The Kingston Frontenacs (2-1-0-1) played their first matinee of the season with 5-2 win over the Western Conference Kitchener Rangers (0-4-0-0) at Leon’s Centre on Sunday afternoon. It was the first game between the two teams since 2019. Francesco Arcuri scored twice, Jacob Battaglia scored his first OHL goal and Paul Hughes and Linus 
Hemstrom added insurance markers in the third as five Fronts recorded multi-point games. Reid Valade and Simon Brzustewicz scored for the visitors. The Frontenacs special teams were integral with a trio of powerplay goals while killing off all five Ranger man-advantages.
Goaltender Mason Vaccari got a first start in net for Kingston after appearing in three pre-season games for the Black and Gold allowing just eight goals on 78 shots faced. The 2021 4th-round draft pick made 27 saves on 29 shots for his first career OHL win. “He played well”, said Fronts forward Owen Outwater. “We are always confident with him or Zhiggy in goal.”
Kitchener countered with Jackson Parsons stopping 23 of 28 Kingston shots.
A first frame was defensively played with just six shots combined midway through before the teams scored three combined goals in the last five minutes of the period with the Rangers taking a 2-1 lead to the intermission. Kitchener had a trio of powerplay advantages, but Kingston’s league-ranked 5th penalty killing units allowed just one shot on the opportunities and continued as a strong point for the team. Kingston would score four straight times including two in the second and third periods respectively for the 5-2 win.
Dallas Stars prospect Francesco Arcuri (2) scored for the second straight game to open the scoring 1-0 at 4:34. Linus Hemstrom made a nifty cross ice pass to Arcuri who made no mistake burying it into the open net. Gabriel Frasca assisted on the tally with Hemstrom.
Shortly after the third successful Kingston penalty kill, the visitors scored twice in 50 seconds taking a 2-1 lead. The first at 15:26 on a nice wrist shot by Reid Valade(2) assisted by Trent Swick. Simon Motew (1) then snuck a puck past a screened Vaccari with Valade earning a second point assisting with Hunter Brzustewicz taking a one-goal visitor lead to intermission.
A hard start to the second period by Kitchener was erased by a pair of Kingston powerplay goals with the Fronts playing more in the offensive zone during the middle frame including a 13-7 shot advantage holding the visitors to just two through the first 14 minutes. Arcuri (3) scored his second of the game to tie it up 2-2 at 4:24 with Frasca earning a second point combining with Matthew Soto for the assists.
A first OHL goal for Jacob Battaglia (1) put the Black and Gold back up 3-2 just 65 seconds later. Kingston’s 2022 second round pick used his size well burying a rebound past Parsons for the game-winning tally with Alec Belanger and Owen Outwater, a first point in a Fronts jersey, assisting on the second Kingston go-ahead goal. “I didn’t want to yell too loud for a pass,” said the former 1st-rounder by the Battalion, “but I got the puck and was able to get it on net and Jacob banged it in. It was a big goal for us at the time.”
It was 4-2 early in the third when Hemstrom (3) added to a Frontenacs team-leading point total burying a shot past Parsons from close range. Frasca earned his third assist of the game getting the puck to Hemstrom on a nice forecheck play just 17 seconds after the period’s opening faceoff.
Jackson Stewart and and Rangers’ Matthew Andonovski dropped the gloves late in the third sending Kingston to a sixth man-advantage after an instigator penalty to Kitchener. The powerplay led to Paul Hughes (2) striking for a third Kingston powerplay goal for the final 5-2 score. Belanger and Outwater each earned second assists on the goal at 16:19.
Outwater sees some parallels amongst his former team in North Bay and Kingston with a hard-working squad. “I think both cities show a lot of passion and people are very interested,” he said after the game. “We need to keep our effort up.”
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