Power Rankings: Week 6

Carlos Verde, Communications Manager

Ottawa, Ont. —

1. Carleton Place Canadians (13-2-1) | Last Week: 1 (–) | Results: 3-0W @ SF, 6-0W @ PEM, 3-1W v OJS | There’s domination, and then there’s what Carleton Place is doing to the rest of the CCHL. Canadians goaltender Jeremie Forget’s shutout streak was snapped at 190:43 — as in, C.P. went almost 200 minutes without conceding a goal. Will anybody be able to stop the league’s best offence (63GF) and defence (31GA)?
2. Ottawa Jr. Senators (11-3-1) | Last Week: 2 (–) | Results:

   4-2W v NAV, 5-2W v COR, 3-1L @CP | Credit to Ottawa for still taking two of three games in a week where Marty Dagenais’s team was missing six-plus regulars. The long-term losses of Owen Guy and Nick Lalonde are looming large, and the Jr. Sens will need other players to step up if they want to even remotely keep pace with Carleton Place.

3. Hawkesbury Hawks (8-4-0) | Last Week: 6 (plus-3) | Results: 4-3W v NEP, 3-0W v BRO, 3-2SOW @ KAN | The Hawks are rolling, right now. Despite having 19 new faces — likely the biggest turnover in the league — Rick Dorval’s group is playing tight defensive hockey and getting the timely scoring it needs from the likes of David Jankowski and the recently-returned Chris Smith. Kudos to Hawkesbury for not allowing early-season arena issues and their traveling-team schedule to deter it from starting 8-4.

4. Rockland Nationals (9-4-1) | Last Week: 4 (–) | Results: 5-0W @ KAN, 6-3L @ BRO, 4-2W v KEM | Disappointing loss in Brockville aside, it was a good week for the Nats: Dan Sauve’s group showde resiliency in mounting a third-period comeback at the showcase, and they’re doing it all without veteran leaders like Simon Houle and Jahwara Rennalls. Rockland’s systems and coaching are amongst the league’s elite, and it’s showing.
5. Brockville Braves (9-7-0) | Last Week: 7 (plus-2) | Results: 6-3W v ROC, 3-0L @ HAW, 6-3W v NAV | Aside from a 3-0 loss to Hawkesbury, it was a very positive week for Jesse Winchester’s Braves: They appear to have worked out their scoring issues, and showed perseverance in spades in a rollercoaster of a showcase win against Navan. Goaltender Justin Evenson (.942, 1.75) continues to be one of the best shotstoppers in the league.
6. Pembroke Lumber Kings (8-6-0) | Last Week: 3 (minus-3) | Results: 4-1 L @ KEM, 6-0L v CP, 5-1W v COR | Only an offensive outburst against sliding Cornwall at the showcase stopped PLK from falling further; a forgettable loss to then-last-place Kemptville and blowout suffered on home ice to league leaders C.P. made Week 6 one to forget overall for Dale McTavish’s group.
7. Smiths Falls (6-8-0) | Last Week: 8 (plus-1) | Results: 3-1W @ KEM, 3-0Lv CP, 4-2L @ NEP | It feels weird to move a team up in the rankings following two losses in three games, but the Bears hung tough against a red-hot C.P. team and in a week where the bottom half of the league struggled, that was enough.
8. Kanata Lasers (6-7-3) | Last Week: 9 (plus-1) | Results: 5-0L v ROC, 6-5OTL @ NAV, 3-2SOL v HAW | Not the best of weeks for Nathan Hewitt’s Lasers team, but a small silver lining was the resiliency they showed to come back and earn a point on the road in Navan. That said, blowing a third-period lead to lose against Hawkesbury at the showcase keeps them in the bottom half.
9. Nepean Raiders (4-8-0) | Last Week: 10 (plus-1) | Results:

   5-1W @ COR, 4-3L @ HAW, 4-2W v SF | By far Nepean’s best week of the season thus far, Week 6 saw the Raiders dispatch Cornwall (in convincing fashion) and Smiths Falls to pick up some much-needed wins. They’ve got the scoring, but questions about their defensive consistency remain.

10. Cornwall Colts (6-8-1) | Last Week: 5 (minus-5) | Results: 5-1L v NEP, 5-2L @ OJS, 5-1L @ PEM | The wheels fell off this week for Cornwall, as the Colts were outscored 15-4 in three forgettable losses. Getting outshot 50-23 by Nepean on your own ice surface is not a recipe for success.
11. Kemptville 73’s (3-11-1) | Last Week: 12 (plus-1) | Results: 3-1L v SF, 4-1W v PEM, 4-2L @ ROC | Was it a perfect week for Jeff Jordan’s 73’s? No, but they have tightened up (somewhat) defensively, and for that they rise. Holding a high-octane Pembroke team to a single goal deserves commendation. Is this a one-time, post-coaching change boost, or are the 73’s beginning a steady climb? Time will tell.
12. Navan Grads (4-10-0) | Last Week: 11 (minus-1) | Results: 4-2L @ OJS, 6-5OTW v KAN, 6-3L @ BRO | The Grads avoided an embarrassing collapse on home ice by rallying to beat Kanata in a shootout, but it was a tough week for the Grads. While captain and top defenceman Zach Salloum is out, Navan can’t keep the puck out of their net and that is a serious issue.