There was a tightly contested battle in the Ontario Hockey League on Wednesday night, Feb. 26, between one of the top teams in the East, and one of the worst teams in the West.
The Barrie Colts marched their way into the Sleeman Centre to take on the rebuilding Guelph Storm. These two franchises met earlier in the year back on Oct. 26 in Barrie where the Colts handily defeated the Storm 6-1 thanks to a two-goal three-point performance by Dallas Stars prospect Brad Gardiner.
Gardiner scored 52 seconds into that game. Their rematch on Wednesday took a bit longer until the deadlock was broken.
Vancouver Canucks 2024 fourth-rounder Riley Patterson opened the scoring 5:15 into the second period off a perfect set dump-in play by 2025 NHL draft top prospect Kashawn Aitcheson.
Patterson read the play beautifully and scored his team-leading 23rd of the season.
Off the ensuing faceoff, Guelph stormed (pun intended) back, tying the game up just 24 seconds later with Jake Karabela’s eighth of the season.
Philadelphia Flyers 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko has had a challenging season in Guelph. He has been surrounded by limited talent and has had to lead his team’s offensive effort in every game.
Five minutes after Karabela’s goal, Luchanko read Barrie’s reversal behind the net, intercepted the pass, and circled around the net before sniping it over the shoulder of Ben Hrebik to give Guelph a 2-1 lead.
The Colts management went all in before the trade deadline and brought in two players who played pivotal roles in the North Bay Battalion’s last two playoff runs to the Eastern Conference Finals: Owen Van Steensel and Anthony Romani.
Van Steensel, committed to Clarkson University for next season, sprung on a breakaway later in the period. He went forehand-backhand to score his 16th of the season and tie the game up 2-2.
Luchanko’s rise in the NHL draft rankings at the last minute can be attributed to his outstanding performance at the 2024 draft combine. He showcased his athletic abilities by finishing first in three events.
Luchanko flashed his athleticism and explosive straight-line speed one minute into the third period with a highlight-reel goal for his second of the game.
Guelph came into the game 28 points behind Barrie in the overall standings. However, they were giving the Colts everything they got and weren’t backing down from a team loaded with NHL-drafted prospects.
Alas, another one of those NHL-affiliated prospects found the back of the net shortly after Luchanko put the Storm ahead by one.
The Vancouver Canucks 2024 sixth-round draft pick, Anthony Romani, corralled the errand puck and walked into the slot. Romani finished last season with the most goals in the regular season with 58.
A player with his release cannot be given the time and space in a high-danger area to shoot.
Romani made no mistake and ripped home his 11th of the season — ninth since acquired by Barrie — and the game was yet again tied. That goal was also the 100th goal of his OHL career.
The Canucks had their prospects all over the scoresheet in this contest and Patterson wasn’t satisfied with just the one goal he had scored in the second.
Barrie defenseman Grayson Tiller blasted a one-timer from the top of the point on the powerplay. Patterson floated into the eyes of Guelph’s young netminder Colin Ellsworth and redirected it in for his second of the game.
The Colts had a 4-3 lead with five minutes remaining in the game.
In the final two minutes of the third period, Barrie’s 6-foot-4 defenseman and intriguing right-shot prospect for the upcoming NHL draft, Evan Passmore, cross-checked Guelph forward Carter Stevens into the boards.
The Storm headed to the powerplay down by one. On the 6-on-4 man advantage, Luchanko found Guelph’s leading scorer Charlie Paquette back door and tied the game with four seconds left on the clock.
Luchanko finished the game with three points and the game’s first star. He now has recorded 22 points in his last 13 games.
Overtime didn’t solve anything and the game needed a shootout to decide the winner.
Patterson was stopped on his attempt but his NHL-affiliated Canucks teammate Romani scored on his attempt.
Guelph’s Lev Katzin also scored and the shootout was headed to a round four. Utah Hockey Club 2024 first-rounder Cole Beaudoin scored the shootout-winner, as the Colts escaped with a 5-4 victory over the Storm.
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