Frontenacs and Gaels Sports Rundown

Frasca’s OT Heroics Propel Frontenacs to Key Victory by Jordan Dacks

Gabriel Frasca has shown no signs of rust after his injury. Just two days after
his long-awaited season debut in which he contributed 2 assists, Frasca played the
role of OT hero Sunday afternoon in the Kingston Frontenacs’ (12-13-1) 4-3 win
against the Flint Firebirds (13-11-3). Receiving a beautiful breakout pass from Jacob
Holmes, Frasca, the Fronts 2022 first round draft selection, sniped a shot past the
blocker of Firebirds goaltender Jacob Brown. The goal allowed the Frontenacs to
snap their 3 game losing streak.

It was an evenly matched game throughout, on a rare 2:00 start at the Leon’s
Centre. Adam Cavallin opened the scoring with his first goal of the season, providing
the Fronts with some much-needed depth production. After Flint scored two straight
goals late in the first period, the Frontenacs responded with a strong two-goal
second period. Matthew Soto and Jacob Battaglia continued their budding chemistry,
connecting on Soto’s 11th of the season. Then, Ethan Miedema took a Christopher
Thibodeau pass in the corner, and found Linus Hemström in front of the net for the
go ahead-goal. However, one of Kingston’s 7 minor penalties proved costly, as
Firebirds’ star Braeden Kressler tied the scoring in the third.

The back and forth game gave way to Frasca’s impressive winner, which
allowed Fronts fans to go home happy, despite Sunday’s dreary early December
weather. Clearly, having their second line centre back will do wonders for this team.
Not only does Frasca provide another scoring option for the Fronts, but his presence
allows Linus Hemström to shift back to his usual right wing position, and Chris
Thibodeau to move back down to the third line.

Kingston’s 12th win of the season comes at a crucial time as they embark on
their Northern Ontario road trip Wednesday. The Fronts begin the trip with games on
Thursday and Friday in North Bay and Sault Ste. Marie, before ending the weekend
on Sunday in Sudbury.

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Kingston Frontenacs Fall to North Bay Battalion in High Scoring Teddy Bear Toss Matchup By Lauren Pirie

As we approach the giving season, the Kingston Frontenacs hosted the North Bay Battalion for
their annual Teddy Bear Toss game on December 1st, 2023, in support of the Salvation Army. Entering
the game the Frontenacs regained a valuable asset to their lineup as Gabriel Frasca has made his much-
anticipated return to the lineup following injury recovery. Last year Frasca was the one who clocked in
the Teddy Bear Toss goal for the Fronts, and as players took the ice the question amongst most was who’s
taking the title home this year.

The edge of anticipation couldn’t last long as the Frontenacs captain Paul Ludwinski landed a
huge one-timer past the Battalion goalie DiVincentiis from a quick behind-the-net pass from Battaglia.
Ludwkinski’s 11th goal of the season sent hundreds of teddy bears over the boards, creating an electric
atmosphere at Leon’s Center just five minutes into the game. Though the eclectic momentum was in
favour of the Fronts, the Battalion’s Van Steensel quickly found their way to the back of the net off a
quick giveaway during an attempted defensive breakout heading into the bottom half of the first.
Opportunity struck shortly after for Kingstons’s Quinten Burns utilized his point accuracy off a pass from
Budnick, leading to yet another strong one-timer for the Fronts. The goal sheet continued to be padded by
Kingstons Miedema, as he landed his 8th goal of the season through a quick pickup off a scramble in the
slot, finishing off the first period with a 3-1 Fronts lead.

The second period opens up with a huge in front of the net defensive turnover leading to an easy
goal for North Bay. Just a couple minutes later on a 3-2 offensive zone entry, the Battalion landed yet
another goal walking through Kingston's defence and their goalie with a quick over-the-glove shot from
Cooke pushing a tie game. Battaglia took no time to break the thick tie, picking up on a Soto’s forced
pressure pass and tapping the puck just through the legs of the Battalion goalie. Only a minute later this
theme of answering opposing goals continues as North Bay’s leading scorer Anthony Romani (22G)
pushes a rocket from the slot directly past Vaccari. With a four-on-four, the Frontenacs still could not
maintain the momentum and pressure of Ty Nelson getting yet another goal for the Battalion right from
the slot for North Bay to take the 5-4 lead. With just under two minutes Thibodeau pushes his way past
the defensive body coverage of the Battalion leading to a goal off a trip, though North Bay’s ability to
answer these goals showed with under ten seconds left in the second period capitalizing off a one-timer,
as they cut the period off with a 6-5 lead heading into the third.

