Kingston Frontenacs 2024-25 Season Thread, Part I

[OMG67]

I am so goddamn sick and tired of losing by one goal. It's absolutely ridiculous.

Lalonde played well, I didn't like how out of position he got on the OT goal but before Kitchener tied it up I was already thinkink about posting something along the lines of how he obviously read my posts and took them as motivation lol

I don't know how the refs missed that hook on Uens right before Pridham tied it - stick parallel to the ice, right around Uens stomach 10 feet away from the ref, yet no call.

Dervin looks good - the fact Mann threw him out in OT over McNamara tells you what they think of him.

Other than a couple name miscues I've gotta say the Kitchener broadcast is one of the better ones I've watched this year, sometimes the play-by-play guy tried a little too hard to throw some slang in there but overall it was good, a fair home-leaning bias that's to be expected but nothing over the top like other broadcasts.

I was watching and i thought the same thing. How do you lose your net so badly in OT? He gave up half the net. It looked like there was more than enough time to get back into position. Sucks.

 

[beastintheeast]

I was watching and i thought the same thing. How do you lose your net so badly in OT? He gave up half the net. It looked like there was more than enough time to get back into position. Sucks.

Please let me know if I am wrong, but I thought Lalaonde was brought in to back up Vaccari. If that is the case, then you have to wonder what happened to Vaccari. Also, the fact that Lalonde was on an M Cup-winning team but never played says something about his abilities, and Cooper knew that going into the deal.

You can not blame Lalaonde; he is who he is. He was never a game-breaker. Consider that this year is his best year stats-wise in the OHL, with the lowest GAA and the highest shot. So, really, instead of getting down on the player, look at the front office that got him and consider that there were others who were avail.

 

[PuckLucker]

I was watching and i thought the same thing. How do you lose your net so badly in OT? He gave up half the net. It looked like there was more than enough time to get back into position. Sucks.

Miscommunication from the Fronts #8 who wanted to to switch man to man coverage which then allowed the Ranger to skate in basically untouched right near the blue paint and drag #79 way out of his crease area.
The entire net (not half the net) was open when the shot was released.

 

[PuckLucker]

Please let me know if I am wrong, but I thought Lalaonde was brought in to back up Vaccari. If that is the case, then you have to wonder what happened to Vaccari. Also, the fact that Lalonde was on an M Cup-winning team but never played says something about his abilities, and Cooper knew that going into the deal.

You can not blame Lalaonde; he is who he is. He was never a game-breaker. Consider that this year is his best year stats-wise in the OHL, with the lowest GAA and the highest shot. So, really, instead of getting down on the player, look at the front office that got him and consider that there were others who were avail.

100%
Anyone on here or the Front office of the Frontenacs who expected more needs to give their head a shake.
Cooper told fans and the entire OHL: " Pairing Nolan with Mason will give us one of the best goaltending tandems in the OHL"

Frontenacs acquire Kingston's Very Own, Nolan Lalonde from Saginaw - Kingston Frontenacs

 

[leafs4life94]

Miscommunication from the Fronts #8 who wanted to to switch man to man coverage which then allowed the Ranger to skate in basically untouched right near the blue paint and drag #79 way out of his crease area.
The entire net (not half the net) was open when the shot was released.

Uronen definitely got beat but I still don't think there's any reason for Lalonde to be that far out of crease. McGowan also probably should've been closer to Andonovski to get in the way of the shot.

100%
Anyone on here or the Front office of the Frontenacs who expected more needs to give their head a shake.
Cooper told fans and the entire OHL: " Pairing Nolan with Mason will give us one of the best goaltending tandems in the OHL"

Frontenacs acquire Kingston's Very Own, Nolan Lalonde from Saginaw - Kingston Frontenacs

Expectations maybe were too high, but using an OA slot on a tandem goalie is just awful asset management, especially for the results we've gotten.

I don't state it as fact but I have an extremely hard time believing that Lalonde is a Frontenac if he's not a local. There are OA goalies with much better numbers out of the league. What other contending team has an OA goalie that isn't playing the majority of the games? London is the only one but a) Medvedev is much better than Vaccari and b) I'd be surprised if Elliott isn't the daily starter in the playoffs

 

[leafs4life94]

Kelly in for Dervin, Velliaris in for Moore and Vaccari with the start. I kinda hoped they'd play Dervin in all 3 games this weekend vut the fact they played him against the stronger team bodes well for where they see him.

 

[frontsfan67]

Confused as to why Dervin would not be playing today. Looked pretty good yesterday from what I saw.

 

[frontsfan67]

What a beautiful goal by Kelly. First in the league too.

