Shutout hockey isn’t just tough to watch for fans—it’s tough for a room full of teenagers trying to prove they belong in the Ontario Hockey League spotlight. At Sadlon Arena on December 20, the Barrie Colts faced a London Knights squad rolling into the holiday break with three wins and a goaltender who simply refused to bend.
It didn’t take long for the Knights to assert themselves. Cohen Bidgood’s clever redirect midway through the first period, set up by Caleb Mitchell’s hustle at the blue line, opened the scoring. The Colts hoped for a reprieve with a goaltender interference challenge, but the goal stood after a quick review. As the clock ticked down in the opening frame, Rene Van Bommel’s piercing snapshot put Barrie in a two-goal hole with only seconds to regroup.
The second period was a mirror of the first—London dictating play, Barrie searching for daylight. Jared Woolley’s work in the trenches set up Mitchell for a wrist shot that eluded Barrie’s goaltender, and a pinpoint feed from Andoni Fimis gave Ben Wilmott a tap-in for the Knights’ fourth. Through it all, the Colts kept pushing, trading shots evenly, but their finish evaporated against Seb Gatto’s rock-solid presence.
Gatto, earning his second shutout of the OHL season, was the story of the night. Thirty-one Barrie shots, thirty-one stops—no rebounds, no luck, just a goalie in his groove. The Knights, meanwhile, killed off every Barrie power play and kept disciplined. For the Colts and their faithful, it was a lesson in how quick a game can slip when the bounces don’t come and the opposition’s netminder is locked in.
This loss drops Barrie into the break searching for answers, their scoring well suddenly dry on home ice. London’s form pushes them to within a whisper of the division lead, as the Colts are left to review and regroup. After the holiday, both teams will look to chart a new path, but for now, the image lingers: Seb Gatto standing tall in Barrie, Colts fans left shaking their heads.
References:
Seb Gatto shuts out Barrie Colts as London Knights head into holiday break with 3rd straight win
Seb Gatto shuts out Barrie Colts as London Knights head into holiday break with 3rd straight win
