After a bumpy start, the new-looking Ottawa 67s have found some chemistry

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Will Cranley can now look back on Ottawa 67’s unforgettable season opener three weeks ago against the Kingston Frontenacs and laugh a little.

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“That was a bit of a wake-up call,” the 67 keeper said of being part of the 8-1 loss, where he was retired early. “The team has grown a lot. We continue to improve every game here and build on our execution constantly, and I think it’s only going to get better. “

As the 67 prepare for another weekend series at home and away against the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, Shane Wright and the Frontenacs, they will meet a dozen times before the season ends. , have some confidence in your step. .

A team fraught with uncertainty due to the great rotation of the mighty 2019-20 squad, the 67 successfully shook off that ugly opening night loss and now own a 5-3-0 record.

That includes winning two of three last weekend. In Sunday’s 5-4 penalty shootout victory over Oshawa, the 67 scored three goals in a 56-second span of the third period to erase a 3-0 deficit. In Saturday’s 3-0 win over Barrie, Cranley made 28 saves for his first shutout of the season, rebounding from a Friday loss to Mississauga.

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“It’s come a little bit of team chemistry,” said Cranley, a 2020 sixth-round pick for the St. Louis Blues who was in his first NHL rookie camp in September. “There have been a couple of team building (wins). (At first), we had a lot of extra guys hanging around and once we sorted it out, they all felt a little more comfortable. We’re still building with Dave here and we know the system a little better here. “

That’s Dave, as in Dave Cameron, the former Ottawa Senators head coach who is reinstalling himself in OHL life after training in the NHL and Austria.

Watching Cameron’s practice on Wednesday morning, where the exercises constantly stopped and repeated over and over again, was a reminder of his emphasis on fine detail.

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“It is always a work in progress,” he said. “You never get to the point where a player is a complete player. That is the routine of the game. They have to keep doing the work. We have to keep training them. It is on all levels. NHL, AHL, Level II (junior) “.

That said, Cameron says the 67s are an “easy to train” group. While he says there were “inconsistencies” in the style of play he eventually wants the team to play, he likes how they have responded so far.

“Three games in three days on the road was a very good test for us,” he said. “We weren’t ready for Mississauga and then the next two games we played the right way. We play hard away from the puck. We follow closely. We block shots. We compete. “

The late comeback against Oshawa reinforced the messages that Cameron has been trying to sell.

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“It changes everything from the neck up,” he said. “Now, the day off (Monday) is more pleasant. They come the next day and the video is more fun. You just have to keep building on it. “

There have also been a fair amount of solid individual performances early on.

Calgary Flames draft pick Jack Beck is tied for the OHL league lead with eight goals, including three game-winning goals. In his previous season with the 67, back in 2019-20, he scored a total of seven goals.

Cameron Tolnai has three goals and six assists in eight games and Austrian imported Vinzenz Rohrer is scoring at a point-per-game rate, with two goals and six assists.

Cranley also bounced back after opening night’s loss and the tandem with Collin MacKenzie has given Cameron goalkeeping options for the weekend’s busy schedules.

With games Friday night and Saturday afternoon against Kingston, both will likely play again.

“Twelve times, or whatever,” Cranley said of the all-season challenge against Kingston. “That’s good. We’re going to have a good rivalry here and I’m excited to go out for the weekend and prove something.”

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