When Kashawn Aitcheson flipped the puck up to centre ice in overtime, there was little doubt for Dylan Smoskowitz who would get to it first.
“You knew he was going to win the race,” said the Barrie Colts head coach of Cole Beaudoin’s game-winner just 29 seconds into the extra frame that gave the home team a 4-3 win over the Kitchener Rangers on Saturday night at Sadlon Arena and snapped a six-game losing skid.
Beaudoin beat Rangers forward Luca Romano to the loose puck and then raced down the ice before firing it short side over the blocker of Barrie native Jason Schaubel.
“It was only a matter of whether he would score or not,” continued Smoskowitz. “A guy like Cole Beaudoin, the captain of this team with the game on his stick, and his team desperately needs a win, I’d rather have no other player than Cole with the puck on his stick.
“I’m proud that he was the one who was able to do it for us tonight.”
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With his team struggling and desperate for a win, the Utah Mammoth top prospect was determined to get there first.
“I just tried to get on my horse and get going,” said Beaudoin, who finished with a goal and assist on the night. “Kash did a good job of flipping it out there. I had back pressure (from Romano), so I was just trying to get a quick shot off, and I’m happy it went in.”
The Colts poured onto the ice and swarmed Beaudoin after the winner. It was an emotional win for Barrie (4-7-0-3), which came into the night with just three wins in 13 games this season.
“It’s huge for the group,” said Beaudoin. “Obviously, when you’re on a six-game losing streak, no one feels good in that locker room, but every day in practice and in games, I know everyone is giving it their all.
“We haven’t got the results we wanted, but it’s a big win and we just got to keep it going from here.”
Smoskowitz was happy to see his team finally get rewarded.
“I just feel so good for the guys,” he said. “It’s tough to lose hockey games, but it’s even tougher to come to work the next day and to prepare and go through the process like these guys have. They didn’t stop for one second through this losing streak. They came every single day with their work mentality, and they stuck together through it and had a positive attitude all the way through.
“You knew it was going to break sooner or later. We didn’t mind our game over the last six games. Some good, some not so good, but we like pieces of it. Again, just the fact that these guys learned to stick together, work hard, and get rewarded tonight, it’s pretty cool to watch.”
Brad Gardiner, with his team-leading ninth goal of the year, Eamon Edgar, and Aitcheson also scored for the Colts, who blew a 3-1 lead but still found a way against a very good Rangers team that sits third overall in the OHL’s Western Conference standings.
Kitchener (8-3-2-0), which got goals from Christian Humphries, Jack Pridham, and Romano, had won seven in a row against Barrie and 10 of the last 11 games going back to 2016-17.
“They’re a Top 10 nationally ranked opponent, and a very, very good team,” Smoskowitz said of the Rangers. “Well structured, well coached, and they have a lot of skill, a lot of speed, but our guys weathered the storm very well. That third period, it’s not easy.
“When you’ve lost six games in a row, give up the lead and give up a short-handed goal with five seconds left, and everyone is in the room, it’s very easy to cave, very easy to pack it in, and ‘here we go again.’ I give a lot of credit to the 20 guys who played tonight. They stuck with it, stuck together, pulled us through, and got the results they deserve.”
After Kitchener’s Romano took advantage of a struggling Barrie power play midway through the first period, the Colts rebounded just 77 seconds later when Gardiner shoveled home a loose puck in front.
They would jump into the lead when Edgar rifled a shot under the crossbar just 1:42 into the second period. Aitcheson made it 3-1 less than three minutes later when he hammered home a one-time blast from the faceoff circle with Barrie on the power play.
Humphries, with yet another power-play goal against a struggling Colts’ penalty kill, would cut the lead at 13:24 of the same frame, before Pridham tied it with five seconds left when he was left all alone in front to bury a Romano pass from the side boards.
Barrie’s lack of discipline and struggling penalty kill has cost them dearly over the losing streak, but after giving up another two goals on three chances through the opening 40 minutes, it held strong early in the third.
The Rangers had two more chances with the man advantage, but the Colts killed off both to eventually take the game into overtime.
“It came through huge,” said Smoskowitz.
While the numbers don’t look good again tonight, one came at the tail end of a five-on-three and the penalty kill delivered when it had to.
“It’s something we’ve been putting a lot of effort into, and to get these two kills when we’re kind of on our heels in the third period after giving up our two-goal lead, (it was big) for our killers and (goalie Ben Hrebik) to come through like that,” added the Barrie coach. “Our coaches have done a great job of getting everyone on the same page, and we’re looking forward to improving from here.”
Aitcheson and Beaudoin took it from there.
“It was kind of a split-second decision,” said Beaudoin of where to shoot on the game-winner. “I got a good jump, but (Romano) was kind of on my side. I was just trying to protect the puck and get a shot off.”
With Kitchener pushing forward on three-on-three in overtime, Aitcheson laid one up for his teammate.
“These guys love finding each other on the ice,” said Smoskowitz. “You can see it. Five-on-five, or on the power play, they’re always looking for each other. You just trust (Beaudoin’s) speed, you trust his will to win that race, so Kash knew it was a smart decision to put the puck into an area, and then Cole did the rest.”
It was a much-needed win for a fragile Barrie team that could have faced going into Brantford on Wednesday night on a seven-game losing streak.
The Bulldogs, who play in Oshawa Sunday night, have yet to lose in regulation this season and sit atop the Eastern Conference standings.
“It’s a big win and a big confidence booster for our group,” said Beaudoin of the win over Kitchener. “Now we have a tough game on Wednesday against Brantford. That’s a good team over there.
“I have full faith in our team that we’re going to go in that building and, given the hard task, hopefully come out with another win.”
ICE CHIPS:
Barrie will return home Thursday evening to host the Sarnia Sting. . . Calvin Crombie missed Saturday’s contest with a lower-body injury, but he should be back on Wednesday to face his old team. “It really required just rest. There’s nothing more to it,” said Smoskowitz of the injury. “A couple of days off to get some good treatment, and some time off. I know he wants to play against his old team in Brantford.” . . . Shots were even at 34-34. . . Rookie Cole Emerton had two assists. . . Edgar, who scored his first OHL goal Friday in Sudbury, has three points in his last 2 games.
ADD. OHL
Brampton 2 North Bay 1
Brantford 3 Oshawa 1
Niagara 4 Kingston 1
Flint 5 Erie 0
Saginaw 4 Owen Sound 2