 

[leafs4life94]

Am I losing my mind or did McGowan get scratched last minute? I haven't seen him at all and I know I saw Lukas Moore out there, but McGowan is listed on the app and on the socials lineup

Edit - one of the Guelph commentators tweeted he got hurt in warmup, hopefully it's minor or just a tweak knowing they have another game tomorrow

 

[frontsfan67]

Unreal. That is a team we cannot be losing to if we want to do big things this year. Need the win tomorrow. Cannot go 0/3.

Also any idea for the amount of time burns played today? I would assume it’s well over 30 mins

 

[leafs4life94]

Unbelievable. At point do they not realize maybe don't keep going gloveside on a kid that clearly has a good glove hand...

It's tough to rip on the refs too much when they were consistent but damn there were so many missed calls both ways.

The shootout showed why Vaccari struggles - both goals right over his shoulder.

I'll need to watch a replay to be sure but it looked Velliaris was skating into the corner to leave Katzin wide open on the second Guelph goal - I didn't notice him much after that so I'm guessing that's why Burns played so much.

Losing Pieniniemi for the Jrs is going to hurt, especially if McGowan misses time, they're going to be forced to play one of Velliaris or Moore a hell of a lot more than they have, and who knows how that'll work out.

 

[GoFronts]

There's no excuse for losing that game. I hate that we're going to push all of our chips in on this team. This isn't it unless some major pieces are brought in. That's just how it is.

 

[frontsfan67]

There's no excuse for losing that game. I hate that we're going to push all of our chips in on this team. This isn't it unless some major pieces are brought in. That's just how it is.

Some major pieces will be brought in I imagine but even still not sure it will be enough to push them above barrie Oshawa or London (if they hypothetically made it that far lmao)

 

[Fischhaber]

Some major pieces will be brought in I imagine but even still not sure it will be enough to push them above barrie Oshawa or London (if they hypothetically made it that far lmao)

First and foremost, your GM has to address the goaltending. I think that would cover up a lot of issues that have been exposed lately.

I think the team also has to go big game hunting. I don't think adding mid-tier guys is going to help an already deep roster. That means Misty, Pinelli, Gibson, Allen, etc.

You know Oshawa is going to get one of those guys, so you kind of need to get 2 of them to keep pace and you have the picks to do it

 

[GoFronts]

First and foremost, your GM has to address the goaltending. I think that would cover up a lot of issues that have been exposed lately.

I think the team also has to go big game hunting. I don't think adding mid-tier guys is going to help an already deep roster. That means Misty, Pinelli, Gibson, Allen, etc.

You know Oshawa is going to get one of those guys, so you kind of need to get 2 of them to keep pace and you have the picks to do it

Luchanko and Gibson would be a best case scenario but I fear that goaltending will still be the downfall. Maybe Gibson will help protect the net a bit more but I haven't seen too much that inspires confidence with Lalonde or Vaccari.

 

[Fischhaber]

Luchanko and Gibson would be a best case scenario but I fear that goaltending will still be the downfall. Maybe Gibson will help protect the net a bit more but I haven't seen too much that inspires confidence with Lalonde or Vaccari.

There's some options out there for an OA upgrade.

Parsons and Schenkel are the top 2 goalies in SV% this year. I have my doubts that the former is available, but the latter will be.

Andrew Oke doesn't have the same stat line, but his defense is horrendous and he has. Championship experience.

I see a lot of Nick Surzycia in Sarnia and I think he's an excellent goaltender on a crappy team.

Collin MacKenzie has been shit this year, but there's obviously a ton of talent. Maybe he needs a change of scenery.

 

[beastintheeast]

First and foremost, your GM has to address the goaltending. I think that would cover up a lot of issues that have been exposed lately.

I think the team also has to go big game hunting. I don't think adding mid-tier guys is going to help an already deep roster. That means Misty, Pinelli, Gibson, Allen, etc.

You know Oshawa is going to get one of those guys, so you kind of need to get 2 of them to keep pace and you have the picks to do it

Did anyone on here thing that you were going to get a stud goalie for just a 15th round pick.

The challenge you will have in nets is finding a goalie who is better than what you have and who someone is willing to give up.

The plan was and is to platoon the goalies; they have now played almost an even number of games.

I think the question that has to be asked is, what is management's game plan for this team?

If you get another goalie and he is not OA this year, who do you release, Vaccari or Lalonde?

 

[OMG67]

There's some options out there for an OA upgrade.

Parsons and Schenkel are the top 2 goalies in SV% this year. I have my doubts that the former is available, but the latter will be.

Andrew Oke doesn't have the same stat line, but his defense is horrendous and he has. Championship experience.