Battaglia opens up the scoring five minutes into the third period picking up a rebound off the low
shot of Ludwinski, once more putting the Fronts back in this game. Coming into his third OHL game,
taking the place of Mason Vaccari, Salajko was able to make a huge asset save to keep the Fronts in off a
3-0 play set-up, keeping the game at a 6-6 score entering the bottom half of the third. Though spirits were
pushing in favour of the Fronts with this goaltending performance, Pazii was able to walk through
Kinston’s defence leading to a tight goal off the wide post landing the Battalion with their game-winning
goal. The final North Bay goal was secured by Justin Ertel on an empty net, leading this game to an 8-6
loss for the Kingston Frontenacs.

Shots for this game sat at 35 for the Kingston Frontenacs and 27 for the North Bay Battalion. The
Frontenacs continued their weekend at home as they took on The Flint Firebirds on Sunday, December
3rd, landing themselves a 4-3 overtime win. The Frontenacs continue on the road this week, rematching
the North Bay Battalion on Thursday, December 7th at 7 pm. The out-of-conference journey continues as
the Fronts also take on the SOO Greyhounds on Friday, December 8th.
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Queen’s Women’s Basketball vs Algoma Thunderbirds by Ian Donaldson

With a record of 7-1, Queen’s Women’s Basketball looked to continue their strong start to the season in
a Saturday night matchup against the Algoma Thunderbirds at the ARC. Coming into the day, Algoma
were 1-8, losing their first 8 games, but fresh off a 64-46 win against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks and
aiming to build a winning streak.

The Queen’s lineup is one stacked top to bottom with experience, and that shone early with Kingston’s
own Bridget Mulholland, who got the game going by draining her first three pointer. Early on, it looked
like a game that wouldn’t come easy for the Gaels, as Algoma was finding success driving into lanes.
However, after 1 quarter of play, it was 20-11 Queen’s.

The Gaels would begin to impose a firmer grip on the game in the second quarter. Queen’s forward Julia
Chadwick was certainly making her presence felt, racking up a monstrous 19 points and 7 rebounds by
halftime (her season high for points in a game was 24) and stretching the floor with some great passes.
Algoma, to their credit, was showing great ball movement on the perimeter, which proved to be their
best way to score as Queen’s began to protect the paint much better. By halftime, Queen’s was running
away with it, climbing to a score of 42-25 at the buzzer.

In the third quarter, Queen’s continued to go from strength to strength defensively. Algoma was having
trouble finding space down low and Queen’s were beginning to suffocate their offensive strategies.
Fourth-year guard Bella Gaudet had herself a game defensively, recording 2 blocks and 8 (!) total
steals—the latter being a career-high. The Thunderbirds would register 6 total points in the third quarter
and would head into the fourth down 58-31.

The fourth quarter was relatively quiet for both sides and an untimely injury for Algoma standout
Rhianna-Mae Laing meant Queen’s would hold complete control— slowing the tempo but keeping their
discipline. Algoma would manage just two successful field goals (one of which was at the final buzzer) in
the fourth quarter and Queen’s Women's Basketball would win, 69-36— improving to an 8-1 regular
season record heading into the winter break.

“I think it’s our depth,” said Queen’s forward Julia Chadwick post game when asked about the Gaels’
successful start to the season. “We’re all challenging each other in practice and we have such a great joy
playing together”. Chadwick, who recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds, stressed
the importance of building momentum heading into the winter break for the second half of the season.
“We’re taking it game by game,” added Queen’s guard Laura Donovan, “building from last night [67-47
win vs. Guelph], we wanted to carry that into tonight and I think we did that.”

