Kingston Frontenacs GameDay April 8, 2016

step for us.”
Last Friday the Frontenacs, after a 4-3 overtime
loss in Oshawa Thursday, were in a position to win a
playoff series before the home crowd for the first time
since 1998 when Kingston beat the Oshawa Generals
in a seventh game. Frontenacs assistant coach John
Goodwin was the Generals head coach that season.
On Friday, the Frontenacs had to fend off a robust
first period from the Generals. They did so with the
goaltending of Jeremy Helvig and the feisty return to
the lineup of Kingston native Verbeek.
Helvig stopped a penalty shot in the game’s first
three minutes and Verbeek, after being a healthy
scratch for two games, scored the only goal of the first
period.
Goals by Stephen Desrocher, Crouse, Watson and
Warren Foegele blew it open in the second period.
Foegele added his second of the game and eighth of
the series in the third period.
Watson finished with five points and Michael Dal
Colle had four assists.
It was Helvig’s penalty-shot stop on Anthony Cirelli
that played an important part in the victory.
“I just cleared my head for the penalty shot and
made the save,” Helvig said. “I had to be ready and
focused (for the game) and I was focused and ready
for the big win.”
As big as Helvig’s saves in the first period were,
so, too, was the Verbeek goal. He was out of the lineup
for two games after taking an undisciplined penalty
in Game 2. Verbeek came back into the lineup with
determination and grit. He tipped a shot by Jason
Robertson past Jeremy Brodeur at 13:11 for what
turned out to be the game-winner and series-winner.
“To me that first one might have been the
difference in the hockey game just because nothing
was really going on and they were pressing,” McKeown
said. “Beeker really got the momentum under us.”
“Ryan was excellent. That’s how he has got to play
each and every night,” McFarland said. “He was a
difference maker. We’re going to win a lot of hockey
games if he continues to play his position that way.”
After the Verbeek goal and Helvig’s 11 saves got
the Frontenacs out of the first up 1-0, the Frontenacs
scored four goals in less than nine minutes in the
second period to take over the game.
“It was a tight first period and after that our
momentum came,” Watson said. “Once we got the
first goal (in the second period by Desrocher on a
5-on-3 advantage on a power play) the floodgates
opened. It was a cool feeling.”
OFFICIAL GAMEDAY PROGRAM, VOLUME 43, 2015
“That’s our takeover period,” McKeown said. “We
want to get on teams, use our five-man forecheck.
That’s the strength of our team.”
“We talked about the second period being our
takeover period all year. Our guys worked hard to learn
how to play in the second period. Tonight was a great
example,” McFarland said.
McFarland said it was the complete game he
expected by his team.
“We’ve talked all year about being resillient and
responding. Good teams don’t want to lose two games
in a row in the playoffs,” he said.
“There wasn’t one person in our dressing room
or the Kingston Frontenacs organization family that
doubted this team tonight. We knew we’d get the job
done.”
McFarland called a timeout in the second period
when the Frontenacs were going on a 5-on-3 powerplay
advantage. He said he wanted to give his power
play unit a rest.
“We knew it was going to be a crucial sticking
point in the game. Out best guys capitalized and made
a great play.”
Desrocher’s first goal of the series made it 2-0.
Crouse followed 43 seconds later with another powerplay
goal on Brodeur.
A couple of terrific pin-down shifts by Verbeek,
Conor McGlynn, Cody Caron and then Ted Nichol,
Ryan Cranford and Robertson allowed the Frontenacs
to get two line changes against some tired Generals.
Watson got loose in front and ended Brodeur’s night
with his third goal of the series.
Oshawa coach Bob Jones brought Justin Nichols
in, hoping for a momentum switch. It didn’t work.
Seven seconds after the Watson goal, Foegele
greeted Nichols with a low shot to the corner.
written by Doug Graham
originally published in the Kingston Whig-Standard
reprinted with permission
37
BILLY KIMMERLY