane Prince is only 7 points behind.

Keys to the game for Ottawa:

- Don’t take to many penalties. The Petes are the 6th ranked PP in the league @ 22.2%
- Use our speed to draw penalties. We are ranked 1st on the PP @ 23.8%, let’s use it!
- The penalty kill seems to be getting better. We are ranked 3rd overall in the PK @ 83.3%
- Be aggressive on the forecheck and in the neutral zone.
- Make smart passes when trying to either gain the 0-zone and break out of the d-zone.
- Spread the offense around. Secondary scoring will be the key to victories down the stretch.

Starting Line-Ups: (I will announce 30 minutes before the game)

Ottawa 67’s:

Forwards: Lindsay, Monahan, Nesbitt
Defense: Zanetti, Ceci
Nets: Mrazek

Peterborough Petes:

Forwards: Puempel, Watson, Larson
Defense: Koekkoek, Seymour
Nets: D'Agostini
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First period - 20:00

- Great tip attempt by nesbitt, almost had it ...

- Wow ... great pass by Martindale and Toffoli just about cashes

- Big hit by Walchessen on Graovac

- There are some scouts sitting in the box beside me .. I wonder who they are here for?

- Breakaway for Toffoli but D'Agostini makes a great save and gives no rebound

- Another big hit in the neutral zone

First Period - 15:00

- Another Ottawa rush ....

OTTAWA GOAL!!!! Ryan Martindale (28) - Assists: Toffoli (41)

- Coincidental minors after the scrum ... Dubois & Gowdy - 2 minutes each for roughing

- Mis-play by Ceci at the Petes line turns into an Petes rush and Ottawa penalty

- Penalty (Ott) - Marc Zanetti - 2 minutes for holding

- The Petes PP is looking dangerous folks ...

- Great effort from Graovac to keep that play alive!!

First Period - 10:00

- Another scrum ..

- Another set of coincidentals - Nic Foglia - 2 mins, Jeremy Gottzman - 10 mins, Trecapelli - 2 mins

- Toffoli comes very close there ....

- Penalty (Pet) - Kalle Ekelund - 2 minutes for slashing

- An Ottawa shooter rings one right off the post ...

- Very soft clearing attempt by Gibbons .. that won't do folks

- Penalty (Ott) - Nic Foglia - 2 minutes for interference

First Period - 05:00

- Great stick by Cardwell to steal the puck and create a chance

- Couple great chance for the 67's 1st line .. came close

- What a difference a Shane Price can make ...

- Big save by D'Agostini on Lindsay

- Two big saves by Mrazek .... great job following the play!

End of First Period - Score: 1 - 0 Ottawa
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Second period - 20:00

- The Petes try to jam in it but Mrazek stands tall

- Penalty (Ott) - Julian Luciani - 2 minutes for hooking

- Great work by Monahan ... draws a penalty

- Penalty (Pet) - Nick Trecapelli - 2 minutes for hooking

OTTAWA GOAL!!!!! (PP) Ryan Martindale (29) - Assists: Gibbons (24) & Cardwell (9)

Second Period - 15:00

- Wow ... Prince didn't miss by much there ...

- Graovac puts a good hit on Heitkamp

- Nesbitt wins the race for the puck ...

- Then just misses potting one in front

- Look out! A fan gets a nice souvenir ...

- The Petes almost get one there off a deflection in front

Second Period - 10:00

- WOW! Amazing Pad save by Mrazek off Puempel ... totally robbed him

- Ottawa ... 3 on none ...

OTTAWA GOAL!!!! Shane Prince (22) Assists: Martindale (38) & Toffoli (42)

- Great stick work by Clark Seymour to break up an Ottawa 2 on 1

- Mrazek makes a great save off a shot in front

- Ottawa turnover lets the Petes maintain the offensive pressure

- Prince wiffs on the clearing attempt

- Petes Goal - Matt Peumpel (29) - Score 3 - 1 Ottawa

Second period - 05:00

FIGHT!!!! Zanetti -vs- Bezruchko - Decision: Bezruchko on take downs

- 5 mins each for the fight but the Petes get the extra 2 for cross-checking and game misconduct

- Wow ..... D'Agostini looking good for the Petes on the PK

- WOW ... tic ... tac ...toe = Goal

OTTAWA GOAL!!!! Thomas Nesbitt (24) - Assists: Lindsay (22) & Monahan (18)

- Penalty (Ott) - Adam Sedlak - 2 minutes for tripping

- Lindsay gets a breakaway but gets denied by D'Agostini

End of Second period - Score: 4 - 1 Ottawa
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Third Period - 20:00

- Petes Goal - Austin Watson (21) - Great work down low off the boards

- Penalty (Pet) Clark Seymour - 2 minutes for interference

- Nesbitt steals it behind the net and Ceci blasts it right into D'Agostini's chest

- Penalty (Pet) -Matt Peumpel - 2 minutes for tripping - Ottawa 5 0n 3

- Ceci just misses the top corner with the slapper

Third Period - 15:00

- Not a great effort to keep it in by Zanetti

- WOW ..... Lindsay fans on the sure goal ...

- I counted 3 more chances after that but D'Agostini stands tall

- Dalton Smith with a nice backhand that almost sneaks in

- Nice tip pass by Toffoli to spring Martindale and he almost completes the trick

- Bad give away by Monahan in the d-zone almost leads to the third Petes goal

- Penalty (Pet) - Justin Larson - 2 minutes for tripping

- Penalty (Ott) Sean Monahan - 2 minutes for slashing

Third Period - 10:00

- Ottawa rush ....

OTTAWA GOAL!!!! Tyler Toffoli (44) - Assists: Zanetti (28)

- Hopefully that will be the one that prevents the late game break down

- WOW ...... wicked glove save by D'Agostini of Nesbitt

- great shift by the Ottawa 4th line

Third Period - 05:00

- Watson just misses high ...

- OMG!!! What a save by Mrazek .... wow ...

- Lot's of icing ... one way to preserve the lead I suppose

- Beauty pass by Monahan from his knee ...

OTTAWA GOAL!!!! Cody Lindsay (26) - Assists: Sean Monahan (19) & Thomas Nesbitt (26)

- Carnevale fans on a great chance in front of the Petes net

End of Third Period - Final Score: 6 - 2 Ottawa
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3 Stars:

1 – Ryan Martindale (Ott)

2 – Tyler Toffoli (Ott)

3 – Sean Monahan (Ott)

That was the outcome I expected folks, good solid win!

67’s Next Game: Feb 6th, 2011

Opponent: London Knights
Game Time: 2:00 pm
Location: Ottawa (Rona Centre)

Until next time, If you can’t be a player, be a fan!!

Anthony Brown

Follow me on twitter: @ABrownHockey