Recine dazzles in trio of victories

Ottawa, ON – The Ottawa Jr. Senators (43-6-4) continues their winning ways, picking up three more victories by taking down Hawkesbury on Wednesday, Carleton Place on Saturday, and wrapped up the week with a road win Sunday in Pembroke.

Wednesday – Ottawa 4, Hawkesbury 2

Looking to rebound after the Hawks put an end to OJS’ 11-game winning streak back in mid-February, the Jr. Senators controlled the opening eight minutes of the game on home ice Wednesday.

Jeremy Quesnel opened up the scoring to put a halt to the OJS momentum before Thomas Freel tied the game with under four to play in the opening frame.

In the second – James Taylor managed to force a turnover in the offensive zone, sending in Simon Isabelle all alone – making no mistake as he undressed Hawks starter Matthew Tovell over seven minutes into the second.

Vincent Velocci made it a 3-1 game 20 minutes later, firing home the loose puck after Anthony Provost got taken hard into the Hawks goal, leading to the open net chance.

Kerfalla Toure sparked what may have been a short-lived comeback for the Hawks – making it a one-goal game just 22 seconds into the third. As OJS beared down defensively, Provost reached double digits, scoring his 10th of the year into the empty net.

William Desmarais made 21 stops for the win, while Hawks starter Matthew Tovell turned aside 321.

The Jr. Senators went 0-for-3 on the man advantage while the Hawks went 0-for-2.

Saturday – Ottawa 5, Carleton Place 2

OJS headed into the CP Arena for Saturday night’s tilt with one goal in mind – to sweep the season series against their biggest rivals.

Thomas Freel got the party started, scoring two goals within three minutes of one another to have the squad up a pair early.

On a powerplay late in the frame, Philippe Jacques wired home his 31st of the season, putting the team in a great spot after one. With the three goals in the first, OJS beat Canadians starter Joe Chambers at even strength, shorthanded, and on the powerplay.

Julian Recine and Evan Jamieson exchanged goals in the second – as OJS took advantage of a shorthanded Canadians team, which dressed 15 skates Saturday.

Thomas Freel capped off the hat-trick 90 seconds into the third, with OJS’ second powerplay goal on the night. For the Jr. Senators captain, Freel eclipses his second hat-trick of the season and career.

Derek Hamilton added one more for the Canadians, on route to the Jr. Senators picking up the victory, and the season series sweep in the process

William Desmarais made 29 stops in the win, while Canadians starter Joe Chambers turned aside 31.

The Jr. Senators went 2-for-6 on the man advantage while the Canadians went 2-for-4.

Sunday – Ottawa 3, Pembroke 1

OJS returned to the valley on Sunday, putting up a huge win backed by a two-goal performance from Julian Recine, and a 39 save outing from Zachary Bowen.

A tight affair saw Recine capitalize twice in the first, with those two markers bringing the Stittsville native up to 25 on the season.

Jacob Zwirecki’s seeing-eye shot from the point spoiled the shutout bid early in the third, where OJS managed to phase out the crowd of over 700 strong at the PMC.

As the Lumber Kings attack intensified late in the third, Anthony Provost capped things off with the empty netter to seal the deal.

The main story was the EOJHL Top Prospect, Zachary Bowen, who turned aside 39 for his fourth win at the CCHL level this season. The Lumber Kings peppered the OJS goal a combined 28 times in the last 40 – outshooting OJS 28-10 in the process.

Bowen’s counterpart, Reece Proulx made 23 saves in the loss.

The Jr. Senators went 1-for-2 on the man advantage while the Lumber Kings went 0-for-3.

The Ottawa Jr. Senators return to the ice on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 to wrap up the home portion of the regular season schedule to face the Rockland Nationals. The regular season finishes off with OJS traveling to Navan on Sunday. Catch all the action with Davide Disipio and Mason Detre on the Jr. Senators Broadcast Network at Mixlr.com/OJSradio and on Hockey TV.

Stay tuned for the 2022 first-round playoff schedule by following the team across its social media platforms.