Round 2 Game 4: Apr. 17/25 at Kingston: Highlights & Recap
Slush Puppie Place was the stage in Thursday’s game four of the second-round series between the Barrie Colts and Kingston Frontenacs. The Colts entered as the leader through three games, having won both home matchups in games one and two before dropping game three on the road in Kingston. The results of Barrie’s first three games in round two mirror those of round one against the Niagara Ice Dogs. The Colts went on to beat Niagara in five games, and they looked to replicate that success against the Frontenacs beginning Thursday night. Sam Hillebrandt got the start for Barrie, he played games one and two before ceding goaltending duties to Ben Hrebik in game three.
Giveaways plagued Barrie in the early goings, and they struggled to maintain possession. Despite being out-chanced, the Colts managed to get on the board first, a feat they’d yet to achieve in the series. The game’s opening goal came on a pretty wrap-around by Emil Hemming, the Finnish wingers’ sixth tally of the postseason gave Barrie an early 1-0 lead. Persistence paid off for a Frontenacs team that remained a thorn in the Colts’ side the entirety of the period, sneaking in a goal late in the frame to even the game back up. Through 20 minutes, Kingston led in shots by a wide margin, 13-6, but took a 1-1 tie into intermission.
The Frontenacs sprung a streaking player out of the penalty box for a quick goal just 68 seconds into the middle frame, then followed that up with another tally 32 seconds later. Kingston continued to build their lead after going up two with another pair of quick goals, making it 5-1. Dalyn Wakley stopped the bleeding with a tally just after the four-minute mark, bringing the Colts to within three. The Frontenacs then replenished their four-goal lead minutes later and got out of the period with a commanding 6-2 lead. Kingston had outshot Barrie a staggering 36-10 through two periods.
The opening half of the final frame was rather uneventful outside of a Beau Jelsma powerplay goal at 8:30 elapsed, making it a 6-3 game. The Colts played their best hockey in the final 10 minutes, hemming the Frontenacs into their end for minutes at a time. Barrie’s pressure didn’t translate into anything on the scoreboard, and it was Kingston scoring instead to take a 7-3 lead. Dalyn Wakely scored his second of the game at the four-minute mark to soften the Colts’ deficit to three. The Frontenacs then scored twice more in the closing minutes to seal their victory at a final score of 9-4.
Predicated on sound defensive play all season, this was the most goals Barrie has given up in 24-’25. The Colts will look to put this forgettable game in the past when they host Kingston for game five of the series on Saturday, back in Sadlon Arena. Click here for tickets.
