Preview: Frontenacs look to continue perfect start against Sarnia
Kingston, ON – The Kingston Frontenacs return to Slush Puppie Place tonight looking to keep their perfect start to the 2026-27 season rolling as they welcome the Sarnia Sting for a 7:05PM puck drop.
After opening the season with back-to-back victories on the road and at home, Kingston moved up four spots to No. 2 in this week’s OHL Power Rankings following its strong opening weekend.
The Frontenacs opened the campaign with a 6-3 victory over the Peterborough Petes before returning home for their Home Opener against the Ottawa 67’s. Alex Misiak played the role of overtime hero, scoring the decisive goal to send the home crowd at Slush Puppie Place home happy with a 2-0 record.
While Kingston has found plenty of offence early, the team has also received exceptional goaltending from rookie Royden Smith.
Smith turned aside 44 shots in his OHL debut against Peterborough, helping the Frontenacs secure the opening-night victory despite being outshot 47-25. The performance was the most saves by a Frontenacs goaltender in an OHL debut since at least the 1997-98 season.
Smith followed up his impressive debut with another victory against Ottawa, finishing the opening weekend 2-0 and earning OHL Rookie of the Week honours.
Tonight’s matchup also marks the return of several key pieces to the Frontenacs lineup. Vann Williamson, Matthew Minchak and Adam Goljer have all returned to Kingston following NHL training camps, giving the Frontenacs an added boost as they enter their first three-in-three weekend of the season.
With those reinforcements back in the lineup, Kingston is nearing full strength, with goaltender Gavin Betts remaining sidelined as he continues to deal with a nagging injury.
The Frontenacs will face a Sarnia team that also opened its season with a victory, coming from behind and defeating the Soo Greyhounds 4-3 last Saturday night. Ivan Tkach-Tkachenko (UTA) earned the win in his OHL debut, while Simon Katolicky (CGY) scored his first OHL goal in his debut. The Sting feature a young lineup highlighted by 2026 OHL Priority Selection fourth-overall pick Adrian Sgro, who will be making his first visit to Slush Puppie Place.
Sarnia began their weekend in Peterborough last night, falling to the Petes 7-4. With the Sting having just played, the Frontenacs must look to get off to a strong start and bring it to the opposition early.
Tonight’s game is the first meeting between Kingston and Sarnia during the 2026-27 regular season, making it the Frontenacs’ lone opportunity to host the Western Conference club in Kingston. Puck drop is set for 7:05PM at Slush Puppie Place.
Players to Watch:
Kingston: Adam Goljer
Set to make his OHL regular season debut tonight, the LA Kings 49th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft comes from Trencin, Slovakia as a highly touted prospect. Goljer played in one preseason game for Kingston before heading off to NHL training camp, and has had a couple days of practice back in Kingston this week leading up to his debut.
Don’t expect the world from Goljer as he is still adjusting to North American ice, but he has fellow Slovaks Tomas Pobezal and Alex Misiak here to help him adjust. Once Goljer finds his footing he could be a force from the backend for the Frontenacs.
Sarnia: Cole Emerton
Acquired by the Sting in the offseason from the Barrie Colts, Emerton has made an instant impact with his new club. Just named to the leadership group earlier this week, Emerton has four points through his first two games and quarterbacks the first power play unit for the Sting.
Last season, Emerton had 31 points last season on a deep Colts roster. It’s early, but Emerton is set to smash his point totals and help lead the Sting to new heights this year.
Tune-In: Fans have the opportunity to tune in to each game in real-time through Fronts Radio, featuring Kingston’s New Country 98.9. The renowned play-by-play announcer, Jim Gilchrist, will be narrating the games, both home and away. Kingston’s New Country 98.9: Listen Live
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