Trips to the Dort Financial Center have consistently brought success for the Barrie Colts over the last decade, and Friday night’s dramatic finish continued their unbeaten record in Flint, Mich.
The Colts, who haven’t lost to the Firebirds since the Plymouth Whalers franchise moved there ahead of the 2015-16 season, battled back twice from two-goal deficits in the third period before Emil Hemming scored 1:09 into overtime to cap off a stunning 6-5 rally.
Joe Salandra, Mason Zebeski, with his first as a Colt, Calvin Crombie, Brad Gardiner, and Ben Wilmott, with a late shorthanded equalizer to send the game into extra time, also scored for Barrie (31-11-2-4), which has won all nine games between the teams in Flint.
Trailing 3-1, outplayed and outshot 31-13 after two periods, the Colts had little to be happy about their start in this one.
As New York Yankees great Yogi Berra's famous saying goes, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.”
“I told the guys in the intermission going to the third that win or lose this game, I could really care less. That we just have to make an effort that we’re proud of, and then we’ll let the chips fall where they may,” said Barrie head coach Dylan Smoskowitz.
“You tie it up, and then you go down two goals. So, OK, pretty good effort. Better than the first two (periods). Then we tie the game on a crazy shorthanded goal and win it in overtime. It’s one of those games where it’s a really, really impressive win, and I’m very proud of the guys for their response.”
Barrie came in facing a much different Flint club than it has over the last few seasons. The Firebirds (31-12-3-2), who have been closer to the bottom more often than higher up, sit just two points out of first place atop the Western Conference standings after loading up at the trade deadline.
Smoskowitz knew it was going to be “tough” to keep the streak alive.
“At times tonight, it didn’t look like it was going to be kept alive, but this group is resilient,” said the Barrie bench boss, who was making his fourth visit to the Michigan city. “This group loves each other. A five-and-a-half-hour bus ride here, that bus was rocking. The guys were laughing, joking around, and having fun.
“It’s a really, really tight-knit group, and it’s not a group I’d want to play against. You can never count our guys out. I’m just very proud that they got the results that they deserve in the third period at least.”
Zebeski cut the lead to one just 22 seconds into the third before Crombie tied it up a little under six minutes later.
Goals by Urban Podrekar and Jim Lombardi, 24 seconds apart midway through the third, put Flint back up 5-3, but the Colts got one back nearly two minutes later on a Gardiner power-play marker.
A second comeback in the period looked all but done when Nicholas Desiderio was handed a five-minute major and game misconduct with 4:17 remaining for a checking to the head infraction on Christopher Thibodeau, but Wilmott stunned the Firebirds with 2:19 remaining when he tipped Justin Handsor’s pass in front by goaltender Mason Vaccari to tie it again.
Hemming applied the dagger when he split Darels Uljanskis and Alex Kostov at the Flint blueline, moved in, and wired one high over the glove of Vaccari for the overtime winner.
Smoskowitz credited assistant coach Patrick Sexton with drawing up a plan that eventually sent the game into overtime with the Colts shorthanded.
“That wasn’t usually how we kill (penalties), but he drew up a play,” he said of Sexton. “We knew we were going to be down for the remainder of the game, and he had the guys change up the game plan and be more aggressive, and it worked.
“We get a two-on-one out of it and miss the net, and then a couple of minutes later we end up burying one. I didn’t think it was possible, but it happened. Credit the coach and the guys for the game plan. It was nice to see.”
Charlie Murata, Josh Colosimo, and Kevin He also scored for the Firebirds, who dropped a 5-3 decision in Barrie a couple of weeks ago.
The Colts were coming off a 7-1 loss to the Brantford Bulldogs on Sunday and had not dropped two straight games since a 4-3 shootout loss in Sault Ste. Marie and a 2-1 loss to the Saginaw Spirit at home five days apart in November.
After the tough loss to the Bulldogs, Smoskowitz said it was fight or flight for his club coming into tonight.
“What are you going to do?” he asked. “Are you going to stay down and keep getting pounded on? Or are you going to get up and swing back? In terms of losing two games in a row, that’s a great attribute to have as a team (not losing back-to-back) going into the playoffs.
“You’re never really in trouble in the playoffs until you lose two in a row. So, if our guys can continue to rebound and learn from our losses and our mistakes, and improve on them next game, they’ll be fine. It’s something our guys take a lot of pride in.”
UP NEXT
The Colts complete their Michigan swing on Saturday night in Saginaw.
“We’re going to enjoy this win for about as long as our team dinner lasts and hopefully get set for Saginaw,” said Smoskowitz. “They have a lot of firepower on that team. They can score goals, and they have been scoring goals, so if we’re not sharp (Saturday) night, then this win will be all forgotten.”
ICE CHIPS
Arvin Jaswal made 35 saves for Barrie to improve his record to 11-3-0-1.
Wilmott added a pair of assists to finish with three points and now has six goals and 13 points in 10 games as a Colt.
Hemming now has eight goals in his last eight games.
Zebeski’s goal was his first in 10 games with Barrie since being acquired at the trade deadline from Brampton. “He’s been a warrior for us since he got here,” said Smoskowitz. “He leads our team in hits, he leads our team in blocked shots. He does everything you want him to do. Now that he actually got on the board, I feel like the monkey is finally off his back. I bet you they’re going to come in bunches now. I’m happy for that kid. You could see it on his face when that puck went in the net.”
ADD. OHL
Brantford 4 Owen Sound 1
Erie 3 Soo 2 (SO)
Kitchener 7 Windsor 2
North Bay 3 London 2 (SO)
Ottawa 4 Peterborough1
Kingston 3 Sudbury 2
Oshawa 6 Niagara 4
Sarnia 4 Saginaw 2
Brampton 4 Guelph 1