Queen’s Women's Basketball will now head into a month-long break from regular season play, making
their return on January 5 th against the Ottawa Gee-Gees away from home. That road trip up the 416 will
also feature a game against the Carleton Ravens, where Queen’s will look to heal old wounds against a
team that beat them in both the OUA and USPORTS gold medal games last season.

FINAL SCORE: 69-36, Queen’s
NOTABLE STAT LINES:

Julia Chadwick. F: 23 PTS, 11 REB, 11-18 FG (61.1%)
Bella Gaudet, G: 18 PTS, 8 STL, 7-11 FG (63.6%), 4-7 3PT (57.1%)
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U14 AA Kingston Canadians Fall in Close Semi-Final Matchup By Sam Schonfeld

Kingston – The U14 AA Kingston Canadians were eliminated from their tournament in a thrilling 2-
1 semi-final loss to the Cumberland Grads at the Invista Centre in Kingston, Ontario, this weekend.
The Canadians entered the amateur hockey tournament, which began December 1 and ended
December 3, with high hopes of success after a series of well-matched regular season games.

The tournament saw 10 teams from all over Ontario compete for the right to call themselves
champions. Although they were excited and enthusiastic about playing in their own tournament, the
hosts knew they faced a difficult matchup of teams in their round-robin – but they did not
disappoint.

In their first game on December 1, the Canadians put up an impressive 4-1 victory over the Seaway
Valley Rapids, who had travelled from the outskirts of Ottawa to participate in the tournament. The
hosts controlled the puck and dominated the rapids. Above all, the U14AA team physical presence
overshadowed any offensive efforts from their opposition.

The Canadians success did not end there. Later that day, the hosts beat the Aurora Tigers 5-1. The
Tigers, although better than the Rapids, failed to produce in offence against the solid defensive play
of the Canadians. In this game, too, the U14AA team did not fail to display their physical attributes.
Every shift ended with a massive hit from the hosts, which electrified the crowd (and the game).
By the end of the first day of play, the U14AA Canadians were in a comfortable position. With two
wins, six points, nine goals-for, two goals-against, and a goal differential of positive-seven, the
Canadians were on track to qualify for the playoff series on Sunday.|

However, the successful day of sport did not come without some drawbacks. Centre Jackson
Stevens injured his leg early in the game against the Rapids. Although he continued to play in the
game against the Rapids the Tigers, his injury sidelined him for the next day of games.

The Canadians’ triumphs resumed the following morning, on December 2, when they faced the
Markham Islanders. An early goal at the start of the game proved to be the deciding factor, as the
hosts scored another three unanswered goals to win 4-0. However, the Islanders were solid, and shut
out the U14AA team in the second period. Had it not been for the admirable goaltending of the
Canadians, the score would have been much closer.

The Canadians built off their earlier victories in the tournament when they faced their toughest
competition in the round-robin: the Kanata Blazers. The Blazers, a strong team from Ottawa, had a
record of two wins and one tie in the tournament before facing the hosts. This game was important
for both teams, as a win would guarantee a spot in the top four – a spot to compete for the title the
next day.

The U14AA team put up two goals in the first period. Their physicality intimidated the Blazers and
opened up the ice for the Canadians to control the puck and the play. The hosts added another two
goals to their tally at the start of the second period. But the Blazers did not give up, as they
responded with two goals in the dying minutes of the period. Unfortunately for Kanata, these goals
did not dismay Kingston, as the Canadians scored two more goals in the third period to win the
game 6-2 and secure their spot in the championship bracket.

At the end of the round-robin, the Canadians were ranked first, with four wins, eight points,
nineteen goals-for, and four goals against. Behind the Canadians were the Toronto East Ender
Ticats in second place, the Gloucester Rangers in third place, and the Cumberland Grads in fourth
place. The Canadians went home for a good night’s rest before heading to the rink the next day to
face the Cumberland Grads in the first semi-final game.

The Grads and the hosts were well-matched teams. Both were placed in the upper-mid spots in the
rankings of their respective leagues. One could sense the tension as the players hit the ice for warm-
ups.

The first period was intense. No goals were scored, and both team’s goalies demonstrated their
worth as they faced a barrage of unsuccessful shooting attempts. However, the Canadians spent
much of the period in the penalty box which. Their penalty struggles did not end there.

