The Barrie Colts are back in the saddle after picking up momentum to carry them through another game in their OHL playoff series with the Brantford Bulldogs. The Colts secured a game five win Thursday at the TD Civic Centre, refusing to be leashed by the league-leading Bulldogs in the battle for the Eastern Conference title. The game was pushed into overtime, where Colts’ center Brad Gardiner found the back of the net, scoring the game winner from the slot 13:40 into the extra frame. “I was just fortunate to be in the right place at the right time,” said Gardiner, who took the shot after a pass from right wing Calvin Crombie. “I knew it wasn’t going to be pretty, but I just had to get a puck in the net,” he added during the post-game press conference. Barrie was down 2-1 going into the third period but scored two goals, two minutes apart, to take the lead. That position in the helm didn’t last long as the Bulldogs tied the game less than 30 seconds later. “We wanted to get it done quickly,” said Colts head coach Dylan Smoskowitz. “We did not want to sit back in our heels. We wanted to go all gas, no breaks.” Colts co-captain and Utah Mammoth prospect Cole Beaudoin left the ice early, missing overtime. Smoskowitz spoke on this post-game, confirming Beaudoin will be back in the lineup for the next matchup but that he “just didn’t like his game much” and “didn’t want to put him on the ice that much, but he’s totally fine.” With the teams’ eyes set on hoisting the Bobby Orr Trophy again after more than a decade, the Colts are edging closer to achieving that as they now trail the Eastern Conference Championship Series final 3-2. The series now shifts back to Barrie, where the Colts will welcome fans to their home barn at Sadlon Arena for game six. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Follow your Barrie Colts on CTV News as we provide extended coverage in our special series, “The road to the Memorial Cup,” brought to you by the Boots and Hearts Barn Burner Charity Hockey Game.
