March Recap
The Barrie Colts ditched their streaky nature in March, their two straight wins on the 15th and 16th were the only time a win wasn’t followed by a loss. Conversely, the Colts refrained from losing back-to-back regular season games last month, which is important to note as lengthy losing streaks have plagued them since January.
March’s 10-game slate marked the conclusion of Barrie’s regular season play. Those final 10 contests saw the team go 6-4 in a strong finish to the season. By ending on a positive note, the Colts maintained their role as a top contender in the East, closing out the season as the second seed in the conference.
Barrie began the month with a date at home against the Kingston Frontenacs, the two squads duked it out on the ice while simultaneously jockeying for position in the standings. Ultimately the Colts were victorious in that pivotal March 1st game, but it also meant they’d bid farewell to Sadlon Arena and its Barrie faithful as they embarked on a two-week road trip.
Their longest road trip of the season came at the very end for Barrie. The 14-day hiatus from home play featured stops in Saginaw, Sault Ste Marie, Sudbury, Niagara and Brampton. They came away with wins in two of five before returning home on the 15th. The latter of the two victories came on the 11th in Niagara against the Ice Dogs and clinched the Central Division for the Colts, they had last won the Central in 2018. The Division-clinching victory was also Head Coach Marty Williamson’s 600th career OHL win, he became just the seventh coach in league history to reach the feat.
The bench boss wasn’t the only one to hit a milestone in March. Kashawn Aitcheson continued to build his resume as a potential first-round draft selection in this year’s NHL Draft, breaking the Colts record for single-season goals by a Defenceman. The previous record, held by; Brandt Clarke, Aaron Ekblad. and Andrew Marshall, was 23 goals, Aitcheson scored his 24th in the team’s return home on the 15th to become the sole leader.
Barrie’s final regular season game on the 22nd was flush with milestones as Anthony Romani and Owen Van Steensel each notched their 200th OHL point with assists on a Dalyn Wakely goal. The duo also hit another simultaneous milestone just five days later when they each suited up for their 50th career OHL playoff game in the opening contest of round one. Barrie’s last game also saw forward Jonah McCormick make his OHL debut and nab his first OHL point, notching an assist on the first of Tristan Bertucci’s two goals that night. McCormick, Barrie’s fourth-round pick in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection, began the year with the U18 AAA Barrie Colts.
The allocation of offence remained the same for the most part in March, aside from Aitcheson emerging as one of the Colts’ most relied-upon offensive weapons. ‘Kash’ didn’t slow down after breaking the goal record, scoring twice more in their final stretch of regular season games to bring his total to a team-leading 26. The blueliner also finished tied for the team lead in points with forward Riley Patterson at 59. The dynamic goaltending duo of Sam Hillebrandt (36) and Ben Hrebik (32) closed out the year with a relatively even split of starts. Hillebrandt posted a .903 SAV% and a 21-13-2 record while Hrebik went 21-9-2 with a .920 SAV%. The Colts finished with the fourth-fewest goals against league-wide with 218.
Barrie stayed true to deriving offence from up and down the lineup, an identity that they procured early on in the year. At seasons-end, their two top scorers (Patterson & Aitcheson) were tied for 50th amongst the top 50 OHL scorers this season. Despite lacking a 60-point scorer, the Colts finished 9th across the OHL in total goals with 250.
Based on the landscape of the eastern conference standings, the Colts and IceDogs knew they’d meet in the first round before they played in their final regular season game against each other on the 22nd. Game 68 of 68 became a ‘playoff primer’ for all parties involved, as we’d get a rare chance to see what was essentially an exhibition game between the two opponents before they entered into a seven-game series. Barrie beat Niagara handily eight goals to one in an encouraging effort that matched their highest offensive output all season.
At last, the OHL playoffs are upon us and March featured games one and two of the Colts’ first-round series versus the IceDogs. Barrie came out on top both times, getting victories one and two of 16 on the road to the J. Ross Robertson Cup and OHL infamy.
