Nearly There
Kingston, ON- The Brampton Steelheads fall 4-3 in a New Year’s Day battle against the Kingston Frontenacs after Jacob Battaglia got a late third-period goal.
Today’s game seemed to be in the Steelheads’ favour as the Trout took early leads in both the first and second periods. However, with a strong Kingston battleback to tie things up and a late goal from Battaglia, the New Year’s Day game went to the Frontenacs.
After a close overtime loss to the Wolves yesterday, the Steelheads looked to kick off the new year with a bang as they took on the Frontenacs. Despite the long travel day and quick turnaround from the day before, the Steelheads showed no signs of slowing down as they took an early lead in the opening 20 minutes of the game.
While there was no scoring in the opening minutes, a battle of physicality and strong defence was on show as both sides laid out some big hits as they attempted to get the puck out of their respective ends. Yet, the power of special teams brought the scoring into action, allowing the Trout to take the lead.
Since making his debut with the Steelheads, Aidan Lane has made a name for himself as being a point-per-game type of player, and he once again delivered, getting the game’s icebreaker.
After Xander Velliaris was called for slashing, Parker Von Richter got the play started with a hard shot from the point, which was blocked by Noah Lalonde. Picking up the rebound, Vilmer Alriksson made a quick cross-crease pass to Lane, who got it past Lalonde to take the lead.
Despite being his second game with the Trout, Alriksson has made his presence known, especially in front of the net and on the penalty kill. With one assist in the first, the former Storm forward got another scoring opportunity on the penalty kill after Julian DeMiglio was called for delay of the game.
Alongside the short-handed scoring opportunities, the Trout set up a dominant penalty kill, keeping the puck away from Jacob Gibbons and out of the zone. With the strong defensive core, the Steelheads killed the penalty and held on to their lead.
The back and forth of special teams continued in the first as the Trout got their second power play of the game. With a five-minute man advantage after Riley Clark was called for a check-from-behind, the Trout immediately took control of the game and pushed to extend their lead to two.
With traffic out front, Finn Harding took a shot on goal, which was blocked by Lalonde. Alriksson was once again ready out front and deflected the rebound to the perfectly placed Angus MacDonell. With Lalonde covered off on the left side, MacDonell one-timed it into the open right side to extend the lead to two.
Despite the Trout’s effort throughout the period and on the previous penalty kill, the Frontenacs’ second opportunity with special teams allowed Kingston to bring it within one. Vann Williamson got the puck up at the point and made a quick pass over to Ethan Miedema to set him up for the one-timer that slipped past Gibbons.
The Steelheads entered the second period with a one-goal lead and looked to continue with the momentum they had in the first. Yet, with an early opportunity, the Frontenacs tied the game at two.
With possession at the Brampton blue line, Gage Hayes drove into the zone before making a cross-ice feed over to Ben Pickell. With no one covering him off, Pickell sniped one on goal to sneak it past Gibbons on the glove side.
Brampton continued their offensive push, not letting the tie game shake them, keeping control of the puck and generating numerous chances. The Trout took the lead once again after a beautiful play from Harding.
Catching the puck at the blue line, Harding settled things down before using his speed to break deep into the Kingston zone. After beating the defence out front, Harding sniped the puck on goal, beating Lalonde on the blocker side.
While the Trout hoped to continue their lead for the remainder of the period and the game, the Frontenacs responded in the late minutes of the second to tie the game up again. After a battle out-front accidentally tied up Gibbons, it allowed Kieran Dervin to get the puck down low and complete the wrap-around to even the scoring at three.
As the remaining minutes of the second ran out, it secured that the Steelheads and the Frontenacs would enter the final period tied at three. There was a lot of back-and-forth action to start the third as it seemed it was anyone’s game to win as scoring opportunities appeared at each end.
Kingston got their chance to take the lead after Thomas Kuipers was called for tripping. However, the Steelheads’ PK line, combined with an impressive sequence of saves from Gibbons, worked to kill the penalty and keep the game tied.
With the clock running down, it seemed like overtime could be the game’s decider. However, with less than five minutes to go, the Frontenacs took the lead after Battaglia carried the puck down from the point and sent it past Gibbons off a bad deflection.
While the Steelheads attempted to tie things up, time was not in their favour, and the Frontenacs took home the 4-3 victory.
The Steelheads will return on Saturday as they take on the Firebird in their first home game of the new year. For tickets, click here.
