For a young Barrie Colts team still finding its footing, this was about as tough a loss as they’ve had all season.
Holding a 4-2 lead heading into the final four minutes of regulation on Sunday afternoon at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre, the Colts were on the brink of securing a hard-fought road victory.
Instead, the Owen Sound Attack rallied in stunning fashion, as Pierce Mbuyi and Jake Crawford, with goaltender Ryerson Leenders pulled for the extra attacker, scored 2:25 apart to send the game to overtime.
Then, with just 4.04 seconds remaining before a shootout, Owen Sound’s Max Delisle won a faceoff back to Lucian Bernat, and the Slovakian import forward ripped a shot over the shoulder of Barrie goalie Matvei Nikonovich for the overtime winner as the final second ticked off the clock.
For a young rebuilding Barrie (2-10-2-0) team, the 5-4 defeat was crushing.
“Almost couldn’t draw up a tougher way to lose a hockey game,” said Colts head coach Dylan Smoskowitz. “It’s one of those ones where you’re just so good all the game... and you don’t want to take so many penalties, and the power play burnt us today, but you battle back, you get that two-goal lead again, and then the six-on-five.
“There’s a lot of things that we’re happy with today. I thought, for the most part, that was probably one of our strongest five-on-five efforts of the season. It was just unfortunate that some special teams and six-on-fives were the death of us today.”
The afternoon had started with promise for Barrie. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period thanks to late power-play goals from William Schneid and Carter Lowe. However, Owen Sound responded with a pair of power-play markers 56 seconds apart midway through the second from Mbuyi and Bernat to knot the game.
Sebastian Mogull answered right back for Barrie, striking on the power play with just 34 seconds remaining in the middle frame to put the visitors back on top.
Luca Testa extended the lead to 4-2 at 11:26 of the third, continuing a strong weekend breakout for the veteran forward. But much like Thursday’s 4-3 overtime win at home against the same Attack, the Colts let a late lead slip away—only this time, there would be no overtime celebration.
Third periods have been a persistent hurdle for the young club this season, with Barrie being outscored 17-7 in the final frame. Even with Sunday’s early insurance marker, closing out the game proved elusive.
“I thought it was one of our better thirds. We just got to find ways to close out that final four minutes,” Smoskowitz said. “Teams are going to pull the goalie, and we want to play good games where we build a lead like we did today. We just have to be more stuck in on our six-on-five play and our assignments. Understanding what it takes and the sacrifice.
“It’s hard to win this league. Teams throw out their five or six best players, offensive minds, and they’ve got their game plan. We just have to do a better job of executing ours.”
Barrie finished a tidy 2-for-2 on the power play, while Owen Sound went 2-for-4, and shots were dead-even at 39-39. But giving elite players time and space with a man advantage ultimately proved costly.
“You give good players time and space, they’re going to make plays, especially when there’s a man advantage,” Smoskowitz noted. “You look at today’s game; we score two power-play goals, they score two power-play goals. They scored two six-on-five goals. Good players with time and space and the puck on their stick, they find ways to make plays.
“So, it’s something we definitely got to work on, but again, a lot of positives five-on-five. Our guys, back-to-back travel, had a lot of energy, had a lot of juice. Made real smart plays on the ice, but we just got to look at a couple of things with the special teams.”
The ending of regulation, and Bernat’s buzzer-beater was a sudden punch.
“It was a heartbreaker. It’s a last-second faceoff,” Smoskowitz said of the final sequence. “Guys know their assignments on a faceoff. You want to win it. You want to tie it up. You just don’t want to give a Grade A look like that. The guy’s taking a one-timer from the slot. It’s tough for any goalie in the world to save.
“So, we can’t be giving those up. You take your chances going to a shootout, but that was not the case for us today.”
Despite the sting, the coaching staff views the crushing defeat as an invaluable, if painful, building block for a rebuilding roster.
“Really good learning experiences, you kind of have to go through it at one point or another,” Smoskowitz said. “So, to go through it now, to learn what it takes, be detailed, and follow through with the game plan, it’s big for any team.
“If our guys are going through it, is it fun at the moment? Absolutely not. No one feels good about themselves at this very second, but we know in the long run it’s got to pay off, and, again, for our young guys getting this firsthand experience, it’s invaluable for this group.”
The Colts continue their road swing next weekend in Michigan. They take on the Saginaw Spirit at the Dow Event Center at 7:05 p.m. on Friday, before heading to Flint on Halloween for a 2 p.m. date with the Firebirds at the Dort Financial Center.
Testa breaks scoring ‘damn’ with another two points
On an individual level, Luca Testa’s weekend performance provided a major silver lining for the Colts. After picking up his first points of the season with a goal and an assist in Saturday’s 7-4 loss in North Bay, the overage winger matched that stat line with another goal and helper on Sunday.
“Lucas has been working through it. Obviously, it wasn’t the start he wanted with a new team, kind of going a couple games there without any points, but the dam broke,” Smoskowitz said. “He’s playing the power play for us. He’s played the penalty kill for us. He’s a fantastic teammate, a fantastic leader for our young guys, and just really, couldn’t be a better kid to be rewarded with some points here.
“So, a nice breakthrough weekend for him, and looking forward to him building off that next weekend in Flint and Saginaw.”
ICE CHIPS: Rookie defencemen Lucas Matheson and Declan McNally are off to the 2026 U17 World Hockey Challenge, which opens November 1st at the Sixteen-Mile Sports Complex in Oakville. They’ll be joined by head coach Dylan Smoskowitz, who will run the Canada White squad behind the bench. McNally will join Smoskowitz on Team White, while Matheson will suit up for Team Red… Justin Handsor (ill) returned to the Barrie lineup after sitting out Saturday’s game against North Bay… Rookie Maxim Sirochenkov continues to impress, adding a pair of assists in the loss.
