Barrie Wins Over Windsor
January 18, 2025 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Barrie Colts News Release
The Colts battled the Spitfires in Barrie Saturday night. The 31-8-2-1 Spitfires rolled through town at an inopportune time for the Colts, having lost their last five games before Saturday. Conversely, Windsor was on a heater coming into this one, sitting second place in the West on the back of their 10-1-0-0 record in their last 11 contests heading into this one. Barrie's schneid could be attributed to the high level of turnover in the lineup over the last week, with new additions Owen Van Steensel and Anthony Romani still acclimating to the lineup and Cole Beaudoin having just one game under his belt since his month-long absence.
Both goaltenders got off to a hot start in the opening frame, steering aside an abundance of chances at either side of the ice. Spitfires' netminder Joey Costanzo stopped the first 12 shots he faced in this one. Costanzo surrendered just one goal to the Colts in their only other meeting this season. Ben Hrebik stopped all 15 of Windsor's shot attempts in his first period of action since January 8th. The puck eventually did find the back of the net when Brad Gardiner scored his 12th of the season with less than minute remaining to give Barrie the game's first lead.
Windsor promptly responded to the Colts' last-minute goal just two minutes into the middle frame, tying the game at one. Barrie failed to get on the board as quickly despite garnering 10 shots in the period's first 7 minutes. The Spitfires managed to fend off the barrage of opportunities put forth by, until Emil Hemming scored at 7:39 elapsed in the second, giving the Colts a 2-1 lead. Hrebik shored up his net the rest of the period after allowing the early tally, making multiple high-difficulty saves. Barrie would head into the third with a 2-1 lead and a staggering 32 shots through 40 minutes of play.
Both squads hit a snag to start the third, generating just four shots between them in the first 8 minutes. Barrie began gaining traction again, culminating in a Carter Lowe goal that extended their lead to two with under 10 minutes remaining in the game. Five minutes later, Anthony Romani slid the puck into the Spitfires' empty net, his first goal as a member of the Colts. Romani's goal would seal the 4-1 win for his new team, who can now breathe a sigh of relief.
Barrie did it the hard way, getting their first win of 2025 against their toughest opponent of the new year, and in the process, exercising the demons of the five-game losing streak that have plagued them of late. The Colts now own a 25-14-1-1 record and will look to make up for lost points in the games ahead. Windsor moves to 31-9-2-1 and still maintains a one-point lead over the Kitchener Rangers for second place in the West. The Colts are set to head to Niagara tomorrow for a date with the Ice Dogs.
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