Figliomeni, Colts see progress despite 3-1 Sudbury setback

Anthony Figliomeni went through it with a young, rebuilding Oshawa Generals team last year.

The hard-nosed forward saw the hard work, effort, and determination put forth game in and game out. In so many matches, the Generals were right there and hung tough, only to come out on the short end.

After yet another tough loss — falling 3-1 to the Sudbury Wolves on Wednesday night at Sadlon Arena — Figliomeni offered some reassuring words to his young Barrie Colts teammates: It will get better.

“We’re a young team,” said the 18-year-old winger, acquired by Barrie just before the start of the season. “I had it last year with Oshawa, too, and it takes a bit, but we’re really getting there. Every game, we’re just a step away; it’s just little flaws.

“I think we’ll get there and close out our games.”

The Colts (3-11-3-0) held their own against the Central Division-leading Wolves (11-4-1-0), entering the third period tied 1-1 and running even in shots and quality scoring chances.

Unfortunately for Barrie, it was a familiar final chapter. Rowan Henderson scored at 6:35 of the third, and Adam Nemec sealed the outcome with 30 seconds remaining into an empty net.

“We’re always trying to learn, always trying to get better every single day with this group, but being in these games is learning how to win,” said Colts assistant coach Patrick Sexton. “That also comes with learning how not to. We only gave up 26 shots. We kept our discipline in check. We were able to come back from a one-goal deficit. Unfortunately, we couldn’t come back the second time.

“But again, we’re just making sure that we stay on our process of trying to get better every day, making sure that we do everything we can to continue to learn and continue to grow because it is a process. While results are obviously nice, we were proud of our guys for the effort we got, especially in the second and third periods when we went down again.”

The Wolves secured the decisive marker on an impressive rush by Henderson. The power forward picked up a loose puck inside his own blue line, turned, and raced up the ice.

He powered his way around Barrie defenceman Marc Ruggere and cut to the net. His initial shot between the pads of Hagan Bach was stopped, but Henderson tracked the rebound and wrapped it around the right pad of the Barrie goaltender for the game-winner.

The Colts pressed down the stretch, but unlike last weekend's 4-3 overtime loss in Flint — where they secured a late power-play equalizer to force the extra frame — there would be no late heroics on this night.

“Obviously, I would love to find a way to tie that one up at the end, like we did in Flint,” said Sexton. “Through the course of the game, I thought we actually had plenty of chances, which was great. We continue to generate those chances, so we have to bear down when we get them.

“I thought we just started a little bit slower tonight. We were lucky to get out of that first period tied, but we slowly started to find our footing as the game went on. Unfortunately, we came out on the losing end of things, but we’re process-driven right now, and there’s lots to be learned from tonight.”

Barrie’s 37 markers this season tie them with the Brampton Steelheads for the fewest goals scored in the OHL, but the offensive opportunities are coming, and Figliomeni believes the finish around the net will follow.

“Everything’s coming slowly, but you can see big improvements every day with our practices, and even the way we play,” he said. “Everything is completely different from Game 1, or even the first preseason game I played here after I got traded. Everything’s been different, and it’s like we’ve all gone in the right direction.

“I think it’s really going to click for us soon. It’s starting to click now. We’re hanging in tight with really good teams too, so it’s been good.”

The effort against their division rivals marked a significant step up from the last time the two teams met in Barrie, when Sudbury skated to a 6-0 shutout. During the home opener in mid-September, Sudbury scored in the final minute of the first period before adding four more in a disastrous second frame where the visitors outshot the hosts 25-7, putting the game out of reach.

Despite a slow start on Wednesday, the Colts and Wolves entered the second period scoreless. Sudbury carried the early play and was rewarded at 4:02 when Parker Smith’s point shot deflected off traffic in front to Kingston Harris, who buried the rebound.

The Wolves pressed to extend their lead, but unlike the home opener, the Colts pushed back, finding the equalizer late in the same period on a power-play goal by William Schneid with just over four minutes remaining.

Justin Handsor, parked in the corner, fed Eamon Edgar in the slot. Edgar’s one-timer was stopped by Sudbury goaltender Bjorn Bronas, but Schneid was first to the doorstep to knock home the rebound.

“Tonight, we didn’t love our first period as much, but when they got that first one, rather than sagging, we pushed right back,” Sexton said. “We started to get pucks in and started to play to our identity of playing fast, playing physical.

“We started generating chances that way, and then assistant coach Connor Cadarett got an opportunity during the TV timeout to draw something up. The guys did a great job executing it and got us back in the game. From there, I thought we were pretty good. Just a slow start.”

Tough Road Ahead

The Colts face another gruelling weekend on the road, travelling to Sault Ste. Marie on Saturday night to face a Greyhounds club trailing Flint by just one point atop the West Division, before a Sunday afternoon stop in Sudbury.

Barrie secured its first road victory in Saginaw last weekend and earned a point against Flint, and Sexton hopes his young club can build on that momentum.

“We have to continue to learn to get better,” he said. “We’ll watch the tape on Thursday, get on the ice for a quick practice, and continue to progress. At this stage, the guys are 25 per cent of the way through the season now.

“We want to make sure that we’re not repeating the same mistakes, that we continue to evolve, adapt, and grow, so that ultimately, when we hit that midway point at Christmas, we can come back out in that second half strong.”

Colts Stay Disciplined

Barrie has struggled to stay out of the penalty box this season.

During last weekend's overtime loss in Flint, the Colts handed the Firebirds six power plays. While the penalty kill came up big by blanking all six chances, the lack of discipline disrupted the line rotation and caught up to them late in the game.

That wasn't the case on Wednesday against Sudbury, much to the coaching staff’s satisfaction. The Wolves, armed with the OHL’s second-best power-play unit, were limited to just two man-advantage opportunities, one of which lasted only 10 seconds.

“When you play highly skilled teams, they want those opportunities to feel good on the power play, and it gets their offence going,” said Sexton. “So for us to keep our discipline in check, something that we talked about before the game, was obviously outstanding. When the penalty kill had to kill a full one off there, we did a great job.”

Howard Makes OHL Debut

Free-agent signee Luke Howard made his OHL debut Wednesday night and immediately caught the coach's eye.

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound defenceman, who spent last season with the Ontario Junior Hockey League's (OJHL) Toronto Patriots, logged heavy minutes and finished even in plus-minus with a shot on goal.

“I thought he played extremely well,” said Sexton. “He played pretty big minutes, but he’s such a gifted skater. He was able to use that when he found himself in a tough position or a difficult situation to get himself out of trouble. I was really happy with him tonight.”

ICE CHIPS: Saturday’s game at the GFL Memorial Gardens starts at 7:07 p.m., while Sunday’s contest at the Sudbury Community Arena goes at 2:05 p.m… The Colts are in the middle of a stretch playing seven of eight games on the road…Sebastian Mogull’s four-game scoring streak (5 goals) came to an end…Wednesday night’s contest featured a $1 hot dog promotion…Barrie finished 1-for-4 on the power play.