Frontenacs drop a pair of 5-2 decisions on the road
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The Kingston Frontenacs squandered a chance to gain ground on two teams just ahead of them in the Ontario Hockey League standings as they suffered a pair of 5-2 losses on the road on the weekend.
Although the Frontenacs scored the first two goals of the game on Saturday in Hamilton, the home-ice Bulldogs scored the next five for the win, and on Sunday Kingston dropped another 5-2 decision to the Mississauga Steelheads.
Heading into Saturday’s game, Hamilton, the East Division’s fourth-place team, had a six-point lead on Kingston but extended that lead to eight points. On Sunday, Kingston still had a chance to move ahead of the Steelheads and into eighth place in the Eastern Conference but couldn’t take advantage.
With the two weekend losses, Kingston drops to 9-18-2-2 for 22 points, two behind the Steelheads but still with a game in hand.
Scoring for Kingston on Sunday were Zayde Wisdom, with his team-leading 18th of the season, and Dawson Baker, with his 13th. Shane Wright was held off the scoresheet and had his consecutive-game point streak end at 11 games.
In the first period, Kingston had a chance to take a 1-0 lead, but a goal by Wright was called back after a lengthy offside review.
Mississauga’s Duncan Penman, with his first of two goals in the game, opened the scoring at 7:04.
After Wisdom’s short-handed goal at 15:35. Mississauga regained its one-goal lead 34 seconds later on Aidan Prueter’s first of two goals.
Mississauga received second-period goals from Penman and William Portokalis to take a 4-1 lead into the third period.
Prueter wrapped up the scoring with an empty-netter with 39 seconds left in the third.
Mississauga kept Frontenacs overage goaltender Christian Propp busy throughout the first two periods, outshooting Kingston 34-16 in that span, and 45-30 overall.
On Saturday, the Frontenacs got out to an early 2-0 lead on the Bulldogs in the first seven minutes on goals from Wright, his 16th, and Wisdom. Wright’s goal came after fellow rookie Maddox Callens drove hard to the net to get past defenceman Natan Staios and got a weak shot on Hamilton goaltender Marco Constantini. Wright, trailing on the play, quickly deposited the rebound into the top corner.
But from that point on, the Frontenacs were victimized by special teams.
While on a Kingston power play, the Bulldogs’ Avery Hayes jumped on a turnover at the Hamilton blue line and scored on a breakaway on Frontenacs goaltender Ryan Dugas, bringing down a few thousand plush toys during the annual Bulldogs Teddy Bear Toss, at 9:06.
Play resumed after a 13-minute delay and the Bulldogs got out of the first period tied 2-2 after a power-play goal from Staios. The goal, on a hard slap shot from the point, came five seconds after Frontenacs’ Lucas Rowe was sent off for holding.
Bulldogs Logan Morrison and Ryan Winterton scored in the second period and Hayes added his second of the game into an empty net late in the third.
Kingston has one more game before the Christmas break, at 7 p.m. Thursday in St. Catharines against the Niagara IceDogs. It will be Niagara’s first game since IceDogs goaltender Tucker Tynan suffered a deep cut to his leg in the second period of their game against the London Knights on Thursday night.
That game was postponed as well as weekend games against the Peterborough Petes and Ottawa 67’s.
The Frontenacs’ next home game is Saturday, Dec. 28, at 7 p.m. against the Ottawa 67’s.