Frontenacs start weekend off with win over Petes

Minchak made 43 saves for his first win of the season while the team snapped a three-game slide.

The Kingston Frontenacs were back home and back in the win column.

They defeated the Peterborough Petes for the second time in as many weeks, this time by a 5-3 score at Slush Puppie Place on Friday night.

Matthew Michack bounced back with a 43-save performance in net for his first victory of the season. 

He says he wanted to put the two losses he suffered last week behind him.

Minchak along with captain Vann Williamson, defenseman Adam Goljer came back to Kingston after being at NHL camps at the start of the OHL season. All three appeared to have had a tough time adjusting back to junior hockey against Sarnia, Brantford, and Kitchener, all them losses.

But head coach Troy Mann says the three were really strong in practice and it showed in the game.

The Frontenacs (3-3-0-0) took a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Matthew Henderson and Andre Mondeux before Leon Kolarik answered for the Petes with 3.7 seconds left to cut Kingston's lead in half.

Then the Fronts exploded with three goals in the second period from Nolan Snyder, Nolan Buttar, and Adam Kelly. Kelly's goal came off a turnover in the Petes' (2-5-0-0) end and snapped one by Peterborough goaltender Matthew Koprowski (23 saves) to make it 5-1.

Peterborough got some new life in the third when Mason Minsky scored his first of the year 1:34 into the period. Then the Frontenacs found themselves down two men for 41 seconds but Minchak turned away some shots and Buttar, who broke his stick during the two-man disadvantage, also block a shot allowing the team to clear the zone and escape any potential damage.

Mann says Buttar's game has been on the upswing since the start of the season.

Minchak face 22 shots in the final period alone and credits his teammates for standing their ground.

Aleks Kulemin, Landon Wright and Robin Kuzma each collected a pair of assists for the Frontenacs.

They are back at Slush Puppie Place Sunday afternoon hosting the Erie Otters. Game time is 2 pm.

If you can't make it to the game, listen to Upper Canada Fuel and Burner Frontenacs Hockey with Jim Gilchrist on the call on New Country 98.9.

Story by Ken Hashizume