The Barrie Colts spent most of Saturday evening trailing and chasing the Niagara Ice Dogs.
That was until it mattered most at the end of the game.
Down by a goal late in the third period, Anthony Romani tied it with 2:29 remaining and then Kashawn Aitcheson, with his second overtime winner in a week, polished off a two-on-none rush with Emil Hemming just 40 seconds into the extra frame to help the Colts rally for a 7-6 win over the IceDogs in front of 4,120 fans at Sadlon Arena.
The chase began early for Barrie (31-14-2-1) when Sean Doherty scored two of his three goals on the night just four minutes into the first period. Some late-game heroics by Romani and Aitcheson, though, would help move the host team seven points ahead of Niagara (27-15-3-2) in the race for first in the Central Division standings.
“Overtime is always crazy, you’re always just hoping it goes your way,” said Aitcheson, who scored the overtime winner in a 3-2 win at home over the Brampton Steelheads last Thursday. “Emil made the jump with me and made a great read to slide it back to me and I was just lucky enough to put it in.”
In close, Aitcheson roofed the puck over Niagara goalie Owen Flores’ right shoulder for his second goal of the night and third point on the evening. The top prospect for this year’s NHL Draft now has six goals and 11 points in his last six games.
“I think it’s just a credit to my teammates and coaches right now,” said the 18-year-old who has four game-winning goals this season. “They’re just giving me the leeway to go and I’m taking it and running with it the way I can.
“I’m just trying to play within our system.”
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Only Saginaw’s Zayne Parekh (23) and London’s Sam Dickinson (20) have scored more goals among blueliners than Aitcheson’s 17 this season.
“Talk about boosting draft stock,” said Colts’ assistant coach Dylan Smoskowitz of Aitcheson. “This guy, we ride him hard. He plays a lot of big important minutes for us, and he did a great job again tonight. He just doesn’t seem to tire and the most impressive thing about his offensive game is it doesn’t take away from his defensive game.
“He doesn’t make these massive high-risk plays. He waits, he’s patient and he’s very smart. He finds his openings, and he takes advantage. What a (shot) on the winner. To be able to elevate the puck in tight like that. He’s having a great second half here.”
It was Romani who provided the opportunity for the comeback. The Vancouver Canucks prospect took a backhanded pass from linemate Owen Van Steensel off a face-off in the Niagara end and then tucked it around Flores’ left pad to force overtime.
“A really, really high-level move and that’s just what Anthony does,” said Smoskowitz. “Not a lot of players in this league or at this level can hold the puck and be as patient as Anthony was on that goal. I’m sure it’s a big one personally and it was a big one as a whole team. We just know that as he gets more comfortable in the system, and obviously, coming off the injury, we expect bigger and better things from Anthony.
“It was a great start for him tonight.”
Five times Barrie trailed in this one and each time they battled back.
“Just give the guys a ton of credit for just sticking with it,” said Smoskowitz. “The bench the entire time, whether it was tonight or last night, it was always positive. Even after goals, the guys were still rooting each other on and picking each other up, which you just can’t teach.
“They have that winning culture here. The guys put a lot of work in during the week in the gym and after practice and then they practice hard. Their wind and conditioning are fantastic. As teams tire out, we tend to get a little bit faster, a little bit stronger.”
Brad Gardiner and Hemming, who has a goal in four straight games, tied the contest before the midway point of the first. Ryan Roobroeck restored the lead with a power-play marker with 3:22 left to send the IceDogs to the first intermission with a 3-2 lead.
Aitcheson tied it again midway through the period, before Doherty completed the hat trick a little more than a minute later to put the visitors back on top, 4-3.
Lowe, with his first of two on the night and fifth in five games, drew the Colts even late in the second, before Andrew Wycisk put the IceDogs ahead again early in the third.
Lowe would tie it, but Blake Arrowsmith would make it 6-5 with a little more than five minutes remaining.
Less than 24 hours after Hemming’s power-play rocket from the point with 40 seconds remaining earned the Colts a point and sent the game in Oshawa to overtime, Romani set up yet another late comeback.
Only this time, the Colts came on top after a chance by Niagara at one end turned into a two-man rush the other way by Aitcheson and Hemming.
“We’re going to continue to work on getting the hot start, getting the jump on other teams, but obviously it’s always good to have (this) in your back pocket,” Aitcheson said of Barrie’s ability to rally late. “We know we can come back in any game and we’re never out.”
With only 20 games remaining, the Colts sit four points ahead of both the Kingston Frontenacs and Oshawa atop the Eastern Conference standings.
“These are massive points, and it’s not a game we want to play,” Smoskowitz said of the win over Niagara. “We don’t want to be in that track meet kind of game, but it’s nice to know our team is able to win in those situations. Not the ideal game for us, we’re much more comfortable with a 2-1, 3-2 kind of game and shut it down and limit the other team’s chances, but, if need be, if we have to get into a track meet, it’s nice to know our offensive firepower can step up to the plate.
The Colts face the Frontenacs at home Tuesday night in a make-up game from earlier last month that was postponed due to weather.
Game time is 7 p.m.
ICE CHIPS
The Colts, who are celebrating their 30th anniversary, held a special ceremony to pay tribute to the team’s captains over the years. Dalton Prout, Erik Reitz, and Sheldon Keefe sent in video messages, while Bryan Little, Daniel Tkaczuk, Jeremy Swanson, Matt Dzieduszycki, Stefan Della Rovere, Cornell James, Luke Bignell, Justin Murray, and Michael Webster were in attendance. “It was nice to be able to celebrate with the other guys,” said Swanson who sported the “C” while a member of the Colts from 2001 to 2004. . . Riley Patterson had three assists, while Tristan Bertucci and Van Steensel had a pair each. Hemming also added an assist and now has seven goals and 13 points in his last eight games. . . Niagara was 3-for-3 on the power play, while Barrie went 1-for-4. “Our power play did a great job picking up the slack for our penalty kill which was not great tonight by any means,” said Smoskowitz. . . Barrie outshot Niagara 41-33.
