Nepean, Ontario – The Ottawa Jr. Senators (2-4) shut-out the Nepean Raiders (1-5), 3-0 on Sunday afternoon at the Nepean Sportsplex.
Ethan Manderville opened the scoring mid-way through the first period on the power-play. He batted in the puck out of the air, just keeping his stick below the crossbar – avoiding a high-sticking call. That would extend his point streak to three-games (1 G / 2 A).
OJS made it 2-0 in the second period when Malcolm Palmer found a lose puck in the slot and fired his second of the year into the back of the net.
The Jr. Senators sealed the deal late in the third period when Owen Cole scored the empty netter, making it the first time all year that a Jr. Sens player had scored an empty net goal.
Despite being out-shot 27-26 after two periods and 38-35 overall, Ottawa controlled the puck in the offensive zone and did not give Nepean a lot of quality chances, making Joshua Ward’s game between the pipes that much easier.
“The boys played great, I thought this was a great way to get back in the win column” said Joshua Ward. “I thought this game was a great turn around win because it got the boys back on track after letting one go in our last game.”
Ottawa is now 2-4 on the season – with both of their wins coming against the Nepean Raiders.
The main story behind Ottawa’s 3-0 win was that 16 year-old goaltender Joshua Ward recorded his first career CCHL shut-out, making 38 saves.
“The thought of getting your first win and first shut-out in just your second CCHL start was really in the back of my mind” said Ward. “I just wanted to keep them in it and get the win.”
After allowing five goals in his first outing, Josh says that a few practices with Ottawa helped him bounce back on Sunday.
“I just wanted to get used to the shots and I think today I expressed the way I wanted to play.”
Before joining the Jr. Senators CCHL roster, Ward also attended the OHL Ottawa 67’s Camp this summer.
“It was good prep for the quality of shots and the speed of the play. I think it really helped me make a team” said Ward.
Owen Cole quietly recorded three points (1 G / 2 A) in the win. Samuel Hatto had his six game point streak snapped (2 G/ 4 A) and Justin Renzi finished the game with two apples.
The Ottawa Jr. Senators next game is against the Rockland Nationals on Friday, September 21st at the CIHA arena in Rockland, Ontario. Puck drop is set for 7:30.
Story by: Dante De Caria.
