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Ottawa 67's 2023-24 Season Thread (Part 2)

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Logosarejusttargets said:
i sound like a hypocrite after whining about the refs in the kingston game -- but you 67 fans can't always blame the refs when you lose. I heard it both 67 vs Fronts games that I went to Ottawa a couple weeks back and see it on the boards. You start complaining if Reid or Beer are your refs before the game even starts - rarely see much criticism when you win though?
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Owen Sound fan here.....my comment was referring to the "excuses "
 
dirty12 said:
I don’t have much to dispute about that post. But a few things about Brantford should be noted; the home record, the record since Hamara was acquired and the record since with Hamara in and out of line-up, and the team might be better overall with Hamara, Sobolev, and Lavoie minus VanVliet and Donovan.
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Considering they have also been playing without Lardis, Brown and Thomas the last few games I would tend to agree.
 
OMG67 said:
Note that Mews has dropped to the 2nd round in MacKenzie’s latest draft rankings. That is an honest reflection of how poorly his game has progressed from rookie to sophomore.

He is young so don’t take this as me dumping on him but I see a lot of Brendan Bell in his game. All the tools but no tool box. He needs to find a way to utilize his ability in a more constructive manner. He makes a lot of overly aggressive plays that result in turnovers in very bad spots on the ice. He pushes the play in directions that don’t make sense unless he is able to deke through multiple players or squeeze through very tight spots along the boards. He tries to squeeze the puck through tight holes in bad areas on the ice.

He seems to play the game as a right winger but from the defence position. The types of agressive plays he makes are fine as a right winger because there is support behind him. But, as a D-Man, the only thing behind you is empty ice surface.

I’d like to see him with Smyth on the 3rd pairing 5 on 5. Smyth would have a very defined role and Mews would get more sheltered 5 on 5 minutes while playing against other teams depth players where he could feast. It would lessen the impact of his mistakes.
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The hope with a kid like Mews is that he is going to grow an inch or 2 and become more impactful physically. That hasn’t happened so players that have less skill but fit the NHL profile have jumped him in the rankings.

Mews & Mayich have been the teams best pairing all season. The issue has been assembling a 2nd pairing that could play quality minutes, more specifically a veteran RD to play with Marrelli.

Marrelli like Mews has tremendous skill and plays his position well and needs a Mayich style RD to play with.
 
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PuckStop75 said:
The hope with a kid like Mews is that he is going to grow an inch or 2 and become more impactful physically. That hasn’t happened so players that have less skill but fit the NHL profile have jumped him in the rankings.

Mews & Mayich have been the teams best pairing all season. The issue has been assembling a 2nd pairing that could play quality minutes, more specifically a veteran RD to play with Marrelli.

Marrelli like Mews has tremendous skill and plays his position well and needs a Mayich style RD to play with.
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The challenge is that they don’t have that guy they need. So, in light of that, how do they configure the pairings that best suit the team as opposed to how they best suit Mews.
 
OMG67 said:
The challenge is that they don’t have that guy they need. So, in light of that, how do they configure the pairings that best suit the team as opposed to how they best suit Mews.
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Mews and Mayich have been the best pairing, how is splitting them up good for the team.
 
PuckStop75 said:
Mews and Mayich have been the best pairing, how is splitting them up good for the team.
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I disagree they have been the best pairing. Mayich is or at least was, our best D-Man. Whomever he plays with will gain benefit. If you were to put Mayer with Mayich, that would be our best pairing. Should we do that simply because we are trying to put the best pairing together? No. They need to find the right fit where the team benefits most.

Mews is not a strong 5 on 5 D-Man because he is a turnover machine. The positive of that is it happens mostly in the offensive zone so put him with a player that can skate well enough and lean back more than forward. IMO, that is Smyth. Smyth is not going to be a player that affects the game offensively so sacrificing him in that role in the O-Zone is meaningless. He can be the defensive aware player watching Mews back. I don’t think sacrificing Mayich in that role is ideal. Additionally, it would mean that Mews plays more 5 on 5 minutes And he’d be playing those minutes against the top lines of the opposition. Although that would be good for Mews and his development, it wouldn’t be good for the team. This time of year is now what is best for the team winning games. Playing Mews against the top lines on opposing teams is not ideal. That is a job for Marrelli and Mayich IMO. Slide Mews and Smyth against the opposition 3rd lines where they have an advantage and they can exploit it. Mews aggressiveness will pay off more often and his turnovers will lessen because the players he is forcing the play against aren’t as strong.