The second period was plagued by penalties for the Canadians. As in all minor-league sports, some
decisions by the officials were good, while others were not. Unfortunately for the hosts, many of
their penalties were actual penalties, and even more of their penalties were simply not penalties at all.
Nonetheless, the U14AA team held their own and exited the second period tied with the Grads.
The third period was the most intense period of the game. The Grads scored a pivotal goal at the
start of the second period. The pressure was on for the Canadians. The Canadians pursuit for
victory succumbed to many, many penalties, which allowed the grads to score a second goal. The
hosts pressed the Grads defence and goaltending, and they managed to add one goal to the
scoreboard, but their efforts were not enough. The Grads offensive play and the penalties were too
much for the U14AA team to handle. The Grads went on to lose in the finals 3-2 to the Toronto
East Ender Ticats.

In the end, the Canadians fell short of their goals, but their season looks hopeful and fruitful after
what was a successful weekend of hockey. The team now turns its attention to the Ajax-Pickering
Raiders, whom they face in back-to-back games this upcoming weekend.

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Golden Gaels Woman's Hockey Team Takes Home Two Wins in a 10-Goal Weekend By Lauren Pirie 

Sunday December 3rd

This weekend your Queen’s Golden Gaels took home two massive wins through two extremely
physical matches. On Friday, December 1st Queen’s opened the game with aggression and passion as this
longing school rivalry has no boundaries. Early on in the game in the first period, Scout Watkins-
Southward opened up the score sheet pushing the moment for the Gaels. Taya Leonard picked up on the
chance to sink another one just moments later pushing for an early 2-0 lead. As tensions began rising
between the two teams Queen's fell victim to the Mustang's penalty kill unit as Western was able to ring a
shot right past the Queen’s defence and in turn their goalie, ending the period with a 2-1 score.

As tensions began to rise the close score turned abruptly into a heavy-hitting aggressive match,
but the Golden Gaels did not let this affect their gameplay as Sophie Hudson walked in on a power play
putting yet another goal on the board. Under a minute later Carys Collie is able to finish the period with a
marvellous goal stabilizing the Gaels 4-1 lead heading into the third period.

As frustration continues to bubble up, the Western Mustangs continue to fall victim to their own
actions, landing extensive penalty minutes and limiting their comeback ability. Queen’s found no issue
with this aggression as Sara Di Filippo pounded in the Gaels final goal of the game from the point,
finishing this game with a 5-1 score for Queen’s. Queen’s solidified 38 shots on net, continuing their lead
in shots on net, as well as Emma Tennant's goal game-stopping 16 of the 17 shots for Western.

The action and stunning competitive edge of Queen’s continued on in their Saturday, December
2nd match against the Windsor Lancers as they hope to continue their winning streak. The first period
started with a heavy presence from the Lancers as their heavy structure play style was something not
experienced during the match-up a day prior. Nearing the bottom half of the third the Lancers were able to
find the back of the net taking an early lead to the game, though Allyson Reeves was able to end the lead
before the end of the period with under thirty seconds left finding the back to the Windsor net.

It did not take long to end this tie as Queen's came out the gate with no hesitation as they stepped
onto the ice, taking back control and dominance over the play. Quickly into the period, Emma Michalicka
landed a quick goal for the Gales, following up with lead defensive scorer Sara Di Filippo also banging
one in directly from the point within seconds of one another. These goals continued to go unanswered as
aggression built up between the two teams, ending the second period with a 3-1 lead for the Gaels.
The Gaels drive to maintain their lead did not stop as the third-period entry was filled with even
more passion and aggression. Logan Biggs playing a phenomenal aggressive game landed yet another
Queen’s goal early in the third period. Scout Watkins-Southward solidified her second goal of the game
halfway through the final period landing Queens yet another insurance goal against the Lancers. This
finished off the game with yet another 5-1 win for your Golden Gaels.

After this weekend's games, the women’s team's overall standings will rise to 8-7-0. The Gaels
will return after the New years on January 5th, 2024, where they will take on the leading team in the west
conference, the Guelph Gryphons.