The Frontenacs power their way to a 5-4 win over the Petes

The Kingston Frontenacs (31-17-3-0) ended a three-game skid winning 5-4 over the Peterborough Petes (21-27-3-0) on Thursday night at the Memorial Gardens. The Fronts win snaps the Petes five-game winning streak. First-star Martin Chromiak scored twice, Shane Wright (3A) and Lucas Edmonds (1G,2A) each had three points with rookie Tommy Budnick adding his first career game-winning goal in the third to help the Fronts take seven of nine games so far versus their East Division rival.

Leevi Meriläinen got the call for the Frontenacs making 34 saves for his 25^th win on the season. Michael Simpson was in the Petes crease in his 33^rd game facing 27 Kingston shots.

The win gave Kingston a 2-3-0-0 record on the five-game road trip that ended tonight, which now sees the Fronts head back home for a Friday night game versus Oshawa.

 

First Period

A 3-1 score on three powerplay goals bolted Kingston to a first period lead with the Petes out in front on the shot clock 13-9.

The Fronts got on the powerplay early after Braden Haché was hit awkwardly into the boards by Chase Stillman. A five-minute major and game misconduct was handed to Stillman on the play. The Florida Panthers prospect left with help from teammates and did not return.

Kingston also received two minutes in the post whistle scrum sending the teams to four-on-four play before taking their seventh-ranked powerplay on the ice for an extended three minutes. Kingston would score twice on three shots.

Lucas Edmonds (28) extended to six game point streak (4G,5A) making it 1-0 taking a beauty assist from Francesco Arcuri whistling it past Simpson 4:35 into the frame. Shane Wright earned an assist getting the puck to Arcuri who made a quick cross-ice backhand feed to a waiting Edmonds for the first powerplay strike.

Rookie Matthew Soto (6) made it 2-0 on the same man-advantage 31 seconds later. Alec Belanger had made a solid play getting a puck out front to Zayde Wisdom who got it to Soto. The rookie banged it in for the two-goal lead at 5:09 for his second versus Peterborough on the season.

The Petes got back within a goal when Emmet Sproule (22) made a great play getting himself past a Fronts defender before beating Meriläinen in close. The 2-1 goal came at 11:56 and was Sproule’s second in consecutive games and 14^th point against Kingston this season.

Peterborough went to its first man-advantage with five minutes left in the frame, but Joe Carroll was called on a penalty killing the home powerplay sending teams to a second four-way play of the period for 33 seconds.

Martin Chromiak’s (24) first of the game was a wiring slapshot while Kingston was on its third man-advantage giving the visitors back the two-goal lead. The 3-1 goal came off a nice backhand dish by Wright off the wall at 17:23 with Edmonds joining Wright earning their second points of the frame. The goal also gave the LA Kings prospect points in six straight games (5G,6A).

Kingston was called on their second penalty with just over two minutes left, but the penalty killing units limited the Petes eighth-ranked league powerplay to two shots taking the 3-1 lead to the intermission and a 15-1-2-0 record when leading after twenty minutes.

 

Second Period

With just four wins in 21 games when trailing after the first, the Petes would score two goals in the period including a shorthanded chance tying the Fronts up after forty minutes.

After the first shot by Kingston on Simpson was saved, the Petes pressured the visitors with four shots in 90 seconds, but Meriläinen was good stopping 17 pucks already to that point.

The Petes went to their third man-advantage midway through the stanza but couldn’t get within one before Kingston’s Jackson Stewart took a high cross check by Guryev after the Kingston rookie hit a Petes forward in the Petes Zone sending the Fronts to their fifth man-advantage.

Taking advantage of a Kingston broken stick, Tucker Roberston (31) potted a shorthanded goal beating Meriläinen on his fifth shorthanded strike on the season making it 3-2 at 14:05 getting, the Maroon and White back within one a second time. The Petes are tied for the league lead in shorthanded markers.

It was then 3-3 with the Petes scoring in the last minute when Justin DeZoete (8) redirected a centring puck from the crease sending the teams to the intermission all squared up. Sam Alfano and Melee assisted on the goal with 31 seconds left.

The Petes held a 25-19 shot advantage.

 

Third Period

The Frontenacs looked to improved to a 6-2-0-0 record when heading to the final frame all tied up and they didn’t take long to get back in the lead.

