There’s a certain electricity in the air when a team’s unsung heroes finally get their due, and in the Barrie Colts’ dressing room, last night felt like a jolt of pure joy. Bodie Stewart, Joe Salandra, and Nicholas Desiderio stood at the heart of the celebration, a trio whose tenacity sparked a fifth straight Ontario Hockey League win.
For weeks, Barrie’s faithful watched the Colts’ veterans shoulder the scoring load, but coach Dylan Smoskowitz saw something brewing beneath the surface. He’d often echo an old coach’s wisdom: “I’ll be concerned when you don’t get the chances. As long as the chances are coming, eventually they’re going to start falling for you.” On a chilly Thursday, those words finally rang true. Stewart notched his first goal of the season, Salandra snapped home a crucial equalizer, and Desiderio’s fearless net-front play delivered the game-winner, igniting the home crowd at Sadlon Arena.
These moments didn’t come easy. The Colts had battled through a six-game funk earlier in the season, their penalty kill languishing at the bottom of the league. It took relentless work on the practice ice — mock power plays, gruelling video sessions, and the sting of blocked shots — to turn a weakness into a backbone. On this night, the penalty kill was perfect, stifling Sudbury on seven attempts and transforming a liability into a weapon. Special teams, so often overlooked, suddenly became the drumbeat of Barrie’s comeback story.
But it’s not just tactics and stats that turn a team around. It’s the grit of a winger like Desiderio, who plants himself in front of the net and takes pucks to the body, or the patience of Stewart, breaking a seventeen-game drought with a goal that sent his bench into a frenzy. Each small victory is a nod to the old-time hockey ethos — work hard, trust your mates, and stay ready for your moment.
The wider Barrie community has taken notice. This surge isn’t about big names chasing stats — it’s about a team finding its soul, one hard-earned goal at a time. The message to every young skater in Simcoe County is clear: it’s the little guys and the unsung grinders who turn seasons around. And if you stick with it, you might just find yourself at the centre of the story, with the crowd roaring and your teammates pounding the boards in salute.
References:
Secondary scoring, PK lead Colts to a fifth-straight win
Secondary scoring, PK lead Colts to a fifth-straight win
Islanders’ Kashawn Aitcheson: Puts up three more points for Colts
