Colts make statement with win over Kingston Frontenacs

Their success has seemingly gone under the radar in the OHL this season and that’s just fine by the Barrie Colts.

While accolades and praise have been showered upon other teams early this season, the Colts are content to just keep piling up wins.

They racked up another one Friday night at Kingston’s Slush Puppy Place, edging the Frontenacs 5-4 in a game that wasn’t as close as the score would indicate.

In a battle between two of the Eastern Conference’s top teams, Barrie pretty much dominated.

“We played with character tonight. We worked hard,” said a red-hot Beau Jelsma, who scored twice and now has five goals and three assists in his last five games. “We had a really good second period and that paved the way for us in the third.

“We let in a couple of goals that we wanted back in the third, but it’s nice to kind of grind it out and get the win.”

While the Niagara IceDogs, Brampton Steelheads, Oshawa, and Kingston have found their way into the CHL’s Top 10 rankings this season, the Colts have yet to earn the same accolades despite boasting winning records against all four teams.

Jelsma says that’s just fine because Barrie is focused on winning hockey games.

“It’s great,” he said of being overlooked. “We don’t need that top 10 in our back pocket. We’re the underdogs and we want to build to the top and people are going to sleep on us, and that’s just fine. We’ll come and bring our best game and beat teams as much as we can.”

Riley Patterson and Kashawn Aitcheson, with a goal and assist each, and Cole Beaudoin, into an empty net, scored for Barrie (19-8), which won its third straight and remain tied atop the Eastern Conference standings with the Oshawa Generals with two games in hand.

Tuomas Uronen, with a pair, Riley Clark and former Colt Ben Pickell scored for Kingston (15-8-4-1), which trials Barrie and Oshawa by three points.

“I thought it was one of our best games of the year,” said Colts’ general manager and head coach Marty Williamson, whose team led throughout. “I thought we played very well from the start of the game and had points where I thought we were dominant.

“They kind of weaselled a couple in at the end on deflections to make it close, but I was really happy with how we played.”

Williamson said everything favoured the Frontenacs coming into this one with the Colts on the road in a back-to-back game against a good Kingston team that was well-rested.

“We thought they were going to come out real strong and we wanted to come out and make a statement and not get ourselves behind the eight ball, and I thought our guys did a really good job,” said Williamson, whose club jumped out to a 2-0 lead.

An unfortunate break late in the first period led to Uronen’s first of the night when he capitalized on a turnover after Aitcheson blew a tire with the puck at the Barrie blue line.

The Colts would completely dominate the second, holding Kingston to just five shots despite coming out of the period ahead by one goal.

The Frontenacs, who despite finishing tied in shots with Barrie at 32-32, had few good scoring opportunities.

“I thought we did a really good job,” Williamson said. “I thought we played a good, heavy fast game. We clogged up a lot of areas on the ice, we were moving our feet, and I thought our big guys played really well.”

That, says Jelsma, is Barrie hockey.

“We played very well defensively and that’s kind of the motto of our hockey team,” he said. “Defence leads to offence, and that’s what we did tonight. It was a good win for the guys.”

And another big effort by the Colts captain. After missing the start of the season with a shoulder injury, Jelsma has found a home on a line with Dalyn Wakely and Brad Gardiner.

Jelsma, who has 11 goals and 22 points in 18 games, has racked up five goals and eight assists for 13 points over his last seven games.

“Wakely and I have a really good bond going together, and even with Brad Gardiner we’ve been working well together,” he said. “Coming off an injury, I was maybe a little timid, so to say, and now I’m really starting to feel like my old self again.

“I’m just doing whatever I can to help the team win. That’s what I’m about. It’s a big year for this team.”

Williamson calls Jelsma one of the engines of the team. There’s “no doubt” who the leader is on the team.

“It takes a while and there’s chemistry you need to build and that kind of stuff,” Williamson said of the line put together a couple of weeks ago. “We had him at centre for a while and then put him back on the wing where I think he’s better.

“He’s got electrifying speed, and he’s got a centreman with Wakely that seems to have great timing of when to find him. That line has good mojo going right now.”

Jelsma is sporting a huge gash on his cheek after a high stick caught him up in the face in the Thursday night win against Flint.

His face has taken a pounding this season, but Jelsma says that won’t stop him.

“It’s the fourth time I’ve had to get stitches in three months,” he said, before laughing out loud. “My face takes a beating, but if we’re going to win games, I’m happy to do it.”

The Colts will have a day off Saturday before wrapping up their eastern road swing with a trip to the nation’s capital Sunday afternoon to face the Ottawa 67’s.

Game time at TD Place is 2 p.m.

ICE CHIPS:

Colts owner Howie Campbell purchased a private box for the team for Saturday night’s Ottawa Senators game against the Nashville Predators. “Howie got us a box for the Ottawa Senators game, so we’re going there, and we’ll have a good day tomorrow, and then respond with a good game on Sunday,” said Williamson. . . The Barrie coach praised the play of his blue line on Friday. “The whole group back there, our breakouts were really crisp,” he said. . . With his two points, Aitcheson now has five-game scoring streak (3G, 5A). . . With players set to report to the Canadian national junior team selection camp in Ottawa this week, both Cole Beaudoin and Beau Akey will stay behind after Sunday’s game. The two will spend a couple of nights at Beaudoin’s home in Kanada. . . With his 12th goals, Beaudoin improved his scoring streak to seven games (5G, 7A). . . Sam Hillebrandt stopped 28 shots to pick up his 12th win of the season in goal. . . Uronen’s goal late in the first brought down the bears on Teddy Bear Toss night.