With his roster spot in question, Carter Lowe knew he had to step things up coming into Barrie Colts training camp this season.
The third-year forward is certainly off to a good start, following up a strong camp and preseason with the game-winning goal in Barrie’s OHL season-opening 3-1 win over the Sudbury Wolves Friday night at Sudbury Community Arena.
Kashawn Aitcheson, with a power-play goal, and Evan Passmore also scored for the Colts, who return Saturday night to Barrie for their 30th anniversary season home opener against the North Bay Battalion at Sadlon Arena.
With the contest locked at 1-1 between the two Central Division rivals late in the second period, Lowe was parked in front of the net when Grayson Tiller snuck in from the point and slid it in front.
Sudbury goalie Nate Krawchuk stopped the big six-foot-three, 215-pound winger’s jab at the puck, but the rebound hit Lowe’s skate and slid right back in.
“Summer is really where you put your work in and every year,” said Lowe, who coming into the night had just seven goals and 20 points over his first 95 games. “I’m just trying to get better, so I’m glad to see the hard work pay off and get the first one out of the way.”
Lowe’s effort didn’t go unnoticed by Colts general manager and head coach Marty Williamson.
“Lowe did a lot of good things for us,” he said. “He blocked some shots at the end. He’s a guy that came into camp and, really, he won a job. We weren’t sure where his stance was, and I thought he had a good camp and continued it on.
“Every game he’s giving me something. Whether it’s a blocked shot or tonight it was a nice goal. He goes to the front of the net and does what a big man needs to do.”
Now Lowe needs to keep it going.
“We’re using him on the power play and yeah, he’s got good confidence,” Williamson said. “He knows he can be a part for us. Lowe has to keep getting better and then he can be a heck of a player in January, February, and March, and not be happy with things.
“That’s sometimes what he falls into. Right now, he set a great opinion for the coaches.”
With Cole Beaudoin still in NHL camp with Utah, Riley Patterson, Emil Hemmings, Brad Gardiner, and Beau Jelsma (shoulder injury) missing most of the preseason while also away in NHL camps, Lowe has received a bigger opportunity early on and he’s taking advantage.
“I’ve been getting a bigger role this year off the start,” he said. “It’s nice playing with a bit of confidence behind you. You’re playing good, you’re feeling good. Everything is falling into place, I guess.”
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The Colts got off to a slow start in this one, and the Wolves took advantage with a fluke goal early in the second to open the scoring.
Colts’ goaltender Sam Hillebrandt stopped Chase Coughlan in alone, but the rebound went right off Lowe’s skate and in. Lowe looked to the sky.
“I feel really bad scoring on him there,” Lowe said of his goaltender who made 21 saves to grab the win.
It was pretty much all Barrie the rest of the way. With Barrie on the power play, Triston Bertucci recorded his first point as a Colt when he slid the puck across to Aitcheson at the point and the top NHL prospect hammered it home at 15:10 of the middle frame to tie it.
Lowe would pot the winner a little more than two minutes later and then Evan Passmore gave the Colts some breathing room when he took a faceoff win from Stewart, moved in along the boards, and wired it between Krawchuck the short-side post.
“Yeah, I was pretty happy,” Williamson said of his team’s play. I thought other than a couple of small bobbles, we were pretty solid from there. There was a lot of emotion in the game, a home opener, and Sudbury played hard and fast.
“It took us a period to get our legs and we kind of wasted the five-minute power play (in the first), but when we got our legs in the second and third, I thought we looked awfully good.”
Barrie gave up just nine shots in the second and then completely slammed the door in the third by giving up just four shots.
“It was hard just trying to bond with guys right off the rip,” said Lowe. “They came back from (NHL) camps, so we really haven’t had that much time to play together and get to know each other.
“Once we glued, I think we did well.”
Hillebrandt has picked up where he left off in last year’s playoffs. After showing well as a free agent invite at the Philadelphia Flyers camp, he’s quickly showing he can be a top starter in the OHL.
“The only goal he gave up, we kicked into the net,” said Williamson. “He was rock solid back there. That’s a big thing for our hockey team when they know they have somebody like that in the net.
“He looks dialled in. He looked that way in training camp, and I heard he had a great camp in Philly. I think he’s ready to be one of the top goalies in the league.”
“It’s really nice having that faith in your goalie back there,” added Lowe.
With the Colts celebrating their 30th anniversary season, Williamson expects a few nerves in Saturday’s home opener against North Bay.
“We’ll go through the same thing tomorrow night,” he said. “It’s our home opener in our building and guys get a little nervous and try to do a little too much. It’s the same thing if we can get through the first period, and just keep improving, we’re going to be awfully good.”
Game time at Sadlon Arena is 7:30 p.m.
ICE CHIPS: The Wolves had two players ejected. Daks Klinkhammer was given a match penalty for slew footing in the first and Blake Clayton another midway through the second. “We didn’t make a pass,” Williamson said of the first power play. “The ice was actually kind of rough here and it wasn’t a good power play for us. We just didn’t execute very well.” . . . Aitcheson had his usual physical game and drew plenty of attention from Sudbury players. “He’s a warrior out there for us,” said Williamson. “He’s got a big shot and we’re going to need that on the power play. It was a nice goal.”. . . Stewart had two assists in a strong effort. . . Barrie outshot Sudbury, 32-22. They were 1-for-5 on the power play while holding the Wolves scoreless on their four chances. . . Gardiner and Hemming each had an assist in their Barrie debuts, while Gabriel Eliasson had five shots and was a plus 1. Colts forward Michael Derbidge served his one-game suspension.
