The OHL Weekend Notebook recaps the weekend that was with news, information and interesting facts from both on and off the ice.
67’s put together perfect Western swing
The Ottawa 67’s traveled westward for the weekend and return to the nation’s capital with six points, improving to league-best mark on 35-9-2-2. Vinzenz Rohrer lifted the Barber Poles to a 6-5 overtime win in Flint on Friday as Jack Beck scored twice and Logan Morrison was the game’s first star with a goal and three assists. Ottawa defeated Saginaw 5-1 on Saturday night with Pavel Mintyukov scoring against his former club while Thomas Sirman lit the lamp twice playing up on forward. The 67’s edged the Sarnia Sting 4-3 to kick off YourTV’s Hockey Day in the OHL triple-header on Sunday as Lambton-area native Brady Stonehouse scored the winner on a third period penalty shot. Morrison led Ottawa offensively with seven points (3-4–7) over the three road games.
The local boy gets the winner for the @Ottawa67sHockey on the road in Sarnia! 🚨
Brady Stonehouse scores his 27th on the season, which stood as the game-winner in the 67’s win over the Sting in a battle between two of the best teams in the #OHL! pic.twitter.com/ZBQoGs5wao
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) February 5, 2023
Maggio climbs to top of leaderboard as Spits stay hot
New York Islanders prospect Matthew Maggio is the OHL’s leading scorer and point producer, helping the Windsor Spitfires extend their current winning streak to four games with home wins over Sault Ste. Marie, Hamilton and Owen Sound. The Spits outscored their opponents 21-8 as Maggio paced the League with 11 points (5-6–11) in the three outings. Maggio reached the 100 career assist plateau on Sunday and now has 185 points (85-100–185) over 192 career regular season games. Rookie forward Liam Greentree scored three more goals last week, giving him 23 on the season to lead all OHL rookies. Shane Wright had a goal and two assists in Thursday’s win over Sault Ste. Marie before missing the final two games of the weekend with a lower body injury. The Spits lost rookie A.J. Spellacy to injury in Saturday’s game, he didn’t play on Sunday.
Matthew Maggio! This is 4⃣0⃣!
The @NYIslanders prospect opens the scoring for the @SpitsHockey in the third game of #OHLDay live across the province on @yourtvontario! 📺 pic.twitter.com/IAj17qS5ez
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) February 6, 2023
Knights stretch winning streak to four
The London Knights took consecutive 5-1 victories last week, defeating both Saginaw and Erie to widen their gap atop the Midwest Division. The 32-13-1-0 Knights saw Montreal Canadiens prospect record a goal and an assist in Friday’s win before recording his first OHL hat trick on Saturday in Erie, capped by a highlight reel lacrosse-style goal. Mailloux is third in goal-scoring among OHL blueliners with 17 tallies in 38 games. Both London goaltenders continue their excellent play as Brochu improved to 21-12-1-0 on Friday while rookie Zach Bowen recorded his 10th consecutive win, improving to 11-1-0-0 on the season Saturday in Erie.
The Empire Strikes Back on Star Wars Night in Erie!@stubbs980 provides the call on a third period natural hat trick from @CanadiensMTL prospect Logan Mailloux as the @LondonKnights won their fourth in a row 🎥 pic.twitter.com/XZvJwUzUcd
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) February 5, 2023
Generals find a way past Petes, Otters
The Oshawa Generals are staying in the Eastern Conference playoff conversation, taking two of three over the weekend. The Gennies fell 4-3 at home to the Barrie Colts on Friday before defeating their arch-rivals, the Peterborough Petes 7-5 at the PMC Saturday night. Calum Ritchie and Thomas Stewart put the Generals ahead for good in the latter half of the third period while big centreman Dylan Roobroeck starred with two goals and an assist. Jacob Oster was back at his best on Sunday, stopping all 31 shots he faced for his third shutout in the last four games as the Generals blanked the Erie Otters 4-0. Oster is now 4-2 with a 1.35 goals-against average and .957 save percentage in six games with Oshawa. Ryan Gagnier scored twice in Sunday’s win to give him a club-leading 23 goals on the season. Oshawa begins this week one point back of Sudbury for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
🎙️ “Jacob Oster is the hottest goaltender in the Ontario Hockey League right now!”
The @Oshawa_Generals netminder has tied the league lead in shutouts over his last FOUR GAMES! 🍩🍩🍩
33 saves for his third shutout of the season in a 4-0 Gennies win 🧱🥅🚫 pic.twitter.com/NxUVR8PzFA
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) February 6, 2023
Rangers, Storm split pair of weekend encounters
The Highway 7 rivalry is alive and well, with the Kitchener Rangers and Guelph Storm both battling for every inch in the Midwest Division. The Storm come away with a five point edge on Kitchener as the two teams split a weekend pair. Kitchener prevailed Friday night at home as the Storm battled until the final buzzer, scoring a pair of late shorthanded goals to come up short 4-3. Guelph struck back on Sunday at home as Boston Bruins prospect Matthew Poitras chipped in with three assists and Braeden Bowman scored a pair on the power play in a 6-2 Storm victory. Kitchener has won five of the seven meetings between the two teams so far this season.
