Estevan, SK – The Ottawa Jr. Senators won a key game over the NOJHL champions Soo Thunderbirds 4-0, as goalie William Desmarais made 13 saves for his first shutout of the tournament.
The Jr. Senators caught a break early in the game when Andrew Gibson scored a goal that was disallowed because of a kicking motion. Although instant replay showed that the puck was actually kicked in by a Jr. Senator player, the referees were not allowed to change their initial call by video review, because tournament rules do not allow it.
Ottawa would break the ice by getting the first goal of the game, courtesy of Isaac Landry. Jake Code and Philippe Jacques added the assists.
It was actually Landry’s first goal since being traded to OJS, and his first goal since December 3rd, 2021, when he was a member of the Rockland Nationals.
After a dull second period, Ottawa finally woke up in the third period. Massimo Gentile, Ottawa’s best forward in the tournament so far, made a behind-the-back pass to Simon Isabelle who slid it past the Thunderbirds’ goaltender for Ottawa’s second goal. Vincent Velocci and Isabelle again would add to the scoring to make the final score 4-0.
“It was important for us to get the win today. If not, that would have meant the end of the tournament, and we’re definitely not ready to go home, said general manager Jamie Mayo. We know we’ll have to be much better Wednesday to beat Summerside and advance.”
Isabelle scored twice, while Gentile added two assists and now has four points in three games. Goaltender William Desmarais is now 1-1-1, with a 1.68 GAA / .922 SV%.
Wil Murphy was named player of the game for Ottawa after playing another great defensive game against the Thunderbirds. Despite Murphy not putting up points on the back end, he continues to be the Jr. Sens’ rock at the blue line. Ottawa outshot Sault-Ste-Marie 30-13 and went 0-for-5 on the power play while the Thunderbirds went 0-for-3.
Ottawa will be back in action on Wednesday, May 25th when they take on the MHL champions Summerside Western Capitals in a must-win and try to move onto the quarter-finals on Friday. Puck drop is scheduled for 2pm EST / 12pm MDT. You can catch all the action on the Jr. Senators broadcast network at mixlr.com/ojsradio.
