Accuracy Counts as Colts Take Game One
April 10, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Barrie Colts News Release
The Barrie Colts and Kingston Frontenacs met at Sadlon Arena on Thursday night for game one of their second-round series. These two squads lost a combined one game in the first round, Kingston swept the Sudbury Wolves 4-0 and Barrie needed just five games to eliminate the Niagara IceDogs. Now, the second and third-seeded teams in the eastern conference, the Colts and Frontenacs respectively, aim for a berth in the eastern conference finals, the ultimate prize of this series. Sam Hillebrandt tended the crease for the Colts in this one, the goaltending duo of him and Ben Hrebik split starts three to two in the first round with Hillebrandt getting the extra nod.
The game started out fairly rudderless, with neither team able to create scoring chances or even sustain pressure in the offensive zone. Much of the opening minutes were played in the neutral zone as both sides appeared to test the waters in their first taste of this series. A Barrie blunder led to a Kingston breakaway and goal five minutes in, the Frontenacs then followed up that tally with another two minutes later to take an early 2-0 lead. The Colts responded with a goal of their own five minutes after the latter of Kingston's pair of tallies, it was Riley Patterson finishing off a tic-tac-toe play that ended in the back of the net. Barrie's Emil Hemming then capitalized on the power play two minutes later, knotting it back up at two goals apiece. The Colts were outshot 13-5 in the opening 20 but managed to reel this game back in after putting themselves in an early 2-0 hole.
Play remained the same to begin the second, the Frontenacs continued to dwarf Barrie's shot total, more than doubling it at the midway mark of the game. Despite not controlling play, the Colts scored the period's first goal nine minutes in, it was Carter Lowe who cleaned up a net-front rebound to make it 3-2 and give his team their first lead. Lowe's tally was the extent of the scoring in period number two, and Barrie took their lead into the second intermission.
Dalyn Wakely opened the final frame, scoring at just 1:30 elapsed to make it a 4-2 game and extend the Colts' lead. Barrie had flipped the script in terms of shots, outshooting Kingston 10-3 in the period's first nine minutes. The boys in blue maintained pressure and got a goal from their captain Beau Jelsma off of a beautiful setup from Kashawn Aitcheson, Jelsma's fifth of the playoffs made it 5-2 and all but put this one away. Aitcheson got one of his own before the final horn, blasting home a slapshot on the powerplay to extend the lead to four goals.
The Colts prevail on home ice in the series opener, a statement win at that. This 6-2 victory was an encouraging effort for Barrie, who proved they don't need to win the shot battle to beat a team handily. The Colts won in a different fashion in this one, considering they paced Niagara in shots each game of round one. The series returns to Sadlon Arena on Saturday, April 12 for game two.
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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 10, 2025
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