Two more for the Bone Collector on Sunday 🦴🦴@Storm_City veteran Braeden Bowman surpassed the 20-goal mark for the second straight season with a pair of power play goals 🎥 pic.twitter.com/6f7haeJtyi
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) February 6, 2023
Nelson climbs to top of goal-scoring chart
Seattle Kraken prospect Ty Nelson potted his first career hat trick on Sunday as the North Bay Battalion bludgeoned the Kingston Frontenacs 9-1. Nelson netted his league-leading 19th goal of the season by a defenceman in the process. Nelson came away from Sunday’s win with 111 career points, surpassing Cam Dineen for the most by a North Bay Battalion blueliner. Nelson’s 19 goals also equal Brenden Miller’s single-season high by a North Bay Battalion blueliner set in 2014-15. The former first overall OHL Priority Selection choice has 60 points (19-41–60) in 49 games this season for the Battalion, who lead the Central Division with a record of 34-13-1-1.
First career OHL HAT TRICK for Nelly!! pic.twitter.com/tNPkc5rsst
— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) February 5, 2023
Bertucci red hot for Firebirds
The Flint Firebirds earned three of a possible six points last week, and 2023 NHL Draft prospect Tristan Bertucci is a big reason why. The 17-year-old defenceman recorded seven points (3-4–7) in three games last week, giving him 20 over his last 19 games. The 6-foot-2, 172Ib. Bertucci had two goals and an assist in Friday’s 6-5 overtime loss to Ottawa. The 6-foot-2 Bertucci was the 51st ranked North American skater on NHL Central Scouting’s midseason draft rankings.
The @FlintFirebirds #NHLDraft eligibles connect 🤝
Ethan Hay tips in a point shot from Tristan Bertucci and Flint moves within one with the I-75 Divide Cup on the line 👀 pic.twitter.com/dGQAGS6HCb
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) February 2, 2023
Butler makes OHL return as Otters drop a pair
Stan Butler returned to an OHL bench over the weekend, taking the reins with the Erie Otters Saturday night as they fell 5-1 to the London Knights. Erie dropped a 4-0 decision in Oshawa on Sunday. Butler’s 737 career victories are the second-most by an active coach in the OHL while his 1,590 games coached are the most, standing fourth all-time. Erie sits seven points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference, owning a record of 16-26-1-4.
Soundbites (pres. by @Highmark) – Coach Butler reflects on the team’s effort in his first game with the organization, what to look forward to. pic.twitter.com/1d0xLUtDd4
— Erie Otters 🦦 (@ErieOtters) February 5, 2023
Misa sidelined, Spirit struggles continue
January was not kind to the Saginaw Spirit, and February hasn’t started much better. Just as it looked like things were taking a positive turn for the Spirit after a 5-4 win over Flint on Wednesday, Saginaw lost standout rookie Michael Misa to injury during Friday night’s contest in London. The Spirit fell 5-1 to the Knights before dropping a 5-1 decision to the Ottawa 67’s back at home on Saturday. Zayne Parekh scored Saturday’s lone Spirit goal, giving him 17 on the season, two back of Rick Corriveau for the all-time OHL record by a 16-year-old defenceman. Saginaw sits fifth in the Western Conference, three points back of Owen Sound with a 25-20-2-0 record. They hold a two point edge on rival Flint, holding a pair of games in hand.
Zayne Parekh is making #OHL HISTORY!!!!!!
With his 17th goal of the season, Parekh sits in second place for single-season goals by a 16 year old defenseman 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3Zyvuk6moi
— Saginaw Spirit (@SpiritHockey) February 5, 2023
Greyhounds slide stretches to seven
The Soo Greyhounds will try and put this past weekend behind them, being outscored 23-8 in losses to Windsor, Sarnia and Mississauga. Friday night was particularly forgetful as the Hounds were pummelled 12-1 at the hands of the Sarnia Sting. Sunday brought a silver lining as 2023 NHL Draft prospect Charlie Schenkel returned to the crease for the first time since Nov. 25th, making 30 saves as the Greyhounds were outshot 34-18 in a 4-3 loss to the Steelheads. Promising young defender Andrew Gibson remains out of the lineup with an injury. He had to miss the Kubota CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game because of it, and hasn’t played since Jan. 12th. The Hounds sit four points out of a playoff spot in the Western Conference.
RECAP; MISS 4 @ SOO 3
📰 https://t.co/Z919by7wvG
(by Peter Ruicci – Independent Media)
📽️ https://t.co/nwM2JnjI59
📸 @FreezeFrameFtos pic.twitter.com/ORq0hOGk2u— Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) February 5, 2023
