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OHL Kingston Frontenacs

Fronts Drop Regular Season Finale to Steelheads, But Avoid Injury Heading into Postseason

March 18, 2018 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kingston Frontenacs News Release


With Kingston knowing where they would finish and who they would play in the playoffs, Jay Varady took the opportunity to rest some key players in the regular season finale on Sunday in Mississauga. Brendan Bonello got the start in goal to give Jeremy Helvig a bit of a breather and Linus Nyman and Eemeli Rasanen were scratched. The players that were still in the line-up were looking to work on developing good habits while avoiding injury. The Steelheads still had something to play for. They sat tied for 7th with the Ottawa 67's. A Steelheads win would set up a first-round series against Barrie, while a loss and 67's win would mean that Mississauga would meet Hamilton in the opening round.

It was a slow start for Kingston. The majority of the opening minutes were spent in the Frontenacs zone. It was clear that one team had a purpose and one team was looking to get through the game with as little physical damage as possible. Ryan McLeod opened the scoring for Mississauga when an attempted pass was deflected behind Bonello by Gabe Vilardi as he tried to make a defensive play. Kingston scored on their first scoring opportunity to tie the game. Cliff Pu's shot was stopped by Jacob Ingham, but he lost the puck in his equipment and Sam Field poked it in for the tying goal. There was a scary moment for Kingston fans when Gabe Vilardi blocked a shot and went to the ice in obvious pain. He was able to skate off the ice but limped down the tunnel to the dressing room. Cole Carter put the Steelheads back in front at 17:40 of the opening period. A shot that went wide of the net bounced off the boards and right to the stick of Carter. Bonello wasn't able to get across the net in time and the Steelheads led 2-1 after one period.

The second period brought more of the same as far as the on-ice product goes. The Steelheads continued to outplay Kingston, and the Frontenacs continued to look to be playing cautiously. The best news of the period for Kingston fans was seeing Gabe Vilardi take multiple shifts after returning from the blocked shot injury in the opening period. The only goal of the period belonged to the Steelheads. Ryan McLeod got his stick on a Nicolas Hague shot for a beautiful tip-in on the power play. The Steelheads had a 3-1 lead after two periods and were outshooting Kingston 24-11.

Going into the final period, Jay Varady decided that rest was more important than a comeback. Guys like Vilardi, Pu, Day and Robertson saw much less ice time than they are used to. With the line-up being shortened it was difficult to mount any type of comeback. Brendan Bonello had a scary moment when he took a shot to the face mask. After a few seconds on the ice, he remained in the game and was easily Kingston's best player for the afternoon. With the game iced away for the Steelheads in the final minute, Mathieu Foget threw a completely unnecessary hit on Paul Larabie making direct contact with his head. He was given a 5:00 major and removed from the game and is likely going to face a suspension heading into the playoffs. Larabie was helped off the ice by his teammates. The Steelheads would take the win by a score of 3-1, but despite a few scares, Kingston was able to stay relatively healthy which was their goal for the afternoon.

The Frontenacs wrapped up the 2017-18 season with a 36-23-6-3 record which was 3rd best in the Eastern Conference. Jason Robertson edged Linus Nyman for the team lead in scoring with 87 points (41 goals, 46 assists).

Kingston will kick off their playoff run on Friday night in Kingston for game 1 against North Bay at 7 PM. Game 2 will take place on Sunday night at 6 PM. Tickets for both games are available now. Because of a scheduling conflict in North Bay, game 3 will take place in Sudbury on Tuesday night. Game 4 will be in North Bay on Thursday evening.

Check out the Kingston Frontenacs Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 18, 2018


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