Barrie Colts Weekly: Akey Signs ELC & Beaudoin’s Hat Trick

Welcome to the second edition of the Barrie Colts weekly recap! A new series where we look at the week that was for the Colts and a preview of the week of games ahead. So buckle up and enjoy following the Colts for the 2023–24 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) season.

Before we get into any game recaps, congratulations to Beau Akey, who signed his entry-level contract (ELC) with the Edmonton Oilers on Oct. 10, 2023. His contract is a standard three-year deal, which means that Oilers fans get the pleasure of watching Akey for years to come.

Now on to the good stuff!

Niagara IceDogs vs. Barrie Colts – Oct. 7, 2023

The Colts and Niagara IceDogs met for a Canadian Thanksgiving weekend matchup, and it was a very fun hockey game. The Colts fell behind early, but Roenick Jodion put the team on his back and scored two goals in the first period to take a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission. Early in the second period, Andrew Vermeulen and Jack Brauti dropped the gloves, which sparked the IceDogs to battle back to tie the game, but it wouldn’t stay like this for long. The Colts would score three goals within five minutes from Beau Jelsma, Jacob Frasca, and Zach Wigle to take a 5-2 lead. 

The IceDogs came out for the third and were determined. After the Colts took a commanding 6-3 lead, they scored three straight goals to tie it and send it to overtime (OT) for the second straight Saturday. However, only 24 seconds into overtime, Colts’ forward Jacob Frasca ripped one home past IceDogs’ goalie Owen Flores and sent the hometown crowd home with the win to kick off everyone’s Thanksgiving weekend. 

Barrie Colts vs. Kitchener Rangers – Oct. 13, 2023

The Colts went on the road to face off against the Kitchener Rangers in a game that they wish they could have back. This game was a struggle for the group from the jump. Within the first five minutes, the Rangers took the lead on a goal from Matthew Sop; unfortunately, from then on, things went downhill. The Rangers scored again before the end of the frame to take a 2-0 lead heading into the first intermission.

Games in the Week Ahead

• Thursday, Oct. 19, 2023, Flint Firebirds vs. Barrie Colts at 7:00 pm 
• Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, Barrie Colts vs. Guelph Storm at 7:30 pm 
• Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023, Sudbury Wolves vs. Barrie Colts at 7:30 pm

The Colts had themselves quite a week. In all three games, one of the teams scored at least seven goals in a game. If you asked head coach Marty Williamson, I don’t think he would be overly happy with how the week played out. However, they did take two of the three games, but the club has some areas to work on. 

As I follow along with the Colts for the 2023–24 OHL season, I hope that you all enjoy the Colts’ weekly recap. Be sure to follow me throughout the season for all things Colts, including other featured articles. Have a good week!