On a special night geared toward paying tribute to the OHL careers of Beau Jelsma, Dalyn Wakely, and Owen Van Steensel, the three overagers made sure to celebrate things in grand style.
The three veterans put on an impressive performance and combined for two goals and seven points to lead the Barrie Colts to an 8-1 romp of the Niagara IceDogs in the regular season finale, Saturday night, at Sadlon Arena.
Wakely and Van Steensel, each with a goal and two assists, combined with linemate Anthony Romani to record four goals and 10 points. Romani (203) and Van Steensel (201) hit a milestone in the win, both surpassing the 200-point mark in their careers.
Jelsma, meanwhile, was buzzing all night to finish with two assists.
“He sure was,” Colts’ general manager and head coach Marty Williamson said of his captain. “I thought they all played great. And a couple of milestones for two of them (Romani and Van Steensel).
“They’re going to be a big part of this going forward. If we’re going to be successful, we need those guys leading.”
For Van Steensel, who spent the first three seasons of his career in North Bay with Wakely and Romani before being acquired at the OHL trade deadline, time has certainly flown by.
“Absolutely,” said the veteran winger. “We got a lot of hockey left to play, so it’s not the end yet. It’s definitely weird knowing that come fall I won’t be going to an OHL training camp, so I’m trying to make the most out of it right now.”
That the three were able to celebrate the special night with a big win and a big night on the scoresheet was a satisfying way to put a cap on their regular season careers.
“Of course,” said Van Steensel. “Being able to do it with (Romani and Wakely) my whole career. Full time last year and then once we were able to get going here in Barrie. Those guys are great and I’m glad we’re going at the right time.”
Brad Gardiner and Tristan Bertucci, also honoured along with Beau Akey before the game as graduating players, had a pair of goals each for the Colts (42-22-2-2) who will face the IceDogs (29-31-4-4) in the first round of the OHL playoffs beginning next Thursday in Barrie.
While the game meant nothing in the standings and both teams sat out several regulars, the Colts were looking to head into the playoffs on a winning note and they did exactly that.
“We took six guys out of our lineup, and we just wanted to be competitive,” said Williamson, who rested Cole Beaudoin, Riley Patterson, Kashawn Aitcheson, Emil Hemming, goalie Sam Hillebrandt, and Akey. “It’s our building, our fans here and we wanted a competitive game and wanted it to mean something. Games always mean something.
“You just need to play hard and tell them that we’re going to play hard every night.”
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Ethan Czata, who opened the scoring midway through the first on a deflection past Barrie goalie Ben Hrebik, had the lone goal for the IceDogs, who won just two of their final 21 games.
“Internally, it means a lot,” Van Steensel said of the lopsided win. “Technically, standings-wise, going into the playoffs it doesn’t, but that’s a big one for us knowing that they’re going to be our first-round opponent. That was a big game for us and I’m glad we performed the way we did.”
While Barrie bested Niagara in five of their six games and outscored their Central Division rivals by a decisive 39-20, all that means nothing now.
Beginning in Game 1 on Thursday night, the slate will be wiped clean for the best-of-seven series, and the two teams on even ground.
“It’ll be a whole different game on Thursday,” said Williamson. “We know it and we’re going to make sure our guys understand that message, but it’s a good win for us. All you can do is think about what’s in front of you and this was in front of us, and we played well.”
The IceDogs took a 1-0 lead into the second period, but goals by Gardiner, Van Steensel, Wakely, and Bertucci and it was lights out.
“When we got the lead, we kept pushing and that was a real good thing,” said Williamson. “We didn’t sit back. We kept pushing and got the four goals in the second period and that was important.
“The first period was good. I thought it was a good investment. They got the deflection goal and there was not much we could do about it, but it was a good night for us.”
With six regulars out of the lineup, that provided an opportunity for some of the younger Barrie prospects to get into the lineup like Jonah McCormick. The fourth-round pick (66th overall) in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection made his OHL debut and certainly left a lasting impression.
The six-foot-two, 202-pound winger delivered some crunching body checks and earned his first OHL point with an assist on Bertucci’s first of the night late in the second period.
Winger Sam Black got into his 16th game, while defenceman Ethan Armstrong and Jack Martin also got into the lineup.
“It always puts a smile on my face when I know what I’m going to have for next year,” said Williamson. “McCormick played a hell of a game for us. Black did a good job and Armstrong looked good on defence.
“There’s a lot of good signs there with these young kids who are going to step into this lineup next year.”
The drop of the puck on Thursday’s series opener in Barrie is set for 7 p.m. Game 2 will be Monday at 7 p.m., before the series heads to St. Catharines for Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday night and Thursday night respectively.
“We’ll have a team lunch on Monday and talk about what our goals are and what are our expectations. Have a good practice,” Williamson said of preparations for Niagara. “We’re pretty healthy, so it’ll be good spirits this week, but we know you can beat any team in the playoffs. The best example is what we did last year. We went into Oshawa and won Game 1, and we were a goal away from taking (Game 2) into overtime.
“We know they’re going to bounce back and have a heck of a game on Thursday, and we need to be ready.”
ICE CHIPS:
Centre Jaiden Newton continues to take big steps in his offensive game with a beautiful setup on Bertucci’s first of the night. When heading behind the net, he slid the puck back through his legs to the defenceman in front for the easy tap-in. Newton now has two goals and three points over his last six games, all of which were highlight-reel plays. . . The pregame celebration for overagers and graduating players included the families of players. Players received a framed jersey. . . Attendance was 4,303. . . The remainder of the series will see, if necessary, Game 5 back in Barrie on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Game 6 on Sunday at 7 p.m. in Niagara, and Game 7 in Barrie at 7 p.m. . . . Barrie outshot Niagara 36-25. . . Niagara regulars scratched included Ryan Roobroeck, Mathieu Paris, and Andrew Wycisk. Rookie Matthew Humphries got the nod in goal for Niagara over starter Owen Flores.
