Penalty trouble spelled the end for the Barrie Colts as their Ontario Hockey League season concluded tonight with a tough 3-1 loss in Game 7 to North Bay.
In front of their home crowd on Tuesday night, the North Bay Battalion ousted the Colts from the second round of the OHL playoffs after a hard-fought series that went the distance between two evenly matched teams.
The Battalion will now face the Peterborough Petes in the OHL's Eastern Conference final.
A pair of penalties in the early stages of the third period ultimately sunk the Colts, as North Bay scored twice on the power play in a two-minute span to tie the game and then go up 2-1. The Battalion added an empty-netter to seal the win in the final minute.
The two teams came out cautiously, but the Colts struck first on a goal from forward Beau Jelsma with about four minutes left in the first period. Linemate Tyler Savard picked the assist, as the teammates carried over their strong performances from Game 6, where they had combined for five points in a 4-2 win on Monday night.
Beau knows goals! 🚨@JelsmaBeau opens the scoring in North Bay on a give-and-go with Savard and the @OHLBarrieColts strike first! 🎥#OHLPlayoffs | #NBvsBAR pic.twitter.com/QvTGSitbGR
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 25, 2023
Jelsma picked up a turnover in the neutral zone at centre ice and entered the Battalion zone on a two-on-one with Savard. From there it was a quick give-and-go play with Savard, with Jelsma finding the back of the net to break the ice to pick up his fifth goal of the playoffs.
Late in the second period, tempers began to flare between the two teams, who have being going head-to-head since April 14. Unsurprisingly, there was not a whole lot of love lost between the Central Division rivals.
After a scoreless second, the two teams went to their dressing rooms with Barrie up 1-0 in the game.
But the Colts started to get into penalty trouble, and it cost them dearly.
Four minutes into the final frame, and with Jacob Frasca in the penalty box serving two minutes for a check from behind, North Bay's Kyle Jackson tied the game at 1-1. It was the fifth goal of the playoffs for the Seattle Kraken prospect, assisted by Matvey Petrov and Ty Nelson.
Kyle Jackson gets the @OHLBattalion back in it! 👀
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 26, 2023
The @SeattleKraken prospect unleashes a wrister and the Memorial Gardens erupts 📣#OHLPlayoffs | #NBvsBAR pic.twitter.com/jBJOpoYtaX
Jackson's goal also re-energized the crowd at North Bay Memorial Gardens, as the air horns and noise-makers came back to life.
At 6:12 into the third, Barrie's Cole Beaudoin was penalized for a blindside hit.
The Battalion scored again with the man advantage to go up 2-1 when Kyle McDonald bulged the twine. Jackson and Nelson assisted on the go-ahead goal, which was McDonald's 12th of the post-season.
MCDONALD GIVES THE TROOPS THE LEAD! @kylemcdonald25 pic.twitter.com/StXgizIdER
— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) April 26, 2023
North Bay's Owen Van Steensel sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 47 seconds left to go up 3-1.
There was still some drama, though, as Jelsma was awarded a penalty shot with 19 seconds remaining on the clock, but Battalion goalie Dom DiVincentiis was equal to the task and turned aside the attempt.
The shots on goal in Game 7 were 29 for North Bay and 23 for Barrie.
The announced attendance was 4,218.
Over in the Western Conference, the final is already set with the London Knights taking on the Sarnia Sting, starting Friday night at Budweiser Gardens in London.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
Game 1 – Friday, April 14 at North Bay – Colts 3, Battalion 2 (OT)
Game 2 – Sunday, April 16 at North Bay – Battalion 5, Colts 2
Game 3 – Tuesday, April 18 at Barrie – Colts 2, Battalion 1 (OT)
Game 4 – Thursday, April 20 at Barrie – Battalion 4, Colts 3 (OT)
Game 5 – Saturday, April 22 at North Bay – Battalion 7, Colts 3
Game 6 – Monday, April 24 at Barrie – Colts 4, Battalion 2
Game 7 – Tuesday, April 25 at North Bay – Battalion 3, Colts 1
