The Kingston Frontenacs started off their home portion of the regular season on Friday night by hosting their division rivals, the Oshawa Generals. It took them some time to find their rhythm in the first period, but once they did, they were able to capitalize on enough chances to secure a 4-2 victory.

Head Coach Luca Caputi acknowledged that the team didn’t start the game on time, but credited the character in the locker room for standing up for each other and finding a way to win. The scoring was opened by rookie forward Tyler Hopkins, who scored his first Ontario Hockey League (OHL) goal in front of the home crowd. Hopkins capitalized on a loose puck in front of the crease and managed to quickly shovel it into the open Oshawa goal. He expressed his excitement after the goal, stating that when you see the net, your eyes widen, and you just hit it.

Hopkins also impressed his coach with his play in the first two games of the season. Caputi commended Hopkins for adapting to the team’s system and the league, and believed that he has a bright future ahead of him.

Although it was only the second game of the season, the matchup against their division rivals had a playoff-like atmosphere. The game was physical and even featured two fights. Hopkins, while not directly involved in the rough play, noted the energy of the game and emphasized the importance of having your teammate’s back.

Mason Vaccari performed exceptionally well in goal for Kingston, saving 30 out of 32 shots from the Generals. Caputi expressed nothing but praise for Vaccari, describing him as excellent and a pillar for the team. He acknowledged that the team could do better in front of Vaccari in certain situations, but praised the goalie for always being there to help them out.

Although the Frontenacs had several opportunities to score throughout the game, they weren’t able to capitalize on sustained pressure. Caputi joked about addressing this area of play in practice, suggesting that they may increase the number of push-ups for missed shots.

The Generals opened the scoring early in the game, with Ryder McIntyre scoring less than two minutes into the first period. Despite several chances, the Frontenacs couldn’t find the back of the net, and the teams went into the first intermission with Oshawa leading by one goal.

The second period was memorable for Tyler Hopkins, as he scored his first OHL goal to tie the game. The Frontenacs gained momentum and added a power play goal from Jacob Holmes later in the period. However, the lead didn’t last long as Dylan Roobroeck of the Generals stripped the puck off a Frontenac defender and scored to tie the game heading into the second intermission.

The game remained tied until the 17-minute mark of the third period when Nathan Poole scored the go-ahead goal for the Frontenacs. With just 26 seconds left in the game, Linus Hemstrom sealed the victory by scoring an empty-net goal after the Generals pulled their goalie.

Oshawa outshot Kingston 32-30 in the game. Nathan Poole was named the First Star for scoring the game-winner, Mason Vaccari was awarded the Second Star, and Tyler Hopkins received the Third Star.

There’s no time for either team to dwell on the result, as Kingston and Oshawa will face each other again on Sunday night in Oshawa.