Back-to-back wins over the Kingston Frontenacs (one of them without Travis Konecny, who was under the weather) topped off five consecutive victories for the Ottawa 67’s, who are looking more and more like quite the offensive threat, and are now just two points back of third place in the East. A couple Battalion losses to bottom-seeded teams worked in Ottawa’s favour, too.
You’ll recall this baseball-swing slash Lawson Crouse delivered to Oshawa Generals captain Josh Brown:
While supplementary discipline seemed inevitable, Crouse dressed for both games against Ottawa on account of the league office’s holiday closure. So, we’re still awaiting a reaction from Commissioner Branch.
While on the topic of Kingston’s assets, it was announced that Sam Bennett had been cleared for contact by the Calgary Flames.
It may not be long before we see him back in a yellow sweater—a boost the Frontenacs could surely use right now, as they hover in seventh place with the Petes hot on their tail.
Greyhounds and Otters clinch
As we inch closer to the post-season, the West’s playoff positions have began to take shape. The conference-leading Greyhounds clinched the top of the West Division. By a mile, I might add.
And the Erie Otters have also ensured their post-season presence; while Connor McDavid continues to ensure us he’s as flashy as ever.
Milestones for McDavid and Marner
Connor McDavid and the Otters made the trip to Mississauga for one of eight Family Day OHL matchups on Monday, resulting in a sold-out Hershey Centre. I can’t remember the last time that arena was so full, but I’m willing to bet it had something to do with a visit from John Tavares.
He’s also set a new franchise record by reaching a 19-game point streak, surpassing Tim Connolly’s 18-game stretch during the 1997-98 season.
Speaking of personal accolades, London’s Mitch Marner reached that shiny 100-point mark after notching two points in a 4-1 win over Saginaw. The race had been a bit of a toss-up with fellow NHL draft eligible Dylan Strome only a couple points behind, but that Marner-Domi-Dvorak chemistry did the trick. Marner only registered a single point last weekend after returning from an upper-body injury he sustained late last month. In case you were worried (you shouldn’t be), it’s safe to say he’s back in full form.
Eyes have been on Marner’s offensive game all season of course, and that looming size factor seems less and less of an issue, if at all. Becoming the first 2015 NHL draft prospect to reach the 100-point marker is nothing short of an incredible accomplishment. He’s also the youngest London Knight to do it.
It’s almost hard to believe the Knights fell to dead last in penalty kill while suffering a recent 3-7 slump, as Ryan Pyette of the London Free Press pointed out. When they’re good, they’re good.
Speaking of struggles: A couple losses for Mississauga meant a fall into ninth place, and a rallying effort from the Petes against North Bay pushed them up into a playoff spot. We knew these two teams would be trading places eventually.
Rangers road struggles continue
The Kitchener Rangers have been a pleasant surprise this season (not to mention making a weird splash at the trade deadline), but they’ve struggled on the road throughout the year. Save for the league’s two bottom teams, Sudbury and Plymouth, Kitchener has the third-worst road record at 7-12-2-4. In between a 6-3 win over the struggling Steelheads comfortably at home, they had losses to the Belleville Bulls and the Windsor Spitfires.
That being said, Kitchener remains undefeated at home since acquiring veteran goalie Jake Paterson.
Three Stars
Joseph Blandisi, C, Barrie Colts The newly signed New Jersey prospect totaled four goals and eight points in just three games.
Sergey Tolchinsky, RW, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Guided the surging Greyhounds to all six available points with three goals and eight points, rounding out the weekend as a plus-five.
Michael Dal Colle, C, Oshawa Generals Michael McCarron and Cole Cassels were both serving two-game suspensions. The Generals are stacked all around, so this wasn’t expected to be a problem, especially against the worst team in the league. Dal Colle picked up a portion of the slack with three points in his team’s 7-0 win Sunday afternoon, not to mention a four-point night against Kingston on Friday.
NHL Draft Tracker
Connor McDavid, C, Erie Otters Continues to shine, as he picked up seven points in three games for the Otters.
Mitch Marner, RW, London Knights Marner and Max Domi collectively notched nine points in a 10-2 win over the Sudbury Wolves—four points from Marner, five from Domi.
Blake Speers, RW, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds Speers has had a veteran squad to work with, which has allowed him to work on getting stronger to avoid being knocked tiring easily. He calls teammates like Nick Ritchie and Josh Bailey “special players” and mentions coach Sheldon Keefe’s influence. “He knows me better than anyone as a player,” said Speers. “I’ve learned a lot from him and feed off the things he teaches me. He’s been the best thing for my career. After every game I go over my shifts and focus on the little things to continue to improve on, like holding on the puck longer if I need to, or shooting in a spot where I’m usually passing.”