The Barrie Colts and Kingston Frontenacs are going the distance.
Gage Heyes scored 2:53 into overtime to help the Frontenacs stave off playoff elimination with a 3-2 victory against the Colts, Sunday night, at Slush Puppie Place and force a seventh and deciding game in their Eastern Conference semifinal series Tuesday night back in Barrie.
Game time at Sadlon Arena is 7 p.m.
The winner will face Oshawa in the Eastern Conference finals after the Generals beat the Brantford Bulldogs 4-1 Sunday to take the best-of-seven series in six games.
“Some people might look at it as nerves, but while we didn’t get this one done, and it’s unfortunate, this is why I play hockey,” Colts overage forward Dalyn Wakely said of facing a win-or-go-home Game 7. “This is what excites me, and it doesn’t rattle me.
“I think it’s the same with this group. We’re ready for the big moment, and it’s all about Tuesday now.”
The Frontenacs would get the break in overtime this time after Kashawan Aitcheson scored the extra frame winner in Game 5.
Former Colt Ben Pickell spun in the corner and shot a puck at the net that hit Ben Hrebik and bounced to Heyes who fired the rebound over the right pad of the Barrie goalie to send the series back to Barrie.
“Little things make the difference in games like this,” said Wakely. “They made the extra play tonight that they needed, so we’re going back home.
“We’re comfortable there. It will be a good one on Tuesday.”
The Colts would have a couple of solid looks themselves in the extra period.
“There was a nice play there to Tiller and he had ice he could have taken,” said Colts’ general manager and head coach Marty Williamson. “We had a couple of shots that didn’t get on the net, and they found one to get on net, and it just kind of bounced loose.”
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In another closely contested defensive battle, it was the Colts who entered the third period ahead 2-1 with an opportunity to advance to their first conference final since 2016.
Barrie, though, would run into penalty trouble once again, as has been the case throughout much of the series.
A tripping call on Bode Stewart to begin the third was successfully killed by the Colts, but a little under two minutes later Gabriel Eliasson was called for roughing, and the Frontenacs would make them pay on the ensuing power play when Tuomas Uronen found Jacob Battaglia at the back door for his second goal of the night to tie the game.
“That’s kind of the difference,” Williamson said of Kingston’s two power-play goals on four chances. “The teams are playing pretty tight right now, so maybe as far as coaches, we thought there’d be seven (tight) games like this.
“The first four games weren’t quite played like the last two games. Both teams are playing well. There’s not a lot of ice out there and it comes down to whether it’s a bad penalty and an opportunistic goal for them.”
Staying out of the penalty box is something the Colts have been talking about throughout the series.
“We know in the room that you can’t give that many looks on the power play, eventually it will cost you,” said Wakely. “Five-on-five we’re really confident against these guys. Against anybody, we match up well when we’re playing five-on-five because of our speed and making the other team work.
“We just got to get back to that Tuesday and hope for a better result.”
The Colts went back to Sam Hillebrandt in goal after his win on Saturday night, but the veteran’s night would be cut short when he was bowled over in a collision with Ethan Hay late in the first period.
Hillebrandt, who had stopped eight of nine shots, was replaced by Hrebik. He remains questionable for Game 7 on Tuesday.
“We’ll just have to see how he is (Monday),” said Williamson. “He just kind of strained his back.”
Hrebik went in and would stop 26 of 28 shots the rest of the way, including a second-period breakaway by Joey Willis early in the second.
“He was outstanding,” Williamson said of his young goalie. “Hrebik gave us a chance and that’s a tough spot for a kid to go in and have to warm up. Hrebik did a great job.”
As they have all season, the Colts say they have confidence in whoever gets the start on Tuesday.
“It’s unfortunate that Hilly went down, but I haven’t been so confident in two guys in our crease as I have been with those two,” said Wakely. “They’re both fantastic goalies and it’s really nice when you don’t get nervous when the other guy goes in.
“Hrebik has our back, and I know Hilly will too when he’s back.”
A Battaglia power-play marker opened the scoring at 13:45 of the first period, but Emil Hemming would get that back a little more than four minutes later when he walked over the blue line and snapped one past the right pad of Kingston goaltender Charlie Schenkel.
Barrie would grab the lead midway through the second on the power play when Tristan Bertucci’s shot from the point found its way through traffic in front and past Schenkel.
“We’re comfortable playing this way,” said Wakely of the last two games which included a combined eight goals compared to the 40 combined in the opening four games. “For us, the last few games of this series is how we want to play this series. They have a lot of guys that want to run and gun and for us, it’s just about slowing that down a little bit and making them work down low a little bit in their own zone
“So, more of that Tuesday and we’ll be fine.”
The Colts worked all year to earn home-ice advantage for big games like the one on Tuesday. Wakely looks forward to putting it all on the line in front of the home crowd.
Barrie is 6-0 at home throughout the opening two rounds of the playoffs.
“That’s been the message all year long, especially for guys that have been through it,” said Wakely. “You want home ice in these games and that can be all the difference. Our crowd is going to be there Tuesday night for us and we’re going to use that energy to get a good result.”
Barrie will take a day off on Monday to rest up and then it’s back on the ice Tuesday.
“It’s do-or-die, but I’d rather be no place than be at home with our fans,” said Williamson.
ICE CHIPS: The winner of Tuesday’s game will have home-ice advantage against the Generals in the conference finals. . . Aitcheson will be donating the $3,000 proceeds for his overtime winner on Saturday night to local charity Rockin’ It With Ruby. The Barrie-based initiative provides advocacy and funding for Down Syndrome in the province. . . Kingston outshot Barrie 37-29. . . Heyes had three assists on the night for the Frontenacs. Battaglia’s two goals were his first of the series. . . Uronen leads all players in the series with 47 shots on goal. . . Tickets are still available for Game 7 at https://barriecolts.ticketpro.ca/en/pages/BarrieColts_Playoffs.