Chromiak (25) ripped his second of the game past Simpson after taking a Jordan Frasca feed to get Kingston back out front 4-3 just 41 seconds into the period. Edmonds earned his league leading 61^st assist with a third point of the night. Frasca extended a point streak to six (2G,6A).

Rookie Tommy Budnick (2) scored the eventual game-winner making it 5-3 for Kingston’s third two-goal lead of the night after the defender let a screened shot go beating Simpson at 4:11. Both the freshman’s career goals have come against the Petes. Lucas Peric assisted with Wright earning his third helper of the night for a 12^th game on the season with three-or-more points.

Kingston went to another powerplay after Guryev hit Wisdom from behind in the Petes zone with Wright having some words with the Petes defender before he headed to the box. Wisdom was stopped on a breakaway during the man advantage, but Simpson kept the Petes close closing the door on the Flyers prospect.

Meriläinen came up big with a left pad save he had stretched out on a Nick Lardis deke preserving the two-goal advantage with nine minutes left.

Sam Mayer (11) fired a shot from the point bringing the Petes back within one past a screened Kingston netminder. Guryev and Jax Dubois assisted on the 5-4 goal at 15:18.

The Petes had an empty net with 1:33 with Simpson heading off during play and setup a draw in Kingston’s zone with 1:16 left and a Petes timeout. A visitor icing set up a second draw with the extra skater with 33 seconds left as Kingston took their timeout to set up.

Meriläinen gobbled up a rebound with Avon on top of the Kingston goaltender with 8 seconds left to help secure the 5-4 win for his OHL third highest 25^th victory.

 

BMW of Kingston Hardest Worker

Tommy Budnick (1G – GWG, +1)

 

 

Three Star Awards

1. Martin Chromiak– KGN (2G)
2. Lucas Edmonds – KGN (1G,2A)
3. Emmett Sproule – PBO (1G)

 

 

Fronts Notes:

• Lucas Edmonds 3^rd OHL pts -88, T-1^st – OHL assists (60), 1^st OHL PP assists (27), 4^th OHL shots (218)
• Edmonds extends to six-game point streak (4G,5A), points in 15 of last 16 (9G,19A)
• Jordan Frasca (34) T-3^rd OHL goals (one of 15 players with 30+ goals) – 15 PPG’s 2^nd most in OHL – Signed with NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins this week
• Frasca extends to five-game point streak (2G,6A)
• Martin Chromiak extends to six-game point streak (5G,6A)
• Francesco Arcuri points in 17 of last 21 games (13G,16A)
• Rookie Thomas Budnick first OHL goal versus Petes Jan 27 (6-5 L) – tonight 2^nd OHL goal
• Rookie Matthew Soto first OHL multi-goal game (2) with two goals in less than five minutes opening the third period versus Petes Nov 7 (6-5 W) – added his third versus the Petes tonight

 

Team Stat Pack – GP (51)

(31-17-3-0) 63 pts (2^nd East Div / 4^th Eastern Conf

 Leaders

• Goals – Frasca (34), Edmonds (28), Arcuri (27)
• Assists – Edmonds (61), Wright (45), Frasca (37)
• Points – Edmonds (89), Frasca (71), Wright (66)
• PIMs – Haché (63), Poole (53), Stewart (44)

• Shots– Edmonds (221), Wright (179), Frasca (178)

• Powerplay Points – Edmonds (32), Frasca (24), Wright (23)

• Rookie Points – Ludwinski (29), Soto (23), Thibodeau (9)
• Defence Points – Peric (31), Murray (26), Bélanger (13)
• Plus/Minus – Frasca (+26), Edmonds (+21), Murray (+20)

 

On The Front

The Fronts return tomorrow night (Friday) for the first home game since Feb 25 to tackle the Oshawa Generals at 7:00 pm. The Frontenacs will be teaming up with Autism Ontario to present the team’s Autism Awareness Game. Tickets are available at ticketmaster.ca or the venue box office. The Capacity at Leon’s Centre is now at 100%.

The Frontenacs will be hosting another Sunday Funday event on Sunday, March 13 against the Niagara IceDogs. The Sunday Funday event is packed full of family fun. Featuring face painting, inflatables provided by the Party Empire, Super Monster Gamez will be setting up gaming systems and so much more!

Listen to all the action on 104.3 Fresh Radio with Frontenacs play-by-play voice Jim Gilchrist. Fans can also follow along with team social media channels at Twitter, Facebook and IG for updates. Watch the games on YourTV Kingston (channel 700) or CHL TV/OHL Live.