Colts rebound from losing streak as OHL season marches on

The last month for the Barrie Colts has certainly been a roller coaster.

It has featured a three-game winning streak followed by a five-game losing streak, only for the Colts to turn around and rattle off five wins in a row, punctuated by a 6-3 beatdown of the Brantford Bulldogs last Saturday. 

After the dust settled, Barrie still leads the OHL’s eastern conference, holding a narrow two-point gap over the Oshawa Generals and Niagara IceDogs, though the Colts have a game in-hand. 

This recent eventful stretch came as a surprise following Barrie’s consistently strong play in the first half of the season, in which they only dropped nine of the team’s first 32 games. 

During the five-game losing streak, the Colts lost their offensive touch, only scoring six goals during the stretch, though they’ve since rebounded by finding the net 21 times over the past five games. 

That being said, the Colts have held on to top spot in the east despite lacking the firepower boasted by other top OHL teams. 

Dalyn Wakely (Edmonton Oilers sixth-rounder in 2024) and Riley Patterson (Vancouver Canucks fourth-rounder in 2024) co-lead the team with 40 points this season. For comparison, Saginaw Spirit forward Michael Misa has posted 83 points, while Brantford’s Nick Lardis has already scored 41 goals this year.

However, Barrie features arguably the best goalie tandem in major junior hockey. Sam Hillebrandt, last season’s starting netminder, has posted a .909 save percentage through 26 games, and is coming off winning his second World Junior gold medal with the U.S.

Meanwhile, 18-year-old Ben Hrebik has been a revelation for the Colts in net. Despite only playing in two OHL games before this season, Hrebik has a .932 save percentage in 20 games, which leads the OHL. Originally from Milton, Ont., Hrebik is also among the league leaders in goals against average.

Next up, the Colts take on the Ottawa 67s in Barrie on Jan. 30, before they head to Oshawa the following day for a matchup against the Generals. 

Barrie will complete back-to-back-to-back games at home against Niagara on Feb. 1, which the organization also announced will be ‘Captains Night’ at the Sadlon Arena. Before the game, the franchise will welcome back several former Colts captains, including Stefan Della Rovere, Matt Dzieduzycki, and Bryan Little.