Let me tell ya, that’s how you play hockey, kids! The Barrie Colts showed some real jam Tuesday night, didn’t they? In front of nearly four thousand fans going absolutely bananas at the Sadlon Arena, these boys punched their ticket to the OHL’s Eastern Conference Finals. They dug deep in a nail-biting Game 7 against a tough Kingston Frontenacs squad and came out on top, 6-4. Beauty!
Who were the heroes? You gotta start with the captain, Beau Jelsma. An overager, playing like his OHL life depended on it – because it did! After whiffing on an empty-netter just seconds before, he didn’t make the same mistake twice. He snagged a loose puck, drove to the net like a freight train, and roofed it past a sprawling Frontenac with only 13 ticks left on the clock. That sealed the deal, folks. What a moment for the kid! Kashawn Aitcheson also had himself a night, potting two goals and an assist. Dalyn Wakely chipped in three helpers, and Emil Hemming added a goal and two assists. And you can’t forget Sam Hillebrandt between the pipes; the kid took some knocks but stood tall, a real trooper.
What went down was pure playoff intensity. This was the deciding Game 7 of the second round of the OHL Playoffs, held right here in Barrie on April 23rd, 2025. Kingston actually jumped out to a 3-2 lead after the first period, thanks to two quick goals late from Cal Uens and Emil Pieniniemi. But the Colts didn’t fold. They roared back, scoring three unanswered goals from Owen Van Steensel, Tristan Bertucci, and Aitcheson – two of those beauties coming on the power play. That third-period power-play marker by Aitcheson, his fifth of the playoffs, proved crucial. Kingston tried to claw back, making it 5-4 late, but Jelsma slammed the door shut.
Where did this battle unfold? Right on home ice at the Sadlon Arena in Barrie. And thank goodness for that home-ice advantage! The Colts won all four games played in their own barn during this series. That tells you something about the energy in that building and how these boys feed off it. The crowd of 3,817 was electric, especially when Jelsma scored the clincher. That’s Canadian hockey right there!
Why did Barrie pull it off? Resilience, plain and simple. Assistant coach Dennis Martindale said it himself: they’re a resilient group. They got down early but didn’t panic. They stuck to their game plan, weathered the storm, and capitalized when it mattered, especially on the power play which went 3-for-5. Kingston’s captain, Quinton Burns, got tossed for a slew-foot, giving Barrie a major power play, and they made it count. Kingston’s goalie, Charlie Schenkel, played his heart out, facing 46 shots, but the Colts just kept coming.
So, the Barrie Colts are moving on! This marks their first trip to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2016. They’re set to face the Oshawa Generals, the same team that knocked them out last year. You know they’ll be hungry for payback. It wasn’t easy getting past Kingston – those two teams were neck-and-neck all season, both finishing with 88 points. But the Colts found a way, led by their captain and fueled by their home crowd. They’ll enjoy this one tonight, but as Jelsma said, the job’s not finished. They’re aiming for the whole darn thing.
References:
Colts in seventh heaven after eliminating Frontenacs
