GAME SUMMARY
Barrie, Ont. — OHL Saturday night:
First Period
1. Barrie, Passmore 1 (Figliomeni, Tsherna) 11:06
Penalties — Marthaler Osh (high-sticking) 1:39, Mowrey Bar (high-sticking) 4:08, Desiderio Bar (tripping) 8:16, Taylor Osh (misconduct) 11:06, McCormick Bar (blindsiding) 12:31, Timmerman Osh (delay of game) 18:06.
Second Period
2. Oshawa, Kalto 2 (Rogowski, Timmerman) 7:20
3. Barrie, Tang 1 (Matheson, Yurkiw) 12:39
Penalties — Desiderio Bar (check to the head, game misconduct) 4:04, Murnane Osh (slashing) 14:20.
Third Period
4. Oshawa, Franssen 1 (Rogowski, Hinde) 18:28
5. Oshawa, Laschon 1 (Funck, Taylor) 19:01
6. Oshawa, Funck 1 19:22
Penalties — Franssen Osh, McNally Bar (roughing) 0:11, McCormick Bar (interference) 3:59, Tsherna Bar (cross-checking) 7:30, Matheson Bar (holding) 12:11, Huyck Osh (high-sticking) 15:12.
Shots on goal by
Oshawa 14 9 22—45
Barrie 8 5 4—17
Goal (shots-saves) — Oshawa: Humphries (W,1-0-0-0); Barrie: Bach (L,0-3-0-0).
Power plays (goals-chances) — Oshawa: 1-7; Barrie: 0-4.
Referees — Damian Figueira, TJ Hunter. Linesmen — David Milne, Jacob Swackhammer.
Attendance — 2,967 (4,195)
OTHER SCORES
Kitchener 4 Erie 3 (OT)
Brantford 10 Kingston 4
Niagara 5 Flint 2
Guelph 5 Owen Sound 1
Ottawa 6 Peterborough 3
Windsor 6 Saginaw 3
Soo 5 North Bay 4
Minutes after a dramatic third-period collapse saw the Oshawa Generals (3-1-0-0) score three goals in 55 seconds, Barrie Colts (0-4-0-0) head coach Dylan Smoskowitz stood outside his office—not furious, but remarkably encouraging.
The Colts were just 92 seconds away from securing their first win of the season and snapping an opening three-game skid before Saturday night’s 4-2 loss at Sadlon Arena slipped away. Yet, Smoskowitz saw plenty to build on.
“You hold down the fort for so long,” Smoskowitz said. “The penalty kill did such a good job, and we just took so many penalties tonight. They did a good job fighting through and staying positive, and to lose a game like that, it stinks for sure. But the guys have to be proud of their effort.
“If the game were two minutes shorter, we’d be very happy right now. It’s a good learning experience for a young team on how to hold leads and play a smarter third period, but definitely a step in the right direction.”
Smoskowitz had every reason to be frustrated with his team. For one, Barrie didn’t do itself any favours by handing Oshawa seven power plays, including a five-minute major. Yet, aided by a strong performance in goal by Hagan Bach, the Colts clung to a 2-1 lead moving into the game’s dying minutes.
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Twice late in the third period, Bach stoned Generals forward Onni Kalto on prime opportunities that would have tied the game. Unfortunately for Bach and the Colts, a couple of bad bounces later, the Generals (3-1) were on their way to victory.
The equalizer came with 1:32 remaining when Brooks Rogowski took a feed in the slot from Tyler Hinde and shovelled it toward the net. The puck banked off Harrison Franssen and past Bach to make it 2-2.
The game-winner came just 33 seconds later. Bach kicked out a shot by Linus Funck, and teammate Carter Lowe collected the rebound and attempted to clear the zone. Instead, the puck was intercepted by defenceman Leo Laschon, whose low shot appeared to deflect off traffic in front and find its way into the net.
“Two unlucky bounces, but the team played a lot better,” said rookie winger Michael Tang, whose first OHL goal had given Barrie a 2-1 lead at 12:39 of the second period. “We’ve got to learn how to win these games. Finish them out.”
Funck sealed the comeback with an empty-net goal with 38 seconds remaining.
Smoskowitz hopes the loss serves as a valuable lesson for his young squad.
“One hundred per cent,” he said. “It’s 60 minutes, right? Throughout those 60 minutes, there are ways to play a little bit smarter. There are ways to conserve energy. There are ways to not play safe, but play solid, structured, and disciplined. A lot of that was good tonight, but there’s definitely some stuff we still need to iron out.
“This is an invaluable learning experience for someone going through it for the first time. To go through a game like that and not get the result you want is something they’ll remember more than a game where they did.”
Coming off a tough 5-2 loss in Sudbury on Friday night, the Colts — who had managed just one five-on-five goal through three games — struck early to open the scoring at 11:06 of the first period. Former Oshawa forward Anthony Figliomeni slid the puck back to Evan Passmore, who pinched in from the point and fired a shot far side over the glove of Matthew Humphries.
A five-minute major for checking to the head and a game misconduct handed to Nicholas Desiderio gave the Generals the opening they needed early in the second period, as Kalto beat Bach to tie the game at 7:20. It proved to be Oshawa’s lone power-play goal on seven attempts.
Tang, who had missed a tap-in chance earlier in the game to cap off a slick three-way passing play, put Barrie back on top five minutes later. A shot off the end boards bounced directly to him at the side of the net, and he banked it off Humphries and in.
“Yeah, the first one was pretty unfortunate,” said Tang, who had skated to the bench and looked up at the rafters after the missed opportunity. “I was going a little too fast, so I missed that one, but the second one felt good for sure.”
“It’s a surreal moment,” the 17-year-old winger added regarding his milestone goal. “It felt good to get it for the team.”
Smoskowitz was pleased to see Tang bounce back after the earlier miss.
“He’s been working hard, and he’s really good around the net,” the head coach said of the New York City native. “That’s a tough play to bury. Not a lot of guys have that kind of poise or patience around the net, so that was good to see for him. Hopefully, they just keep on coming.”
The tight, defensive battle reflects the style Smoskowitz and his coaching staff expect from their team this season.
“That’s going to be our M.O. this year — low-scoring games, taking pride in our defensive zone, and limiting chances,” he said. “I thought we limited their chances five-on-five. Of course, when you run the same guys on the penalty kill, they get tired and sloppy. We shot ourselves in the foot with undisciplined penalties, so that’s something we have to clean up.”
Bach was a standout between the pipes in his third start of the season. The rookie netminder stopped 41 shots as Barrie was outshot 45-17 overall, including a 22-4 barrage in the third period as Oshawa pressed for the comeback.
“He had a great game against North Bay in game one, and we only got one goal for him,” Smoskowitz noted. “He had a great game tonight, and we lose it in the last couple of minutes. All a goalie can do is give his team a chance, and Bach has done more than that. We’re going to repay him next week with a big win.”
UP NEXT
The Colts return to action next Thursday when they host the Niagara IceDogs.
Meanwhile, Oshawa hosts their East Division rival Brantford Bulldogs on Sunday.
ICE CHIPS
Forward William Schneid did not dress Saturday after taking a late hit from Sudbury Wolves defenceman Finn Kearns on Friday. Smoskowitz expects Schneid to return next weekend. Kearns has been suspended indefinitely by the OHL.
Defenceman Lexi Kert made his OHL debut Saturday as Barrie dressed seven blue-liners.
