WarHero

"I love the habs!"

Ottawa, ON • Canada • 39 Years Old • Male

OHL LIVE BLOG: 67's vs. Knights at 2:00 PM - Feb 6th, 2011

Welcome to the LIVE Game Blog for this afternoons game versus the London Knights!

What a difference a Shane Prince can make! His return to action on Friday sparked the resurrection of our first line, ultimately leading the team to a 6 - 2 victory over the Petes . Scoring was led by the first line with both Martindale and Toffoli finishing with 3 points each while Prince chipped in with an assist. Our second line also kept up it's hot play with Monahan notching 2 assists, and both Lindsay/Nesbitt notching a goal and assist.

I said this in the last pre-game blog, but it's so true. ....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 …

It was nice to see Dalton Smith line up with Graovac and Foglia. That line played a very gritty game. I am positive I counted at least 1 or 2 big hits every time that line was on. We will need this kind of play down the stretch as other teams start pouring it on.

Finally, other then the 2 minute lapse at the beginning of the third period, I thought our boys gave a solid 60 minute effort. There was no sign of another late game collapse. Instead, our boys kept taking it to the Petes! Let's hope this is a trend that will continue.

On to today .... the London Knights are in town. They are led offensively by Jared Knight and also call Montreal Canadiens first round draft pick, Jarred Tinordi, one of their own. This should be a good one folks!

Pre-game Notes:

- This is the second, and final, meeting between the clubs this year. Ottawa won 4 – 3last time.
- Keep your eye on Jarred Tinordi, Jared Knight & Seth Griffith for the Knights.
- 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 9 points behind.

Keys to the game for Ottawa:

- Penalties? Don't worry! The Knights are the 19th ranked PP in the league @ 16.2%
- Use our speed to draw penalties. We are ranked 1st on the PP @ 23.6%, let’s use it!
- The penalty kill seems to be getting better. We are ranked 3rd overall in the PK @ 83.2%
- 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 60 minutes before the game)

Ottawa 67’s:

Forwards: Prince, Martindale, Toffoli
Defense: Cardwell, Gibbons
Nets: Mrazek

London Knights:

Forwards: Griffith, Knight, Namestnikov
Defense: Harrington, Hughes
Nets: Bobkov
---------------

First Period - 20:00

- Prince blows a tire on the rush

- I won't have to many action comments today folks since I'm at ice level

- Wow ... Martindale just about squeaked that through ..

- I must say ... the action looks much faster from down here

First Period - 15:00

- I know I heard a bit hit .... couldn't see it though

- Great end to end rushing by both teams teams

- Knights look good despite being though of as sellers

- Centering attempt ... no one there to get it

- Look out!!!! Puck shot right into the 67's bench

- The Knights Tinordi and defence partner are like the twin towers ..

- How did Nesbitt lose control of that?

First Period - 10:00

- Great defensive work by Cody Ceci to prevent that breakaway

- Bobkov makes the save and deflects the puck out of play

- Bit of a scrum by the penalty box

- Not a lot of shots yet ... 6 - 4 in favor of the 67's

- I've been seeing a lot of plays kept to the outside, both teams playing tight D

- Coincidental minors but Lindsay gets the extra 2 minutes for roughing

First Period - 05:00

- Foglia gets a breakaway ... but gets hooked ..

- Penalty (Lon) Sacih Giumond - 2 minutes for hooking

- Penalty (Ott) Jon Carnevale - 2 minutes for tripping

- Big hit by Thomas Nesbitt .. wow ...

- Oh man ... that was close ... 1 more stride and it was 1 nothing ..

- Play under review folks ... was that in or not? - No Goal!

- Umm ... how was that not 2 minutes for tripping Ceci?

End of First period - Score: 0 - 0
----------------------

Second Period - 20:00

- Wow ..... Toffoli comes very close there folks ..

- Great action so far ..

- Penalty (Lon) - Kevin Raine - 2 minutes for hooking

- Well ... so much for that power play ..

Second Period - 15:00

- Food break with the wife! Sorry folks ... Remember, I'm rink side today

Second period - 10:00

- Toffoli gets robbed in front ... not a lot on the shot

OTTAWA GOAL!!!! Julian Luciani (3) - Unassisted - Shot deflected off a Knights player

- Hmmm .... Prince seems to be missing folks ... Dubois was on that shift

Second Period - 05:00

- Oh my .... the Knights came close there ...

- What was Ceci thinking there? Hmm ..

- Well, there's Prince, must have been a skate issue or something

- How did Toffoli miss there? Great pressure though ..

- Penalty (Ott) - Marc Zanetti - 2 minutes for cross-checking

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

- Nice setup by the 2nd line ... they generate a chance

- Good job by Cody Ceci to keep that play alive

- Toffoli with a great back checking effort to break up that rush

- Martindale with a terrible give away in the o-zone

- Ottawa 3 on 1 gets broken up

Third Period - 15:00

- Wow ..... Nesbitt gets absolutely robbed in close ..

- Namesnikov almost got through there ... what speed

- 2 broken Ottawa sticks ... that was fast

OTTAWA GOAL!!!! Jon Carnevale (4) - Assisted: Smith (10) & Graovac (7)

Third period - 10:00

- Wow ... one timer chance for London gets them nothing ... huge block!

- I am so surprised by the lack of physicality from the Knights ...

- Shot from the point ....

OTTAWA GOAL!!!! Marc Zanetti (6) - Unassisted

Third Period - 05:00

- Oh wow ... London with an Empty net Already

- Wonder what Toffoli was thinking there ...

- Close there .... Bobkov got lucky ..

- Pass to the point ...

OTTAWA GOAL!!!! Ryan Martindale (30) - Assists: Prince & Toffoli

End of Game - Final Score: 4 - 0 Ottawa
--------------------

3 Stars:

1 – Petr Mrazek (Ott)

2 – Travis Gibbons (Ott)

3 – Marc Zanetti (Ott)

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

67’s Next Game: Feb 11th, 2011

Opponent: Erie Otters
Game Time: 7:30 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

Leave a Comment

You must be logged in to leave a comment.