The big guns may have set the pace, but it was a “full team effort” that helped get the job done for the Barrie Colts against the Ottawa 67’s in the opening game of their Eastern Conference second-round playoff series on Thursday night.
Emil Hemming and Kashawn Aitcheson had a goal and two assists each, and Cole Beaudoin recorded three assists as the trio of NHL top prospects combined for nine points to lead the Colts to a 4-2 win in front of 3,011 at Sadlon Arena.
The best-of-seven matchup continues Saturday night back in Barrie at 7:30 p.m.
“They were the ones on the scoresheet, but to be honest with you, some nights I feel like I can only play six or nine guys. Tonight, I loved all 12 forwards and all six defencemen,” said Colts’ head coach Dylan Smoskowitz after the win. “Those guys may have ended up on the scoresheet tonight, but I liked our depth tonight.
“I thought everyone had good legs. I thought everyone bought into the game plan. Our bench was energized. It led to a full-team effort tonight.”
Mason Zebeski and Ben Wilmott, with his team leading sixth playoff marker, also scored for the Colts, who got a 32-save performance from Ben Hrebik between the pipes.
Beaudoin (4-10-14) and Hemming (5-7-12) are among the top five in OHL playoff scoring, while Aitcheson (2-6-8) ranks second among the defensive scoring leaders.
“I feel like we’re the players that have to lead the way or show the way to play,” said Hemming, a 29th overall pick of the Dallas Stars in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. “It gives confidence to the other players that this is the way we play, and this is the way it helps.
“We know we have to show up every game in the playoffs. Overall, I feel the three of us had a good game.”
The Colts struck early in this one, grabbing a 2-0 lead just 5:13 into the game.
Zebeski finished off a three-way passing play with Beaudoin and Hemming just 33 seconds in, before the Barrie power play would continue its hot run when Hemming fired a cross-ice pass to Aitcheson, who hammered a one-timer past Ottawa goalie Ryder Fetterolf.
“It’s huge,” Smoskowitz said of the quick start. “Especially for the first game of a new series when teams are going to feel each other out, and there’s nerves in the building, and you’re not really sure how it’s going to go. You put yourself up like that, and you take the wind out of their sails.
“They came in here, and they’re excited to get going on the road. They’re all fired up, and now the wind comes out of their sails pretty quickly. You follow up the first with a second one, and now they have an even bigger mountain to climb. It’s not so much how much it energizes us, but as much as it deflates them.”
Ottawa’s power play would respond at 12:15 of the second period when Nic Whitehead beat Hrebik on the short side over the right pad to cut the lead in half.
The Colts, though, would get that back a couple of minutes later on a nice play by Evan Passmore. The big New York Rangers prospect moved in from the blueline along the right boards and slid it in front to Wilmot, who snapped it past Fetterolf.
The 67’s would nearly draw to within one in the dying seconds of the second, but Hrebik got back across his crease to kick out his right pad and rob Ondrej Ruml, who thought he had the short side of the net wide open.
A match spearing major to Ottawa’s David Betowski on Kashawn Aitcheson at the end of the period would prove costly. The Colts’ co-captain said something to the 67’s blueliner as they headed to the dressing rooms.
Bedkowski would spear Aitcheson in the stomach, sending the Colt down to the ice, while sending the Ottawa veteran to the showers. The OHL will review the match penalty for a suspension.
Hemming would make Betkowski and Ottawa pay 1:15 into the third period when he hammered a one-timer off a cross-ice feed by Beaudoin over the right blocker of Fetterolf to make it 4-1.
“It was a huge save by Hrebik,” said Hemming, who scored his fifth of the playoffs. “It would have been different going into the third period with a one-goal game. Every power play we get, we have to capitalize because it’s one of the biggest reasons you can win a game.
“We knew that as we started the third period, we had to score here to kill the game. Obviously, we wanted more, but one goal was enough this time. We knew we had to capitalize.”
Ottawa went from almost being down by just a goal to instead spending the opening five minutes of the third shorthanded and eventually trailing, 4-1.
“Special teams are key,” said Smoskowitz, whose team finished 2-for-3 on the night with the man advantage. “The further you go, the better teams get. The better the kills get, the better the power plays get. It’s also the further you go, the less opportunity you get. Whistles tend to be hidden in the playoffs.
“More on-ice activity gets let go, but when you do get a chance like that, four-on-three, or five-on-three, you have to take advantage of it.”
Thomas Vandenberg would bury a feed from behind the net by Frankie Marrelli at 12:24, but it was as close as Ottawa would get.
“I feel like we played a great game as a whole team, the whole 60 minutes,” said Hemming. “I think you look at the bigger picture, and, overall, we had a great game.”
It was a physical contest from the drop of the puck, including yet another crushing open ice hit by Aitcheson when he stepped into Zach Houben with 2:20 remaining in the second period.
“What I liked about it the most was that we toed the line,” said Smoskowitz of his team’s physical play. “We took a couple of penalties, and we’d like to have those back, but for the most part, we were able to impose our size, play our game without going overboard.
“All the extracurricular (stuff) and staying away from the penalties, I really liked our composure, and I thought we stayed in control tonight.”
That heavy game has been a staple of Barrie’s game all season.
“It’s team toughness,” said Smoskowitz. “We don’t have one guy who sets the tone. We don’t have one line we send over the boards to do that kind of stuff. It’s team toughness. If you’re going to wear the Barrie Colts jersey, you’re going to buy into how we play.
“We play in your face, hard-style hockey. Whether you’re six-foot-seven, or you’re five-foot-seven, you’re going to play hard.”
The Colts will look to grab a 2-0 series lead Saturday at home, before heading to Ottawa for Games 3 & 4, where they won both stops in the regular season.
Smoskowitz expects things to be a lot tougher in Game 2.
“Just based on the eye-test, and the in-game feel as the coach, I liked a lot of our game tonight,” he said. “I’m sure there are going to be parts of the game, once we watch it back, that we weren’t so happy about. We’ll make the proper adjustments, and you better believe you’re going to get Ottawa’s best effort.
“Our guys will know that. I don’t think we had our best stuff tonight. I liked our stuff, but I also think we have another level to get to, so I’m expecting a very competitive game on Saturday night.”
OHL COACH OF THE YEAR
Both Ottawa’s Dave Cameron and Smoskowitz are among the finalists for the Matt Leyden Trophy, handed annually to the OHL Coach of the Year as voted by league general managers.
Paul Flache, of the Flint Firebirds, Jussi Ahokas of the Kitchener Rangers, and Greg Walters of the Windsor Spitfires are the other finalists.
The winner will be named on Thursday, April 16th.
BEAUDOIN UP FOR MOST SPORTSMANLIKE PLAYER
Colts’ captain Cole Beaudoin is among five players nominated for the William Hanley Trophy as the OHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player.
Voted on by league general managers, the other finalists include Jimmy Lombardi of the Flint Firebirds, Kieren Dervin of the Kingston Frontenacs, Adam Novotny of the Peterborough Petes, and Jack Van Volsen of the Sarnia Sting.
The winner will be named today (Friday).
ICE CHIPS: Shots were 34-34. . . Cole Emerton was back on the blue line after missing Game 5 against the Niagara IceDogs. . . After recording 0 playoff points in his first two runs, Passmore now has a pair of assists in 6 games this year. . . Salandra was held off the scoresheet, but was a physical force all night, including a shift in the second when he dished out four hits. . . Wilmott, the OHL Player of the Week last week, now has 11 points and is sixth overall among league scoring leaders.
