The Ottawa 67s will travel to St. Catharines on Thursday, where they’ll hope to break a two-game winless drought against the Niagara IceDogs.
The Barber Poles dropped their last two games at home, losing to both the Brantford Bulldogs and Sudbury Wolves on Thanksgiving weekend, bringing the team’s overall record to 3-3.
It’s still early days in the OHL’s 68-game season, but the 67s currently find themselves eighth in the eastern conference.
After starting October with a hat trick, Cooper Foster (a sixth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins) has gone scoreless over his last three games, while Luca Pinelli (a fourth-round pick of the Columbus Blue Jackets) is also coming off back-to-back games without a point.
Pinelli continues to lead the 67s, having notched eight points through six games.
Meanwhile, Niagara has gotten off to a roaring start, winning five of their first six games. The IceDogs have benefitted from the much-improved play of Kevin He (a fourth-round pick of the Winnipeg Jets) who is among the league’s point leaders to start the year, despite scoring at below a point-per-game pace last season.
Through six games, He has already scored seven goals and eight assists.
Niagara has also enjoyed strong goaltending performances by netminder Owen Flores, an overager currently on pace for his best statistical season in junior hockey. Having played four games, Flores is undefeated and rocking a .935 save percentage, which is second-best in the OHL.
It remains to be seen whether Flores can keep up his torrid pace, as he’s never topped .900 in his previous three years in the league.
Meanwhile, Ottawa is still waiting for a clear starter to emerge between the pipes. Jaeden Nelson, a rookie from the nation’s capital, has split the team’s six games with 19-year-old Collin Mackenzie, with both goalies posting similar save percentages and goals against averages.
It will be the season’s second meeting between Ottawa and Niagara, after the IceDogs emerged victorious by a score of 3-2 in the 67s’ home opener.
After Thursday’s game, the 67s will wrap up their mini road trip against the Brampton Steelheads on Friday night, before heading back to Ottawa for a matinee matchup against Barrie on Sunday afternoon.
