Welcome to another edition of the Barrie Colts weekly recap! A series where we look at the week that was for the Colts and preview the week of games ahead. So buckle up and enjoy following the Colts for the 2023–24 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season.
Big news out of Barrie this past week: goaltender Sam Hillebrandt has been named to the USA World Junior preliminary roster. This is huge for Hillebrandt, who grew up in Florida and was playing Junior C in the Provincial Junior Hockey League (PJHL) last season with the Stayner Siskins.
The 18-year-old goaltender will go to Plymouth, Michigan on Dec. 13 for the national team camp and attempt to make the USA World Junior team starting on Dec. 26 in Gothenburg, Sweden. This should catch the eyes of the NHL scouts, and Hillebrandt should have his name on some draft lists for the upcoming 2024 NHL Draft.
Colts’ Injury Report
Another week, another week of injuries for the Colts. A few players from the last edition have since returned to action, such as Oliver Savard and Roenick Jodoin, while Jordan Frasca and Seattle Kraken prospect Eduard Šalë are both considered day-to-day as both are dealing with minor injuries.
As mentioned in a previous edition, Edmonton Oilers prospect Beau Akey is done for the season with a shoulder injury that required surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2024-25 NHL training camp.
Barrie Colts vs. Sarnia Sting – Dec 6, 2023
The Colts went out on a Western Conference road trip, and their first stop was the Sarnia Sting. The Sting are in a similar spot to the Colts; both are battling to keep up with the eighth-place team in their division to eventually clinch a playoff berth. This game was a high-scoring affair that saw the home team open the scoring with a goal by Jacob LeBlanc. It wasn’t long after, and the Colts tied the game at one with a goal from Beau Jelsma.
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The Sting added another in the first period and took a 2-1 lead to the intermission. In the second, the Colts’ offence woke up, scored four goals, and took a 5-4 lead. Those four goals were scored by Cole Beaudoin, Roenick Jodoin, Grayson Tiller, and Chris Girsolia. The Sting answered back with two of their own in the second period and took the lead in the third with three goals to take a 7-6 lead. The Sting held on and won the game 7-6, which brought Barrie’s losing streak up to three games.
Barrie Colts vs. Windsor Spitfires – Dec 7, 2023
The game against the Windsor Spitfires was the last game on the Colts’ road trip before heading home for their teddy bear toss game. Unfortunately, it hadn’t gone very well on the trip; they had lost their last three games and hoped to finish it off with a win. The Spitfires were tied with the Sting for last place in the Western Conference and were looking to take one from the Colts.
Windsor opened the scoring with a goal from Jack Nesbitt, which was the only goal in the first period. The Colts came out flat in this game and let Windsor control the puck, which led to the Spitfires scoring two more goals in the second period to take a 3-0 lead. The Colts finally scored in the third with a goal by Beaudoin, who got his 12th of the season. However, it was too little, too late, and Barrie dropped their fourth straight 3-1.
Mississauga Steelheads vs. Barrie Colts – Dec 9, 2023
The teddy bear toss game is one that most fans and players circle on their calendars. The atmosphere at the arena is always amazing, and the fans are just waiting to explode when the home team scores their first goal of the game. Well, that was no different against the Mississauga Steelheads. The arena was packed, and there may have been more teddy bears than people in the stands.
The first period had a ton of intensity; there were three fights within the first half of the game, which was capped off by a spirited tilt between KaShawn Aitcheson of the Colts and Marc Boudreau of the Steelheads. When I spoke to Aitcheson after the game, I asked him about the heated rivalry between these two teams, and he had this to say: “It’s always a little bit of a physical game; we kind of have a little divisional rivalry there. You know, we are ready for it. We have a tough team with a lot of tough players, so you know we are ready to take whatever.”
Related: Barrie Colts’ Beaudoin & Šalé Excelling Early This Season
To no one’s surprise, Beaudoin scored the teddy bear toss goal that had the fans going crazy in the Salon Arena. As the fans threw the bears onto the ice, the Colts players were skating around cheering and playing with the bears. It was a very cool moment. The game was delayed for a few minutes as the game crew cleaned up the bears, but shortly after, the game resumed tied 1-1.
This game was one of the best I have watched all season, and although the Colts didn’t play their best game all night, it was entertaining. The Steelheads scored two goals to take a 3-2 lead, but fan favourite Jelsma had other plans and got them back within one. Riley Patterson was able to tie the game with two minutes left and send it to overtime (OT). Patterson is flying up draft boards and catching scouts’ attention with his play this season. The OT frame started and ended just as fast. After a few turnovers and a great defensive play by Jelsma, he was able to get the puck up to Jodoin, who found Aitcheson across the ice, and he wired it home to send the Colts’ fans home happy and end their four-game losing streak. After the game, Aitcheson had this to say about the teddy bear toss: “It was an unbelievable moment. [Cole] Beaudoin with a great shot; he’s the guy you want shooting the puck.”
Games in the Week Ahead
- Friday, Dec. 15, 2023, Barrie Colts vs. Hamilton Bulldogs at 7:00 pm
- Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023, Kitchener Rangers vs. Barrie Colts at 7:30 pm
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 and interviews with Colts players.
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Have a good week!