Long Road Trip Turns Around for Sarnia
The Sarnia Sting put an emphatic end to a long and painful stretch in Ottawa Sunday, downing the 67's 10-3 to record their first victory in the nation's capital since Nov. 18, 2007.
The result snapped a run of 16 consecutive losses in Ottawa and delivered a morale-boosting finish to an eastern three-game road trip on which the Sting posted a winning record for only the second time in 18 seasons.
What happened on the trip
The swing began poorly in Peterborough, where Sarnia dropped a 7-4 decision. The club rebounded in Kingston with a 5-3 win over the Frontenacs — their first victory in Kingston since Oct. 25, 2019 — and closed the trip with the lopsided victory in Ottawa.
- Peterborough: 7-4 loss
- Kingston: 5-3 win
- Ottawa: 10-3 win
| Opponent | Result |
|---|---|
| Peterborough | 7-4 (loss) |
| Kingston (Frontenacs) | 5-3 (win) |
| Ottawa (67's) | 10-3 (win) |
Breaking the streak
Coaches used the long span since the last Ottawa victory — 6,888 days — as a pre-game quiz for the players, and none could correctly identify what the number represented. Head coach Mathieu Turcotte highlighted the significance of the group effort.
"To be the group to break that streak is pretty cool for the guys," Turcotte said.
Turcotte pointed to veteran leadership and the example set for younger players as key factors in the turnaround late in the trip. "We've got a great leadership group and a great group of players overall that really set the tone for some of the younger guys we have," he said, adding that the recent results reflect the work being done in practice and in the locker room.
Local implications
The emphatic win in Ottawa provides momentum for a club that has faced inconsistency on long road trips. For Sarnia fans, the result offers a reminder of the Sting's capability to perform on the road and of the value of experienced players guiding a young roster through stretches of adversity.
While the club still has plenty of hockey ahead this season, ending a nearly two-decade drought in Ottawa carries both symbolic and practical value: it removes a psychological hurdle for the club on future eastern swings and rewards supporters who travel to follow the team. The victory also underscores how single games can shift a team's narrative — from persistent road woes to a team that can close a trip with two wins.
The sting's season profile will be shaped by how the group builds on this weekend. If the leadership and younger players that Turcotte praised maintain the recent standards, Sarnia's split between urban and rural scouting territories across southwestern Ontario could continue to yield the mix of skill and grit the coach described.
Photographs from earlier in the season noted the arrival of new pieces to the roster; for example, Tyler Challenger made his debut in Sarnia late in 2025, signalling the ongoing turnover and development typical of junior ranks. The coaching staff will now look to convert the confidence from this road trip into consistent results as the Sting return to Western Conference play.
