Barrie’s dynamic duo continued their red-hot scoring pace Saturday night, but the Colts still fell short to an old foe at Sadlon Arena.
Riley Patterson had two goals and three points and Cole Beaudoin added a pair of assists to each extend their season-high scoring streaks, but it still wasn’t enough as the Ottawa 67’s skated to a 4-3 victory and their fourth win in the last five games between the two Eastern Conference teams.
It was another big night for the linemates and Barrie’s top two 2024 NHL Draft prospects, who continue to push one another while they work their way up the NHL’s Central Scouting rankings.
Riley Patterson, ranked 116th among North American skaters, ran his season-high scoring streak to 10 games (9-9-18), while Beaudoin, ranked 31st, added a pair of assists to improve his team-high scoring run to 14 games (8-14-22).
Along with left winger Tai York, the line has been Barrie’s best since it was put together in early December.
“He’s a great player and easy to play with,” Patterson, who has four goals in his last two games, said of Beaudoin. “He works extremely hard and he’s great on the forecheck. He has great vision and a great shot, so it makes my life easy.
“We also have Yorkie on our line who is another great player that makes my life easier. He’s a hard worker and has great vision and can finish with the puck too.”
Patterson and Beaudoin have fed off one another since being placed on the same line along with York in early December.
“We were talking about this amongst ourselves (coaches) about how there’s a real chemistry that has developed between the two of them,” said Colts head coach Marty Williamson. “If you want to play with (Beaudoin), you better pick up your pace because that kid is going to play hard every night.
“I think it’s really helped Patty and Patty helps him because he’s a wonderful finisher and he just finds those soft spots. You see at the end there, a lot of those guys just don’t hang in those areas and the puck comes to him.”
Tied 2-2 heading into the third, the 67’s (27-19-5-1) dominated the final period and grabbed the lead halfway through when Thomas Sirman found Kimi Körbler alone in front and he fired it past Barrie (21-27-3-0) goalie Ben West.
Luca Pinelli would score his 38th of the season, and his second of the game, into an empty net to make it 4-2 with 1:11 remaining, but Patterson would give the home team some late hope when he took a pass from Kashawn Aitcheson in front with 19 seconds remaining and ripped it past Ian Michelone.
“I love playing with him,” Beaudoin said of Patterson. “We’ve built some chemistry as a line, so it’s been real good. We’re both in our draft years, so we both want to succeed. We’re using each other really well, so it’s good.”
Time would run out for Barrie. They barely got a sniff in the third thanks to a blanket defense Ottawa threw down with the lead.
“That’s what they’re good at,” Colts head coach Marty Williamson said of the 67’s who outshot Barrie 18-3 in the third. “We got them twice more (this year) and there’s some adjustments we have to make on their breakout, getting our third guy a little more involved.
“Again, they’re a good team and they lock her down pretty good.”
After Brad Gardiner opened the scoring a little more than six minutes in, Patterson got it right back just under four minutes later when he pounced on a rebound off a Blair Scott point shot and slid it under Michelone.
Patterson now leads all rookie point-getters with 50 points and his 22 goals also leads the way for first-year players.
Last year’s Canadian Junior Hockey League Rookie of the Year is certainly in the conversation to be named the OHL’s Rookie of the Year if he keeps up his scoring pace.
With 17 regular season games remaining, Patterson is also moving in on some impressive names among the Colts’ all-time rookie season scoring leaders. The forward is on pace to pass Bryan Little (58), Jan Bulis (59), and Daniel Tkaczuk (61).
Denis Shvidki had a team-best 94 rookie points (35-59) in 1998-99. Patterson, who started a little slower than expected, said the light went on for him right after the Christmas break.
The OHL rookie of the month for January has 14 goals and 17 assists for 31 points in 25 games since the holiday season.
“I think the Christmas break definitely helped,” Patterson said of when things came together for him. “It helped me to reflect on the first half of my season and look forward to what worked and what didn’t, and what could I change going into the second half.
“To go see my family back home and then come here and reset with a fresh mind, motivation, it’s definitely helped.”
Williamson said he believed Patterson could step right in and be an impact player for them when Barrie acquired Flint’s third-round pick in 2022 for six draft picks back in late June.
“He sure is (an impact player) and the trade has looked really good for us,” said the Colts head coach. “We gave up a lot for him, but it’s well worth it. We’re going to get two or three years out of a real impacting guy.
“In a perfect world it might have taken him a bit longer than I thought it was going to be to adjust, but he never stopped trying, he never stopped coming in for video and it’s paid off for us. He’s one of our hardest workers too.”
Thomas Stewart, on the power play, also scored for the Colts, who will hit the road on Monday afternoon to take on the Kingston Frontenacs.
Barrie remains five points ahead of the Peterborough Petes for eighth place and the final playoff berth in the conference and seven points behind the seventh-place Frontenacs. Barrie has two games in hand on both teams.
“We know they’ll be ramped up, they’ve had a tough weekend losing to Peterborough and Mississauga,” Williamson said of the Frontenacs. “We’re just trying to build consistency.
“If we can give this effort every single night, I’ll be real happy with this group. We’ll find ways to get more points.”
Game time at the Leon’s Centre is 2 p.m.
ICE CHIPS: West had his three-game win streak snapped, but the overager was outstanding stopping 50 of the 53 shots he faced. Barrie had 26 shots. . . The Colts finished 1-for-2 with the man advantage, the 67’s 1-for-3. . . Captain Beau Jelsma drew an assist to run his scoring streak to six games (5-5-10).
Banner image via Terry Wilson / OHL Images
