Ask and you shall receive.
After last Saturday night’s 4-2 win over the Erie Otters, Dylan Smoskowitz talked about the importance of the Barrie Colts getting some much-needed secondary scoring.
On Thursday night, a trio of Barrie Colts helped deliver that for their head coach.
Bodie Stewart, Joe Salandra, and Nicholas Desiderio, with the eventual game-winner midway through the second period, all scored to power the Colts to a 6-2 win over the Sudbury Wolves at Sadlon Arena.
It was the fifth-straight win for Barrie (8-7-0-3), which also received its usual big contributions from the veteran core, with Brad Gardiner scoring twice and adding an assist, and Kashawn Aitcheson firing his league-leading 12th goal among blueliners to go along with two assists.
Cole Beaudoin had four assists, while linemate Emil Hemming finished with three.
Though, on this night, it was the supporting cast that helped get things going for the Colts. A supporting cast that Smoskowitz was hoping would step up and pitch in.
Stewart’s goal was his first this season, while Salandra and Desiderio each notched their third.
Smoskowitz praises effort and persistence
“Again, it’s not just like they came to play today. They’ve been coming to play for a long time, and they just haven’t been getting the bounces,” said Smoskowitz. “We haven’t been down on their games. A good coach, Dale Hawerchuk, once told me, ‘I’ll be concerned when you don’t get the chances. As long as the chances are coming, eventually they’re going to start falling for you.’
“That’s what happened tonight, so I’m really happy for these guys to get rewarded. They work hard in practice. They work hard in video sessions. Our coaches do a great job for them, so for them to get rewarded, it was fantastic.”
Special Teams shine
Also fantastic for Barrie last night was its specialty teams. The penalty kill was perfect in holding Sudbury (4-12-1-0) to 0-for-7 with the man advantage, while the power play had two goals on three chances and twice scored just seconds after one had expired.
A penalty kill that had fallen to a league-worst 20th overall has been much better of late. After playing a key factor in Barrie’s six-game losing streak, the penalty kill has played a vital role in helping turn things around during its current win streak.
The Colts have given up only three goals in their last 19 shorthanded situations and have now moved up from 20th to 18th overall.
Turning Point in the game
“It could have been a very different game,” said Smoskowitz, had Sudbury capitalized on some early power plays. “Actually, one of our keys was to be disciplined and stay out of the box. Well, lo and behold, we put ourselves in the box seven times. Patrick Sexton, our assistant coach, did a fantastic job with the penalty kill.
“We’ve been getting some rough bounces, but it was really nice to see him and our penalty kill get rewarded tonight.”
Barrie has spent a lot of time looking to turn things around in that department.
“We work on it in practice,” said Desiderio. “We do a mock power play against the kill, and they defend really well, which leads to the game. It transfers over, and we get the job done in the game.”
Key goals and momentum shift
Trailing early in the second period, Salandra and Desiderio got the Colts going in this one. Less than two minutes after Liam Ladds had put the visiting Wolves back on top, Hemming stole the puck in the slot and slid it across to Salandra, who fired it past Karsen Chartier.
A little more than six minutes later, Desiderio would record his first OHL game-winner when he deflected a point shot by Aitcheson past Chartier.
“I saw the guys rushing on the dots, and they left me alone,” he said. “I looked at Kash, and he sifted one through, and I was able to get a stick on it for a goal.”
Desiderio’s net-front presence
Going to the net is a big part of the American winger’s game, and it paid off against the Wolves.
“I like to go to the net and get rough and dirty down there,” said the native of North Caldwell, New Jersey. “I like to bang home rebounds and get dirty goals. It helps win games.”
Smoskowitz said the winger does his job well.
“He’s a fantastic net-front guy for us,” he said of Desiderio. “We have him on our power plays as a net-front. In practice, it’s amazing how many goals he scores with his hand/eye. He’s fearless.
“He’ll stand in front of pucks, he’ll take pucks in the stomach and the shoulder sometimes, but the kid is fearless.”
Stewart breaks goal drought
After Jan Chovan opened the scoring for Sudbury at 5:22 of the first period, Stewart evened things up on some nice work by Calvin Crombie.
The overage winger forced a turnover and then held off a checker while sliding the puck to Stewart in front. The veteran put it to his forehand and slid it under Chartier for his first goal in 17 games.
Last season, Stewart didn’t have his first until the 23rd game of the season.
“We played defence, we played the right way, and we got the job done,” said Desiderio. “That’s what coach says. Play good defence, and get to the net, and good things happen.”
Looking Ahead: Rematch in Sudbury
The Colts will embark on a northern swing to continue their first three-in-three weekend when they take on the Wolves again Friday night in Sudbury, before wrapping things up against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds on Saturday night.
Smoskowitz knows his team will have to be much more disciplined in Sudbury. Late last month, the Wolves scored three times with the man advantage en route to a 5-3 win at home.
“That’s one of the ways this team is going to kill you,” Smoskowitz said of a Sudbury power play that came into last night ranked sixth overall and is led by NHL prospects Kieron Walton (Winnipeg) and Nathan Villeneuve (Seattle). “They have high-end guys over there, and their power play has been very good historically with those five guys, so we definitely have to stay out of the box.”
Game time at the Sudbury Community Arena is 7 p.m.
Ice Chips
Aitcheson sat on the bench for the whole first period and did not play. Despite that, he finished with three points and has now scored a goal in five-straight games.
Alex Pharand had the other goal for Sudbury, which has now lost four straight.
Beaudoin’s scoring streak is now up to eight games (4-13-17). Barrie’s co-captain now has 26 points (7-19-26) to move into sixth overall among OHL scoring leaders.
With his three-point night, Gardiner now has 23 points (12-11) and has moved into a tie for ninth overall in OHL scoring.
Ben Hrebik made 37 saves to pick up his fifth win of the season in goal for Barrie.
The Wolves will bring back Shoresy Night on Friday to celebrate the Canadian hit show filmed in the city. The team will raise money for a good cause while sporting newly designed Blueberry Bulldogs jerseys.