The bonus is Mews is not bad in his own end. It is only his agressiveness in the offensive zone in very bad spots that are the problem. So, it is not like he needs his D-Man partner to cover for him in the D-Zone. So, putting him with Smyth isn’t a problem defensively IMO.

I would rather have Mayich and Marrelli out there against the oppositions top lines. Marrelli is a strong puck mover and he has stronger instincts. It is rare he coughs up the puck in a bad spot leading to odd man rushes and breakaways.
 
Mayich and Marrelli hasn’t been particularly effective to this point of the season, likely because they are both natural LD. Mews and Mayich has demonstrated to work.
Mayer was brought in to provide a 2nd leadership quality D on the back end who could lead a 2nd pairing and fill a void that Smyth and a number of others were not able to fill in the first half.
 
PuckStop75 said:
Mayich and Marrelli hasn’t been particularly effective to this point of the season, likely because they are both natural LD. Mews and Mayich has demonstrated to work.
Mayer was brought in to provide a 2nd leadership quality D on the back end who could lead a 2nd pairing and fill a void that Smyth and a number of others were not able to fill in the first half.
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Marrelli and Mews is not a good pairing so if the compromise is going back to Mews and Mayich and dumping Marrelli with Smyth then so be it. I’d rather see Marrelli out there 5 minutes more per game than Mews 5 on 5 but so be it.
 
OMG67 said:
Marrelli and Mews is not a good pairing so if the compromise is going back to Mews and Mayich and dumping Marrelli with Smyth then so be it. I’d rather see Marrelli out there 5 minutes more per game than Mews 5 on 5 but so be it.
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The challenge with this team is that they do not have 2 dependable R D

Yes Mayer is a good d but again he is left

Based on that I think you have to leave Mews and Marelli together. Stats wise this is your best pairing. The only reason I would break them up is that both are trying to get drafted this year.

The challenge that they face is not Mews as much as it is. Pinelli is a walking hazard and has an interest in defensive play. He is poison to whoever the center is on his line. Personally, I would move him to the second line because he can not play 2 ways against other teams' top lines.

First line should be

Gerrior Stonehouse and Kessler or Gardiner

Pinelli can still score goals on the second line but he will minimize his inability to backcheck agains top talent.
 
OMG67 said:
Marrelli and Mews is not a good pairing so if the compromise is going back to Mews and Mayich and dumping Marrelli with Smyth then so be it. I’d rather see Marrelli out there 5 minutes more per game than Mews 5 on 5 but so be it.
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Not sure why who Smyth plays with is so important, he’s a bottom pairing guy and 7th D on nights. Mews, Marrelli, Mayer and Mayich are the top 4, why break them up? Sirman slots in between somewhere, and based on recent play Horner is up on forward but could perhaps slide back to 3rd pairing RD. Smyth is a big kid but next to dropping a cross check on someone hasn’t learned how to use his size effectively.
 
FWIW I agree Marrelli and Mews shouldn’t be playing together as 17 yo in a league dominated by 19/20 yo., pairing each with more veteran accomplished partners like Mayer and Mayich would optimize the contributions of all of them.
 
beastintheeast said:
The challenge with this team is that they do not have 2 dependable R D

Yes Mayer is a good d but again he is left

Based on that I think you have to leave Mews and Marelli together. Stats wise this is your best pairing. The only reason I would break them up is that both are trying to get drafted this year.

The challenge that they face is not Mews as much as it is. Pinelli is a walking hazard and has an interest in defensive play. He is poison to whoever the center is on his line. Personally, I would move him to the second line because he can not play 2 ways against other teams' top lines.

First line should be

Gerrior Stonehouse and Kessler or Gardiner

Pinelli can still score goals on the second line but he will minimize his inability to backcheck agains top talent.
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Let’s not crap on Pinelli who has been the most productive player. With offense usually comes an element of defensive abandonment. The team has only recently added centres of sufficient skill for him to play with. In good time they will mature together and I would expect things to be more balanced with his effort.
 
