The Kingston Frontenacs (9-7-0-1) won 6-2 over the Niagara IceDogs (4-9-3-0) on Friday night at Leon’s Centre to get back on the winning track. It was a memorable evening with a special pre-game ceremony honouring those past and present in the Canadian Military. Alec Belanger laid a ceremonial wreath at centre ice before the opening faceoff. First star Matthew Soto had a goal on four points, Quinton Burns had a career high three-point effort, and Owen Outwater scored the game-winning goal early in the second period improving Kingston’s record at home to 6-2-0-1. Tommy Budnick, Francesco Arcuri, and Christopher Thibodeau added tallies for the Black and Gold.
Kingston scored five straight before a reply by the IceDogs in the third by Declan Waddick and Aidan Castle. Mason Vaccari took the Kingston net making 29 saves on 31 shots for his fifth win. Owen Flores was in the IceDogs crease seeing 30 Frontenacs shots making 24 saves.
2022 4th-rd pick Vann Williamson made his Frontenacs debut wearing number 27. The former Ajax Pickering Raider U16 AAA had appeared in two preseason games earlier this year. “First game in the league it was a real cool experience. The crowd was incredible and the ceremony before the game was awesome.” I am speechless for a first experience. All the guys made me feel welcome. I mean we are just tough working the team. The coach always stresses outworking the other team and I believe that’s what we did tonight.” The rookie teamed up with Braden Hache for his first shift. “Hacher has been in the league awhile, so he was helping out all game.”
The Black and Gold scored five-or-more goals for the third time this season en route to the victory. Hache made a nice play drawing a penalty less than four minutes in before laying a board rattling check on 24 in the corner. Another hit in the third by the Florida Panthers prospect on Pamo Fimis in the same corner with authority kept IceDogs skaters on their heels all night.
A pair of tallies by Kingston in the first period saw Kingston take a two-goal lead to first intermission. The Frontenacs took the first lead when Tommy Budnick (1) had his shot deflected past Flores at 9:22. Paul Ludwinski and Linus Hemstrom assisted on the opening goal with Kingston on an 8-3 shot run making it 1-0.Alec Belanger had a shot tipped in front of Flores and past his glove by Francesco Arcuri (13) for the 2-0 strike. Owen Outwater earned an assist with Belanger at 14:11 extending a point streak to 5 games (3G,6A).
The second stanza opened with a bang on the ice and on the scoreboard. Hache dropped the gloves with Nathan Ribau for an epic centre-ice tilt moments before Kingston opened the game up with a pair of quick tallies within 91 seconds for a 4-0 lead.
Outwater (5) collected a puck in the slot before firing it through a screened crease making it 3-0 at 1:16 of the second with Matthew Soto extending a point streak to six games (4G,6A) with an assist. The teammates each have registered three straight multi-point games.
Following a major penalty to Niagara for a high hit on Belanger, Soto (6) followed up at 2:47 on the powerplay making it 4-0 after burying a nice pass from behind the net by Jacob Battaglia with Quintin Burns also assisting.
On a second extended man advantage of the frame for Kingston, midway through the period, Chris Thibodeau (2) scored jumping on a loose puck in front of the Niagara goaltender for a 5-0 lead at 9:47. Soto’s third point of the game came with an assist with Burns also getting credit for a second point for his first multi-point game of his career and now has points in four of his last five.
Daniel Michaud (3) got the visitors on the board 5-1 late in the middle frame sending Kingston to the second intermission with the four-goal lead with the shots 22-22.
Kingston penalty killing units fended off the first half of a double minor in the third before Niagara scored just before the Fronts had killed of the penalty making it 5-2 at 9:42, but the Frontenacs halted any sustained visitor pressure going up by four a second time.
Maddox Callens (2) fired home the 6-2 goal from the slot on a one-timed shot beating Flores low at 11:58. Soto gained his fourth points assisting with Burns on the scoresheet with a third assist. Callens had scored his first OHL goal on Nov 9, 2019, in the Remembrance Day game.
Hache was happy with the team win on the memorable night. “Obviously, today was bigger than hockey. Kev Walker in our dressing room, a veteran, we hold close to our heart, and so it was two points everyone here.” Recognizing the importance of playing in a military city doesn’t go unnoticed by the assistant captain. “The military members allowed us to have our freedom and play hockey. A special night for the city and I’m glad we got the win for them.”
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