In the second of a three-game in three day trek the Kingston Frontenacs (7-3-0-1) took to the road at Sadlon Arena on Saturday night skating away with a big 5-4 win over the Barrie Colts (5-3-1-1) coming back from two goal deficits twice in the game. Linus Hemstrom (1G,1A) and hometown boy Alec Belanger (1G,1A) had a pair of points with the game winner, and rookie Maleek McGowan registered his first OHL goal in highlight fashion showcasing the win.
Linus Hemstrom, Francesco Arcuri, scoring for the fourth straight game, and Ben Roger added a tying goal in the third improving Kingston’s road record to 2-2-0-0. Kingston looks for a second straight road win tomorrow afternoon against Owen Sound Attack.
Rookie Mason Vaccari got his third OHL start in goal for the Frontenacs stopping 31 shots for his third win. A saved penalty shot and a huge stop at the end of the game off of an Ethan Cardwell slapshot were keys in the win. Barrie countered with Anson Thornton making 22 saves on 27 Kingston shots.
After a solid start for the home side with four straight shots, the Fronts pushed back on a fleury of chances before taking the first lead. After Matthew Soto was denied by a post on a two-on-one rush, Francesco Arcuri was sent in alone by a nice pass by Paul Ludwinski but thwarted by Thornton in the Colts net.
Maleek McGowan (1) scored his first OHL goal on a beauty rush beginning in his own zone. The rookie defender made a quick deke in the Kingston corner before racing down the ice and beating the Colts goaltender with a nifty far-side snapshot past the glove hand. The 1-0 score coming unassisted at 9:07.
Thornton made a nice glove save on Alec Belanger shortly after the opening strike on Kingston’s first powerplay of the game. Vaccari was solid at the end of the Barrie penalty stopping two quick shots including a point blank save on Ethan Cardwell from the slot.
Kingston’s Eastern Conference penalty killers staved off a late period penalty to hold on to the one-goal lead heading to the first intermission with the Colts having a 12-7 shot edge.
A trio of Barrie tallies in the first six minutes of the middle period had the home side up 3-1 before the clubs traded a pair of goals late in the frame with the Colts taking a two-goal lead to the third. Connor Punnett (3), on a five-on-three man-advantage, and Evan Vierling scored a pair of powerplay goals with Tai York (3) adding the third of four Colts goals in the second frame at 5:56 making it 3-1.
Arcuri (10) got Kingston back to 3-2 with his OHL leading seventh powerplay goal of the season while the Fronts were on the two-man advantage with a rocket from the slot extending a point/goal streak to four games (4G,2A). Alec Belanger passed off to the OHL’s overall leading goal scorer who made no mistake over the goalies’ glove and off the bar at 17:47 for a point in his hometown.
Less then a minute later, the Colts replied while still shorthanded after Vierling took advantage off an odd man rush to set up Cardwell (3) with 64 seconds left in the middle stanza for a 4-2 Colts lead heading to the final period. Vierling’s third point of the night came off a spin around pass giving Vaccari no chance in the Kingston net on the Cardwell finish.
Kingston battled back to tie the game with two goals in the first half of the final frame before a late tally to win it. It was 4-3 just 4:03 into the third period after Hemstrom (5) made a nice steal behind the Colts net and took it himself in front of the goaltender before a whip around shot beat Thornton low with an unassisted tally.
The second penalty shot of the season against the Fronts came with 14:50 left and Vaccari stoned Punnett with a big right pad save keeping Kingston within one in a key moment of the game.
While on the powerplay, Paul Ludwinski hit the crossbar on a one-timer before Ben Roger (1) buried a slapshot through a crowded crease after Jacob Battaglia made a patient play to setup the blast at 7:13 for the 4-4 score.
With 3:10 left the Colts got a lucky bounce and appeared to take a lead after Beau Jelsma was able to bat a puck out of the air on a deflection. The potential go-ahead goal was reviewed for an offside entry and disallowed maintaining the tie score.
The Colts had a late sixth powerplay, but Belanger (2) scored a nice shorthanded breakaway goal after creating a turnover to put the Fronts out for good 5-4. The hometown kid’s second point of the game came at 17:39 in what would be the game winner.
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