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PuckStop75 said:
Not sure why who Smyth plays with is so important, he’s a bottom pairing guy and 7th D on nights. Mews, Marrelli, Mayer and Mayich are the top 4, why break them up? Sirman slots in between somewhere, and based on recent play Horner is up on forward but could perhaps slide back to 3rd pairing RD. Smyth is a big kid but next to dropping a cross check on someone hasn’t learned how to use his size effectively.
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Since Mayer arrived, the pairings have consistently been:

Mayich - Smyth
Sirman - Mayer
Marrelli - Mews

Horner has been at forward (a move which I agree with, and probably not alone in thinking that). I don't think Brady has dressed for any games since the trade deadline.

I don't think ice time minutes are available, but based on my observations the top two pairings have been getting the most ice time at ES. Mews gets PP1 time, Marrelli gets PP2 at times and PK time. Two problems here:

- We only have one RHS d-man (Mews) which has seemed to create some problems with giving/receiving passes, clearing pucks out of the d-zone, and other such problems for the d-men playing their off-side (Mayer and Smyth). Not a knock on those players, playing off-side can be difficult

- Smyth seems to play a lot, and in all ES and PK situations. My view is he's dragging down Mayich and forcing him into a puck moving/carrying role which, while he's not particularly bad at, doesn't really optimize his skill. I also think he's been poor at his d-zone coverage and loses his assignment in the slot/net-front area quite often. His lack of physical play has been pointed out. I think Smyth needs to find a home as the #6D and receive ice time to reflect that.

Sirman/Mayer seem to be performing well and I wouldn't break them up at this point. So the question becomes - who do we want getting those top-pairing ES minutes: Mews or Marrelli? Given their track record together I'd lean towards Mews (also the fact he's a RHS) though recognizing that Marrelli has been a really good all-around d-man for us so it would be sub-optimal for him to be on our 3rd pairing. However, I would think that would balance the three pairings fairly well and if we need to take a more defensive posture or hold a lead, we can try Marrelli with Mayich.
 
What about sitting Smyth and adding Brady and creating a bonafide 3rd pairing with Sirman subbing in here and there for some extra minutes?

Mayich - Mews
Marrelli - Mayer
Sirman - Brady

Brady plays as the 6th D-Man. If Mews is having a tough time 5 on 5, then sub Sirman in.

They could also say the hell with it and dress 7 D-Men and sit Kelly out. Keep Horner up there with Whitehead and rotate a couple guys through the 4th line.

There are options but it doesn’t seem like th coaching staff are willing to entertain any options. We shall see if anything changes this weekend.
 
The guys play the Petes tonight in their rink. The 67s sometimes have a tendency to play teams back into form. I'm hoping that's not the case tonight. They need to eradicate the memory of their last game. Hoping for but not confident of a win.
 
OMG67 said:
What about sitting Smyth and adding Brady and creating a bonafide 3rd pairing with Sirman subbing in here and there for some extra minutes?

Mayich - Mews
Marrelli - Mayer
Sirman - Brady

Brady plays as the 6th D-Man. If Mews is having a tough time 5 on 5, then sub Sirman in.

They could also say the hell with it and dress 7 D-Men and sit Kelly out. Keep Horner up there with Whitehead and rotate a couple guys through the 4th line.

There are options but it doesn’t seem like th coaching staff are willing to entertain any options. We shall see if anything changes this weekend.
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Those pairings make a lot more sense than the organization by birthdate approach that we have been seeing. Be interesting to see what they push out there tonight
 
Did we just witness the season flushed down the toilet with that Mack injury????
—-don’t like looks of that one
Fingers crossed!
 
I wasn't able to watch the game last night so what happened to Mackenzie? I just know he left the game in the 3rd...
 
NordiquesForeva said:
I wasn't able to watch the game last night so what happened to Mackenzie? I just know he left the game in the 3rd...
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Not sure but the way he was laying on the ice, it looked like he may have reaggrivated the groin. It would have been good to get video of him leaving the ice but there was none on the broadcast. Considering how quick he left the ice, it wasn’t like there was any question of him remaining in the game which further points to reaggrivating an existing injury.
 
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