Welcome to the second edition of the Barrie Colts weekly recap! A new series where we look at the week that was for the Colts and a preview of the week of games ahead. So buckle up and enjoy following the Colts for the 2023–24 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season.
Before we get into any game recaps, congratulations to Beau Akey, who signed his entry-level contract (ELC) with the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 10, 2023. His contract is a standard three-year deal, which means that Oilers fans get the pleasure of watching Akey for years to come.
Now on to the good stuff!
Niagara IceDogs vs. Barrie Colts – Oct. 7, 2023
The Colts and Niagara IceDogs met for a Canadian Thanksgiving weekend matchup, and it was a very fun hockey game. The Colts fell behind early, but Roenick Jodion put the team on his back and scored two goals in the first period to take a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission. Early in the second period, Andrew Vermeulen and Jack Brauti dropped the gloves, which sparked the IceDogs to battle back to tie the game, but it wouldn’t stay like this for long. The Colts would score three goals within five minutes from Beau Jelsma, Jacob Frasca, and Zach Wigle to take a 5-2 lead.
The IceDogs came out for the third and were determined. After the Colts took a commanding 6-3 lead, they scored three straight goals to tie it and send it to overtime (OT) for the second straight Saturday. However, only 24 seconds into overtime, Colts’ forward Jacob Frasca ripped one home past IceDogs’ goalie Owen Flores and sent the hometown crowd home with the win to kick off everyone’s Thanksgiving weekend.
Barrie Colts vs. Kitchener Rangers – Oct. 13, 2023
The Colts went on the road to face off against the Kitchener Rangers in a game that they wish they could have back. This game was a struggle for the group from the jump. Within the first five minutes, the Rangers took the lead on a goal from Matthew Sop; unfortunately, from then on, things went downhill. The Rangers scored again before the end of the frame to take a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Related: Barrie Colts Weekly Recap: Week 1
In the second, the Rangers scored two more times to take a commanding lead in the game, leading the Colts 4-0. Sadly, the Colts just couldn’t find the answer to beating Rangers’ goalie Jackson Parsons. He was a brick wall, and that led to the Colts being shut out. The Rangers scored another four goals in the third and took this game 8-0. Barrie will look to rebound in their next game and use this game as a learning experience.
Oshawa Generals vs. Barrie Colts – Oct. 14, 2023
They did rebound in this one against the Oshawa Generals in their barn. The Colts’ Roenick Jodoin scored his third goal of the season just 3:27 into the game, giving them an early 1-0 lead. In the second, Cole Beaudoin, who is projected to be a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft as per The Hockey Writers‘ very own Peter Baracchini’s preseason draft rankings, got his first of the season and the first of three in the game.
Related: Toronto Maple Leafs’ Top-20 Goal Scorers All-Time
The Colts scored three goals in the second period, taking a 5-0 lead. The Generals did get on the board with a goal from Stuart Rolofs; however, it was too little, too late. Barrie added two more, including Seattle Kraken’s prospect Eduard Sale’s first OHL goal and the hat-trick goal from Beaudoin as the Colts took this one 7-1.
3 Stars of the Week
As a part of this series, we will look at a few players that stood out in the past week of games, so without further ado, let’s get into the three stars of the week.
3. Beau Jelsma
Beau Jelsma had an incredible week; he and Frasca seem to have very good chemistry together. When Jelsma’s line is on the ice, the puck doesn’t stay in the defensive zone for long. He can break up plays and move the puck fast to start the breakout.
In the last week, Jelsma had a goal and three assists, which included the OT winner by Frasca against the IceDogs. He was also named the third star of the game against the IceDogs.
2. Jacob Frasca
Frasca is going to be a hockey player for a long time. It may not all come at the NHL level; he may be an American Hockey League (AHL) player for a portion of his career. However, he does all the little things: he digs for pucks, he forechecks hard, and he has a great shot. As an older player, he appears to be a leader on the team. He also had a good week; he scored two goals and two assists and earned himself the first star of the game against the IceDogs.
1. Cole Beaudoin
If Beaudoin keeps playing like he did against the Generals, he will lock up a first-round spot in the 2024 NHL Draft. He is a very smart, mature player who does all the little things right. This week, he earned himself the first star of the week. He scored a hat trick against the Generals to help the team bounce back from an 8-0 blowout at the hands of the Rangers. Much like him earning first star of the week in the Colts weekly recap, he was also named first star of the game against the Generals.
Honourable Mentions: Connor Punnett and Roenick Jodoin
Games in the Week Ahead
- Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, Flint Firebirds vs. Barrie Colts at 7:00 pm
- Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, Barrie Colts vs. Guelph Storm at 7:30 pm
- Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, Sudbury Wolves vs. Barrie Colts at 7:30 pm
The Colts had themselves quite a week. In all three games, one of the teams scored at least seven goals in a game. If you asked head coach Marty Williamson, I don’t think he would be overly happy with how the week played out. However, they did take two of the three games, but the club has some areas to work on.
As I follow along with the Colts for the 2023–24 OHL season, I hope that you all enjoy the Colts’ weekly recap. Be sure to follow me throughout the season for all things Colts, including other featured articles. Have a good week!
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