If any team had reason to feel sorry for themselves on Saturday night at Sadlon Arena, it was the Barrie Colts.
Mired in a five-game losing skid and having gone a staggering 183 minutes and 11 seconds without scoring a goal — not to mention staring down a 2-0 deficit heading into the third period against the Owen Sound Attack — the odds were stacked heavily against them.
But instead of throwing a “pity party,” the Colts (2-9-1-0) stayed the course, kept pushing, and orchestrated a thrilling 4-3 come-from-behind overtime victory over the Attack (3-8-1-0).
After a scoreless first period between the Highway 26 rivals during OHL Rivalry Week, the script darkened further in the second frame when Owen Sound’s Lucian Bernat and Max Fransen struck roughly eight minutes apart, handing the Attack and goaltender Ryerson Leenders a 2-0 lead heading into the final frame.
For a team that had suffered multiple heartbreakers in the third period this season, the weight of their recent struggles could easily have crushed the Colts.
“Definitely, and it’s a tough thing. It’s a five-game losing streak. You’re losing again going into a third period. There’s a lot of reasons to be down on yourself. There’s a lot of reasons to feel bad about yourself,” said Colts head coach Dylan Smoskowitz. “But I have to give these guys credit, whether an older guy or a young guy, nobody in that room had a self-pity party.”
Instead of folding up, the resilient Colts went to work looking to change the usual narrative.
That determination bore immediate fruit less than five minutes into the third period. With Eamon Edgar steaming into the corner and his head on a swivel to spot an open man in front, he found Schneid, who buried the feed.
The drought was over, snapping the snakebit spell and injecting instant life into the Colts.
“Obviously, that was a little rough stretch where we couldn’t find a way to put it in, but we’ve been focussing on it,” Schneid said. “It’s more of a something that we were focused on finding a way to get the puck in the net, and we just stuck to our game plan and found a way.”
The Colts followed with a couple of strong shifts, and they were on their way.
“Momentum’s a real thing,” Smoskowitz added. “Once you got it, you got to bottle it up... It was kind of like everyone actually exhaled again. Two straight games of getting shut out, and you go into the third period without any goals, everyone’s kind of a little nervous... But then it happens, and then it’s like, ‘okay, now we’re playing downhill.’”
Schneid wasn’t done. A little more than six minutes later, Carter Lowe used his body to shield opponents from the puck before setting up Schneid for his second of the night. Then, completing a natural hat trick in a span of just over 10 minutes, Lucas Matheson zipped an outlet pass up to Schneid, who raced down the left side and ripped a shot far side, just inside the post past Leenders to give Barrie the lead.
Barrie's News Delivered To Your Inbox
By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Central Ontario Broadcasting, 431 Huronia Rd, Barrie, Ontario, CA, https://www.cobroadcasting.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
The offensive outburst was a testament to Barrie’s veteran core of Schneid, Lowe, and Edgar stepping into leadership roles left by last year’s departed graduates.
“Everyone always talks about the young guys and how the young guys got to get used to the league. Well, the big guys now have never really been big guys before,” Smoskowitz said. “They played behind Cole Beaudoin, Emil Hemming, Ben Wilmot last year, so just like the young guys are finding their way, our new big guys are finding out how to be big guys.
“And it doesn’t happen overnight, but they work hard day in and day out. They take a lot of pride in what they do, and they put a lot of pressure on themselves. So, it’s nice to see those three guys, who have been our leaders all season long, get rewarded tonight with some points, but more importantly, the two points for the team.”
The drama was far from over, though. With just 1:48 remaining in regulation and Leenders pulled from the Owen Sound net, Barrie native Jake Crawford crashed through to tie the game 3-3, threatening to plunge the Colts right back into heartbreak.
Instead, overtime provided the ultimate redemption.
With Barrie on a power play in the extra frame and Schneid parked down low next to the Owen Sound net, he slid the puck back to Edgar in the slot. The dynamic forward would complete the comeback when he rifled a rocket over the right shoulder of Leenders 2:55 into overtime.
“It was a great shot,” Schneid said of Edgar’s game-winner. “I think that just speaks to the growth that we’re making. Obviously, we’ve had a focus on the third period and what’s been going wrong for us and how to fix that. So, this is a great step forward for this group, and now it’s just to continue to make sure that we keep it moving forward.”
With the monkey finally off their backs, the Colts won’t have to wait long to face their rivals again, as the two teams square off Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. back in Owen Sound at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
But first, up next for Barrie at home is a Central Division matchup against the North Bay Battalion on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at Sadlon Arena.
Smoskowitz says his team is ready to keep the momentum rolling.
“Definitely, and it’s something really positive to build off of,” he said, looking ahead to Saturday. “We’ve got to get a good night’s sleep tonight. We’ve got to have a really detailed, good, hard practice for North Bay and for a well-coached team. They’ve been rolling pretty good this year, so it’s a big one Saturday night, and hopefully we send our fans home happy again.”
Barrie Shooters Find Their Aim Just in Time
Early in the game, Barrie struggled to hit the target, missing the net on several scoring opportunities. However, they made crucial adjustments when it mattered most, highlighted by Will Schneid sneaking a shot far-side just inside the post and Edgar picking the top corner.
The offensive surge came after high praise from Director of Goaltending Frankie Palazzese, who singled out Schneid’s shooting skills earlier in the week when he was peppering Barrie goaltenders in practice with shots.
That confidence translated directly onto the ice, culminating in a hat trick for Schneid and proving that when players feel loose and confident, the net looks as big as a soccer goal.
“It’s funny. We have some of our guys go out with the goalie coach and do goalie sessions, where it’s more for the goalies, but our goalie coach is always evaluating the shooters,” explained Smoskowitz. “And he told me this week, ‘Man, we have a lot of good shooters on this team, and he actually mentioned Will Schneid. ‘That guy, he has got the best shot on our team. I don’t understand how he doesn’t score more.
“And then, lo and behold, he goes and gets a hat trick tonight, so kudos to (Palazzese) for pumping him up like that.”
ICE CHIPS: Matvei Nikonovich made 34 saves in the Barrie net to earn his second OHL win. Leenders kicked aside 29 off 33 shots he faced for Owen Sound… Smoskowitz said goaltender Arvin Jaswal (foot) is nearing a return. Forward Jonah McCormick (ankle) will miss this weekend’s action, but is expected to return on next weekend’s road trip to Michigan… Matheson and Lowe each had two assists, while Edgar also added a helper… The Colts were 0-for-2 on the power play, while the Attack went 0-for-1.
