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OHL Kingston Frontenacs

Game Day Preview: KGN vs OTT

October 29, 2021 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Kingston Frontenacs News Release


It's Halloween Night at Leon's Centre as the Kingston Frontenacs host the Ottawa 67's in the front end of a home-and-home battle starting at 7:00 pm. The teams face-off for the third time after Kingston opened the 2021-22 season with an 8-1 win over the Barber Poles on October 8. The 67's turned the tables at TD Place two days later, earning a much closer 3-2 win in the Nation's capital.

Kingston comes into the game on a three-game unbeaten stretch with eight points (4-2-0-0), sitting two points back of Ottawa, tied with Hamilton Bulldogs and Oshawa Generals atop the East Division with 10 points. However, Kingston has played fewer games than their respective division counterparts, including three fewer than Oshawa and two less than Hamilton and Ottawa, respectively.

The Frontenacs are playing a good team game coming off two consecutive one-goal against wins over Peterborough, including a 6-1 thrashing of the Petes in the contest last Friday, October 22. Since the 3-2 loss at Ottawa on October 10, the Frontenacs have won three straight (current Eastern Conf. high), scoring 14 goals with only six against.

Head coach Luca Caputi has the team playing a solid structured style, being more dangerous on the transition. "A lot of it's built off taking time and space away, but also being able to exit of it," said the coach after last Friday's win. "It is one thing to disrupt and dislodge plays, but it's another to break the puck out and have possession when you leave your zone." The stingy black and gold team defence has allowed only one goal against in the last two wins with an average of just 21 shots on the Kingston goal.

Opponent

Ottawa arrives tonight with two consecutive road wins versus the Generals and Barrie Colts last week, including a wild shootout win at Oshawa on October 24 in their previous game. After going down 3-0 to Oshawa with less than 12 minutes left in the contest, the 67's exploded, scoring four goals in less than three minutes of play during a wild third period leading to a 5-4 shootout victory.

Forward Jack Beck is on a four-game streak tallying five goals and seven points coming into Friday, and his eight goals are tied for the OHL lead. Beck has a goal and an assist versus Kingston in the two games so far.

Vsevolod Gaidamak has points in four straight (1G, 3A), joining teammate Cameron Tolnai also on a four-game streak with (3G,3A).

Like Kingston's top-ten powerplay, scoring eight goals on 31 chances, the 67's have also tallied eight goals on 30 chances. Kingston will need to continue to play disciplined hockey averaging only 10.8 mins per game so far versus the 13.5 of Ottawa.

What's Been Has Been

Lucas Edmonds scored his first two OHL goals with four points on October 8 in the opening night 8-1 route leading the Fronts offensive attack. The assistant captain has 12 points placing him tied for 9th with Ottawa's Jack Beck in the scoring race.

In the win, Paul Hughes teamed with fellow rookie Paul Ludwinski scoring their first OHL goals. Ludwinski also joined captain Shane Wright on the scoresheet three times as the black and gold took an early 3-0 lead under four minutes into the game. Dylan Robinson scored on the powerplay midway through the second for Ottawa, with Beck and Anthony Costantini adding assists on the only visitor goal in the scoresheet. Kingston's stingy defensive structure allowed only 15 shots on starter Leevi Merilainen earning his first career OHL victory. The 15 shots against is the least allowed by any team so far this season around the league.

The second matchup was a much closer 3-2 loss in Ottawa on October 10, and was the Fronts third game in three days after falling 7-2 to Mississauga Steelheads on the previous day. The teams traded goals for a 2-2 tie during a four-goal opening frame, but Beck scored the eventual 3-2 game-winner for Ottawa early in the third, squaring the season series at 1-1-0-0. Wright and Edmonds scored for Kingston, with Martin Chromiak and Ludwinski each adding a pair of assists in the road loss. Ludwinski's assists gave him five points in the two games versus the 67's. The consecutive losses represent the only defeats in the early season for Kingston.

Point Streaks

Three Frontenacs will carry streaks into the weekend's games, with scoring from many sources on a squad with offensive depth. Edmonds recorded at least a point in the team's last four contests and enters tonight's game on a three-game multi-point streak, including a two-goal,three-point performance in the 6-1 win over Peterborough in Kingston's last game. He has five points (3G,2A) in the two games versus Ottawa, while Captain Shane Wright has four points (2G,2A).

Matthew Soto (2G,3A) and Jordan Frasca (3G,3A) also look to extend personal three-game streaks versus the barber poles.

Kingston is one of three squads (with North Bay, Sudbury) in the Eastern Conference, averaging more than four goals a game, with 26 in the six played heading into Friday night.

Rank and File

The latest CHL rankings has Kingston ranked 10th in the country. London Knights (4) and Kitchener Rangers (8) join Kingston as the three OHL representatives heading into play this weekend. With two big wins over Barrie and Oshawa, the 67's received honourable mention, so Kingston will need to stay on the winning track to hold onto national status.

Notes

-Eight goals scored versus Ottawa in October 8th win ties the OHL lead for most goals scored in a single game, with the seven-goal margin the widest so far amongst all final scores early in the season

- Four second-period goals versus Ottawa on Oct 8 is tied for most in OHL in a middle frame

- Defenceman Lucas Peric is eligible to return from suspension tomorrow (October 30th) versus the Ottawa 67's

- With a light schedule that saw Kingston play only nine games from October 8 to October 28, the team will be busy with 13 games between tonight and the end of November

Team Stat Pack - GP (6)

Record

(4-2-0-0) 3rd East Div/ 4th Eastern Conf

26 Goals For - 7th OHL

17 Goals Against - 4th OHL

Leaders (Top/3)

Goals - Edmonds(5), Frasca, Arcuri(3), Chromiak, Ludwinski, Wright, Callens, Soto, Thibodeau (2)

Assists - Edmonds(7), Frasca(6), Arucuri (5)

Points - Edmonds(12), Frasca(9), Arcuri (8)

PIMs - Poole(14), Burns(12), Peric (7)

SOG - Edmonds(32), Chromiak(27), Frasca(20)

Plus/Minus - Ludwinski(+7), Arcuri, Murray(+5), Wright (+4)

Special Teams

Power-Play (8-31) 25.8% - 7th OHL

Penalty-Kill (14-19) 73.7% - 14th OHL

10.8 Penalty Mins/game 8th least - OHL

On The Front

Kingston and the 67's close out the back end of the home-and-home at 2:00 pm Saturday afternoon at TD Place in Ottawa in the Fronts next game.

The Frontenacs play their next game at Leon's Centre on Wednesday, November 3rd versus the Mississauga Steelheads. The teams first rematch since the 7-2 Steelhead win on October 9 in Kingston. Puck drop is set for 7:00 pm.

The Frontenacs play their annual Remembrance Day Game on Friday, November 5th against the North Bay Battalion and the team has their first of five Sunday Fundays on Sunday, November 7th.

Listen to all the action on 104.3 Fresh Radio with Frontenacs play-by-play voice Jim Gilchrist. Fans can also follow along with team social media channels at Twitter, Facebook and IG for updates.

All home game tickets are available online at www.ticketmaster.ca or can be purchased at the Leon's Centre box office.

Group sales and Flex Packs are also available at www.kingstonfrontenacs.com.

TSN subscribers should note that tonight's game is streaming at TSN.ca and on the TSN App in addition to CHL TV.

Check out the Kingston Frontenacs Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 29, 2021


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