Barrie Colts goaltending coach David Belitski called it as good a performance in net as he’s ever seen.
Head coach Dylan Smoskowitz held no illusions about how his team earned a single point in their 2-1 shootout loss to the Owen Sound Attack on Thursday night at Sadlon Arena.
Not only did Ben Hrebik’s 50-save performance leave Attack players shaking their heads all evening, but head coach Scott Wray also appeared in disbelief on the bench at times, often smiling and chuckling after one of the Barrie veteran’s big stops.
On a night when the Attack deserved better, Hrebik – just back from NHL training camp with the Boston Bruins – stole the show and nearly stole the game.
“He stole that point for us,” said Smoskowitz. “Without Ben Hrebik in the net, we don’t even go into overtime or a shootout, so we owe that single point to Ben for sure.”
The usually modest Hrebik once again let his game do the talking for him.
“Totally,” Hrebik said when asked about giving his team a chance to win. “I’m not really sure what to say after that.”
Teammate Brad Gardiner, who scored Barrie’s lone goal late in the first period, had no shortage of praise for Hrebik. He was certainly happy to see the goaltender back.
“It’s huge having Hrebik play for us every night,” said the overage centre. “Obviously, his confidence was high after playing really well and having the experience he had in Boston. It was a battle of the goalies out there tonight. Everyone has high praise for (Owen Sound’s) Carter George, and I think after that game, everybody is going to be talking about Ben Hrebik.
“Lots of high praise for him. If not for him, that game looks a little different for us.”
The overtime featured a battle between two of the league’s top goalies, with both stoning breakaway attempts and odd-man rushes, before heading into a lengthy shootout.
Jacob Therrien, with his second-game winner in just two games, would finally solve Hrebik on the fourth attempt when he rifled a shot into the top glove corner.
“(George is) a good goalie, and I’m proud of Hrebik for going toe-to-toe with the Canadian national team junior goalie, because, honestly, Ben was as hard to beat as (George) was tonight,” said Smoskowitz, whose club dropped to 1-0-0-1 on the young season.
“It was good to see for us that we got one of the best goalies in the CHL, and we got to play a little bit better in front of him.”
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Owen Sound (2-0) dominated the opening two periods, outshooting the home side 24-7, but it was Barrie that would come out with the lead when Gardiner picked Therrien’s pocket at the Barrie blueline and raced the other way in alone before sliding it under George.
The Attack dominance continued to start the second period, and the Highway 26 rivals finally broke through a little more than six minutes in when Lenny Greenberg’s floater from the point was tipped in front by Tristan Delisle.
“I didn’t like our structure tonight,” said Smoskowitz. “The guys were kind of straying away from the game plan and calling their own number a little bit. We have a very specific way we want to play. I thought our third was much better. That period was Barrie Colts hockey.
“We were getting pucks deep. We were hard on the forecheck. We were winning races, and it became an even game. Again, without Ben in those first two periods, we wouldn’t have had the chance to play hockey in the third.”
The Colts were much better the rest of the way, with shots even 6-6 in the third before trading numerous chances with the Attack in overtime.
Alex Assadourian was stopped by George on a breakaway attempt before racing back to break up a breakaway the other way.
“It was a tough one to lose,” said Hrebik.
The two teams will meet again in Owen Sound on Sunday afternoon.
“The game was a little back and forth, low scoring,” said Gardiner. “It was kind of waiting for one team to make a mistake. Both goalies played really well, so it comes down to bearing down. A couple of posts, a couple of breakaways for each team. Sometimes you get a good bounce, sometimes you don’t.
“It’s just sticking with it. We have those guys (Owen Sound) again on Sunday, which is the nice thing. We can get some revenge on them. It’s just staying sour and remembering the feeling of losing tonight.”
Gardiner is off to a strong start for Barrie and now has a goal in each of the first two games. The veteran credits Smoskowitz for the confidence he’s provided heading into a year where he’s hoping to earn a pro-contract.
“Lots of it comes down to him trusting me and having a good relationship with him,” Gardiner said of his new head coach. “He’s a first-year coach. It’s a big year for him, big year for me. We all want to win for each other in that locker room. Winning looks good on everyone. We all want to win for Smoskowitz, and he wants the best for us.
“Being an overager this year, I want to play a bigger role. Last year I didn’t get that role as much, but this year I want to make that a point in my game, for sure.”
Smoskowitz has been impressed with Gardiner’s play. The two had a “good discussion” over lunch this summer about what Gardiner wanted out of the season.
“He just wanted to get his career back on track and prove everybody wrong, and that’s exactly what he’s been doing,” said the Barrie head coach. “He’s been fantastic for us right from the start of training camp. He’s been a vocal leader in the room for us.
“He’s been putting the work in on the ice and after practice and in the gym, and I’m glad to see he’s getting rewarded.”
The Colts face another stiff test on Saturday night when they host the Windsor Spitfires, who improved to 3-0 on Thursday night with a 4-0 shutout of the Sudbury Wolves at home.
“They’re an undefeated team coming into our barn on Saturday night, but it’s something we’re looking forward to the challenge,” said Smoskowitz. “We’ll get a good day of practice and do some video (Friday) to show the guys the difference between playing the Barrie Colt way and playing their own individual way.
“It was very clear, the first two periods were very individual. The third period was the Barrie Colts’ way. We put together 60 minutes of Barrie Colts hockey, and we like our chances.”
Game time Saturday is 7:30 p.m.
ICE CHIPS: Puck drop Sunday in Owen Sound is 2 p.m. . . . Blueliners Kashawn Aitcheson, Evan Passmore, and Gabriel Eliasson, fresh off returning from NHL camps, also made their season debuts for the Colts. . . Calvin Crombie scored a win in a fight with former Brantford Bulldogs teammate Noah Roberts just 21 seconds into the game. Eliott Arnett and Passmore also dropped the mitts midway through the second. Barrie was 0-for-1 on the power play, while Owen Sound was 0-for-1. . . Forward Luc Gauvreau made his OHL debut for Barrie.
