The Toronto Rock (0-1) traveled to Ottawa to face the Black Bears (1-0) in their Inagural game at the Canadian Tire Centre. The Black Bears and Rock also had the honor of being the first game of the 2024-2025 season.
For Ottawa, the addition of Nathan Grenon, Jacob Dunbar, Luc Magnan and Zach Higgins should pay dividends immediately. Added to an already strong group led by Jeff Teat and Reilly O’Connor make the Black Bears a formidable opponent.
While Toronto kept the majority of their team together, noticeably missing were long time players Brandon Slade, Sheldon Burns and Dan Lintner. Elijah Gash, Josh Darlison and Brian Cameron add more firepower to an already stacked lineup. However, in this game the Rock were without Challen Rogers, Brad Kri and TD Ierlan stretching their depth right from the word go.
The goaltending match-up had Nick Rose in net for Toronto facing Zach Higgins in net for the Black Bears.
The Ottawa Black Bears came out flying in the first half with Jacob Dunbar leading the charge with a pair of goals, including the first in Black Bears history. For Toronto, they were outworked in the defensive end, and created very little in the way of offense. They needed to be more physical and energetic to rebound in the second half, down 4-0.
The second half was a lot like the first. Jacob Dunbar and Connor Kearnan led the way for Ottawa. Toronto put together two goals in the third, but were answered by five in a row from the Black Bears to end the quarter. The fourth quarter had Toronto show a little life, but Ottawa cruised to an 11-5 victory.
To The Game:
A high octane game from the word go had both teams with good opportunities to score. Both Higgins and Rose, in their respective nets, looked great to start the game.
Ottawa got on the board first with Jacob Dunbar beating Nick Rose five-hole off a Kiel Matisz pass at 8:45. Matisz himself then added a goal with shot to the farside off a Larson Sundown pass at 13:25.
After one quarter, Ottawa 2 Toronto 0.
Second Quarter:
Connor Kearnan opened the second quarter scoring on the power-play with two fakes and a farside shot off a Jacob Dunbar feed at 7:34. Jacob Dunbar then added his second of the night on the power-play picking up his own rebound off a Reilly O’Connor pass at 10:59.
At the half, Ottawa 4 Toronto 0.
Third Quarter:
Taggart Clark got Ottawa on the board in the third quarter scoring from in front off a Jacob Dunbar feed at 3:55.
The Rock finally got on the board in transition with Latrell Harris picking up a loose ball, going in all alone scoring to the top corner unassisted at 5:09. Brian Cameron then used a fake and dodge to beat Higgins off an Elijah Gash pass at 7:42.
Connor Kearnan answered quickly for Ottawa on the power-play diving across the crease off a Jeff Teat pass at 8:20, followed by Reilly O’Connor with a blast off a Larson Sundown feed at 9:44. Jeff Teat got on the board with a great individual effort, fighting through three checks to find the corner at 10:16.
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With Higgins on the bench and the Black Bears going 6 on 5, Jacob Dunbar added his third of the night off a blast from the outside off a Kiel Matisz pass at 14:35. Then, still 6 on 5, Connor Kearnan got his third of the night with a quick stick off a Reilly O’Connor pass with 0:00.3 seconds left in the quarter
After three quarters, Ottawa 10 Toronto 2.
Fourth Quarter:
Toronto got on the board with Chris Boushy picking the top corner off a Tom Schreiber pass at 3:07, followed by Mitch de Snoo in transition with a high to low shot unassisted at 7:22.
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With the Rock goalie pulled, Reilly O’Connor found the net off a John LaFontaine pass at 11:59 for Ottawa’s eleventh goal of the game.
Toronto’s Josh Dawick fired a sidearm snipe that skipped off the ground to the far corner shorthanded at 14:15 but it was way too little, way too late.
Final score, Ottawa 11 Toronto 5.
The Three Stars:
1. Jacob Dunbar
2. Zach Higgins
3. Connor Kearnan
Game Stats:
Shots on goal favored the Black Bears 50-43
The faceoff battle went to Ottawa 12-8.
The loose ball battle went to the Black Bears 69-64.
Toronto went 0 for 3 on the power-play, scoring a shorthanded goal.
Ottawa went 3 for 5 on the power-play.
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