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The Ottawa 67’s came close to picking up a victory in Barrie, Thursday night, but fell just short of extending their win streak to four games.
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Calgary Flames prospect Jack Beck posted two assists in his return from a 23-game injury absence, and Chris Barlas and Caden Kelly both scored, but the Colts squeaked past the Barber Poles with a 3-2 overtime victory. Collin MacKenzie gave his team every chance to win, with a 29-save performance.
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Ottawa was missing a number of bodies, and for good reason. Montreal Canadiens pick Vinzenz Rohrer, Ottawa Senators prospect Tyler Boucher, and Nashville Predators prospect Jack Matier have all yet to return from the 2023 World Juniors, with the latter two winning bronze, and gold medals, respectively, on Thursday.
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Barlas opened the scoring 9:18 in, capping off an odd-man rush with a laser of a shot, off a setup by Beck. The first period saw the 67’s outshoot Barrie 13-8, and head into the second with a 1-0 lead.
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It would be short-lived, however, with an Ethan Cardwell goal less than two minutes into the middle frame evening the score. A little under eight minutes later, Beau Jelsma found the twine, and gave the Colts a 2-1 advantage.
Ottawa responded early in the back half of the period. Beck found Thomas Sirman in the high slot, and he slid the puck to Kelly, who made no mistake for his second of the campaign, knotting the game up at 2-2.
After a scoreless third period, the Colts found themselves on a three-on-one in overtime, and Arthur Cholach buried the winner on a one-timer, forcing the 67’s to settle for the single point in the standings.
It’s a quick turnaround for the Barber Poles, who drop in on the Niagara IceDogs tomorrow night, at 7:00pm.
Game Notes:
• This was Jack Beck’s first appearance since October 28, 2022, and sixth multi-point effort in 11 games.
• Caden Kelly now has three points in his last two games.
• Chris Barlas has 11 points in as many games.
• This is just the second loss of Collin MacKenzie’s OHL career.
