The Barrie Colts love to play the spoiler. The squad invades
the Sudbury Arena tonight to take on the Sudbury Wolves, and
they're looking to make over 4,000 fans go home unhappy.
The Colts lost a great deal of veteran savvy with the
graduation of veterans such as goalie Dan LaCosta, scorers Ryan
Hamilton and Hunter Tremblay among other key losses, but they
still pack a wallop of a punch.
The team made a major move just before the regular season by
sending three high draft picks and forward Mike Roelofson for
pesky winger Richard Clune.
Barrie has been impressed with Clune, who has added plenty
of jam to the line up.
In his first eight games, the five-foot-11, 194-pound winger
had five goals and eight points, along with 16 minutes in
penalties.
"He's been one of our best players," said head coach Marty
Williamson. "He has brought what we wanted - a tougher forward
to play in our Top 6. It was a positive trade and time will
tell. He plays an aggressive game and can throw big hits. He
can score and we like his presence on the ice."
Clune has augmented the Colts top star, Bryan Little, who
was a first-round NHL pick this past summer by Atlanta.
Little's return gave Barrie instant credibility and a
legitimate big time scorer. In his six games, Little has been
all offence, recording five goals and 17 points.
"Getting Bryan back gives us that star player that every
team needs to be competitive," said Williamson. "He's picked up
where he left off from last season (a season in which he
tallied 109 points). He just gives his all every shift and is
very competitive. His decision making is even better this year.
For Bryan, there's still a lot to accomplish this year...if
players think they've done all they can at this level, they're
mistaken. We will look for more leadership from him this
season."
The Colts also added veteran defender Tyson Aitcheson from
Sarnia. He has also played strong.
"We needed depth on our blue line and he has been a key
piece," said Williamson. "He's a three-year veteran and given
us the experience we needed."
With the departure of standout goalie Dan LaCosta, many
wondered who would stop pucks for Barrie. Last year's back up,
Andrew Perugini has stepped up.
"Andrew has done well," said Williamson. "We haven't played well defensively. He's answered the call so far. We will keep pushing him to be a Top 5 goalie and we're happy with his progress."
