Colts Drop 6-2 Decision to the Frontenacs
Strong opposing goaltending and special teams would be the difference maker as the Colts gave up two powerplay goals and one shorthanded goal en route to a 6-2 loss to the Frontenacs.
Sunday marked the third game of the week for the Colts, coming off a big 4-2 win against Mississauga on Thursday before dropping the contest against Ottawa 4-3 on Saturday.
The Colts began the game trying to weather the storm from the Frontenacs, who had majority of the chances to start. Colts starter Leo Lazarev, making his 22nd appearance this season, had to be strong and keep his team in the game.
It was Kingston that would open the scoring late in the first. The Colts were on their second straight powerplay, but Neumann would lead a 2 on 1 for the Frontenacs. Lazarev made the initial save but was unable to hold onto the puck, where Neumann picked up his own rebound and wrapped the puck around the far side.
Barrie almost tied the game up at the end of the first, where Luke Bignell pressed high on the penalty kill and forced a turnover. Bignell broke in on a breakaway before being stopped by Frontenacs starter, Helvig, with seconds left on the clock.
The Colts then ran into penalty trouble in the second period, having to kill off three of them in the first five minutes. This led to Kingston finally getting their first powerplay goal, with Burnie picking up a loose puck and sliding it past Lazarev to make it 2-0.
It wasn’t until six minutes left in the second when the Colts were finally able to get on the board. After relentless pressure on the powerplay, Ben Hawerchuk stood strong in front of the net and tred to jam the puck home before being knocked over, leading to Zach Magwood grabbing the loose puck and sliding it past Helvig for his 14th of the season. Both Hawerchuk and Lucas Chiodo would pick up assists on the play.
Despite this, a late goal would plague the Colts as Cranford of the Frontenacs got a lucky bounce to regain their two-goal lead with 17 seconds left in the second period.
The Colts were hoping for a third period turnaround, but Kingston kept the pressure on. Hotchkiss scored three and a half minutes into the final frame to put the Frontenacs up 4-1.
Special teams continued to haunt the Colts, as the Frontenacs grabbed another powerplay goal to extend the lead to 5-1. Dunkley was also credited with the goal on the play.
The Colts got a small breath of life late in the third, as Joey Keane led the rush into the Frontenacs zone before dropping it off to Chiodo. Chiodo then sent a cross-ice pass to Ryan Suzuki, who put up a short-side top shelf goal for his 5th of the season and 3rd goal in three games. Keane and Chiodo were credited with assists on the play
Kingston had a quick response of their own, scoring only two minutes later. Hotchkiss received a pass in the slot to bury his second goal of the night, eliminating any chance of a comeback as Frontenacs went up 6-2 to finish out the game.
Lazarev picked up 29 saves in the loss, while Helvig finished with 41 saves in the game.
The Colts are back in action next weekend, with two games on the schedule. Friday marks another divisional matchup, where the Colts will visit the Mississauga Steelheads before heading home and hosting the Oshawa Generals in their third Sportsnet CHL Saturday Showcase of the season.
