Ottawa, ON – The Ottawa Jr. Senators (18-3-2) managed to pick up five of a possible six points this past week, with wins over Brockville and Nepean, along with an overtime loss to Pembroke.
Wednesday – Ottawa 5, Brockville 2
In their second matchup in just over a couple of weeks, OJS was able to pick up their third win of the season in a tight-nit affair on home ice.
Philippe Jacques got the start the Jr. Senators were looking for, taking advantage of some open ice for his 13th of the season, just 23 seconds in. Mark MacPhee and Lucas Culhane would exchange goals before the opening 20 expired.
After Evan Boucher tied the game early in the second, Julian Recine was sprung on a breakaway shorthanded as he beat Braves starter and former OHL Cup Champion Sami Molu for OJS’ 10th shorty of the year.
In the third, Ryan Bonfield thought he had tied the game as he ripped a shot off the crossbar on a 2-on-1, not only to have it waived off, but Thomas Freel went back the other way and put OJS up by a pair.
Following a lengthy conversation, the officials deemed the Bonfield shot had indeed hit the crossbar, meaning the Freel goal stood.
Following an empty netter from the OJS captain, the Jr. Senators held on for the victory and to put a halt to their one-game home losing streak.
William Desmarias made 23 stops in the win, while Braves starter Sami Molu turned aside 37.
The Jr. Senators went 0-for-7 on the man advantage while the Braves went 1-for-6.
Saturday – Pembroke 4, Ottawa 3 (OT)
A back and forth Saturday night contest on home ice, ended in extra time defeat as the Lumber Kings took home the extra point in a thrilling contest.
Jacob Wierecki got the lone goal in the opening period, taking advantage of a missed assignment in from of starter Felix Schnell.
In the middle frame, OJS got on a roll to start the period with two goals in 4:24 courtesy of Thomas Freel and Julian Recine.
Before the period was over, the Lumber Kings got two with markers from Jesse Kirkby and Gabe Malek.
As the game winded down, the Jr. Senators got called for a penalty, but in a situation where OJS thrives, Massimo Gentile buried his first in 15 games with just 45 seconds to play to earn his club a point.
The interference penalty to Philippe Jacques carried over to the overtime as Jack Stockfish needed all but 15 seconds to secure the road win.
Felix Schnell made 24 stops in the OT loss, while Lumber Kings starter Reece Proulx was fantastic, stopping 33.
The Jr. Senators went 0-for-2 on the man advantage while the Lumber Kings went 1-for-4.
Sunday – Ottawa 14, Nepean 4
OJS was looking for a bounce-back Sunday in Nepean and they certainly got one, scoring six times in both the second and third to pick up a decisive road win, to open a five-game road trip.
With two goals in the first 2:02 from Jacques and Provost, the Raiders turned on the jets and put up four unanswered before the opening period expired.
The final 40 minutes was all OJS as Thomas Freel and Mark MacPhee each scored their first CCHL hat-tricks. For Freel, he now has eight goals in his last five games.
Xavier Guillemette and Anthony Provost each had multi-goal games, while Robbie Stewart (5A), Recine (4A), Murphy (3A), Moskowitz (1G, 3A), Gentile (1G, 1A), Brennan (2A), Jacques (1G, 1 A), Taylor (2A), Velocci (2A) all had multi-point efforts.
The 14 goal performance is just one shy of a franchise record set back in 1988, which was a 15-0 win for OJS over Smiths Falls.
After William Desmarais was pulled after allowing four goals on 15 shots, Felix Schnell stopped all 11 he faced for the win. Raiders starter Evan Martin also got the hook after allowing five goals on 18 shots, where he was replaced by Connor Shibley, who turned aside 20.
The Jr. Senators went 1-for-6 on the man advantage while the Raiders went 1-for-4.
The Ottawa Jr. Senators return to the ice for their lone game of the week Friday in Hawbesbury to face the Hawks with puck drop scheduled for 7:30 PM. Catch all the action with Mason Detre, Davide Disipio, and Ryan Woods on the Jr. Senators Broadcast Network at Mixlr.com/OJSradio and on Hockey TV.