I see a lot of Nick Surzycia in Sarnia and I think he's an excellent goaltender on a crappy team.

Collin MacKenzie has been shit this year, but there's obviously a ton of talent. Maybe he needs a change of scenery.

MacKenzie will be basically free. HE is definitely a skilled goalie but I think him playing as a platoon and not dressing for the games he is not starting may have created a situation where he really isn’t dialed in. But, he definitely has been crap overall. His worst year hands down. That said, he has made a ton of outstanding saves but seems to not be sharp overall and is letting in a lot of poor goals.

 

[frontsfan67]

First and foremost, your GM has to address the goaltending. I think that would cover up a lot of issues that have been exposed lately.

I think the team also has to go big game hunting. I don't think adding mid-tier guys is going to help an already deep roster. That means Misty, Pinelli, Gibson, Allen, etc.

You know Oshawa is going to get one of those guys, so you kind of need to get 2 of them to keep pace and you have the picks to do it

I’ve been talking to a couple people and it doesn’t seem goaltending is a huge priority even though I want that addressed like the rest of us

I would LOVE one of Gibson or Allen

Pinelli will cost too much as Ottawa won’t want him coming here and musty i think goes to Barrie for PV and picks. We don’t have an 08 so it really sucks for us.

 

[beastintheeast]

I’ve been talking to a couple people and it doesn’t seem goaltending is a huge priority even though I want that addressed like the rest of us

I would LOVE one of Gibson or Allen

Pinelli will cost too much as Ottawa won’t want him coming here and musty i think goes to Barrie for PV and picks. We don’t have an 08 so it really sucks for us.

The issue is more defence and offence than goaltending. If the Frotns platoon goalies as they have, you still are mid-pack. I think Cooper felt that this was going to be Vaccari's year to shine.

I agree with @OMG67 that MacK will be cheap but unfortunately, you would have to release Lalonde and again, I don't know what promises were made to him or if Mack would be that much of an upgrade

Here's a side giggle Betts is playing back up to MIchelone in Pickering LOL

 

[dirty12]

The issue is more defence and offence than goaltending. If the Frotns platoon goalies as they have, you still are mid-pack. I think Cooper felt that this was going to be Vaccari's year to shine.

I agree with @OMG67 that MacK will be cheap but unfortunately, you would have to release Lalonde and again, I don't know what promises were made to him or if Mack would be that much of an upgrade

Here's a side giggle Betts is playing back up to MIchelone in Pickering LOL

mid-pack as in 5-6 in conference and 10-11 overall?

 

[OMG67]

The issue is more defence and offence than goaltending. If the Frotns platoon goalies as they have, you still are mid-pack. I think Cooper felt that this was going to be Vaccari's year to shine.

I agree with @OMG67 that MacK will be cheap but unfortunately, you would have to release Lalonde and again, I don't know what promises were made to him or if Mack would be that much of an upgrade

Here's a side giggle Betts is playing back up to MIchelone in Pickering LOL

I don’t see MacK as an upgrade to be honest. He really hasn’t played well at all this year. This has been his worst season by far. And I am not even talking about statistics. He isn’t passing the eye test. He doesn’t seem focused at all.

Like in London, I think they need George so they can free up an OA slot but unlike London, I don't think Kingston can pry George away from OS. I think Kingston is where they are with respect to Goaltending. They need that top-4 D-Man so they can bump Williamson back to anchor the 3rd pairing and allow a little flexibility in case of injury. Maybe some depth scoring would be nice too. I think both of those are more attainable than a goaltending upgrade.

 

[leafs4life94]

Disappointed no Dervin again, McGowan listed but I'm guessing he'll test out the injury in warm-up and if he can't go Velliaris steps in, Lalonde in net.

3rd in a road 3-in-3 - they've played alright so far but it's definitely an uphill battle against a rested Brantford team.

 

[leafs4life94]

I don’t see MacK as an upgrade to be honest. He really hasn’t played well at all this year. This has been his worst season by far. And I am not even talking about statistics. He isn’t passing the eye test. He doesn’t seem focused at all.

Like in London, I think they need George so they can free up an OA slot but unlike London, I don't think Kingston can pry George away from OS. I think Kingston is where they are with respect to Goaltending. They need that top-4 D-Man so they can bump Williamson back to anchor the 3rd pairing and allow a little flexibility in case of injury. Maybe some depth scoring would be nice too. I think both of those are more attainable than a goaltending upgrade.

If they pull the trigger on an OA goalie upgrade I don't think it'll be a crazy price, particularly because I don't think there's a major market so they could get a Parsons or Schenkel for a pick or two - if that's enough to get them on the market.

I'm conflicted on a forward OA upgrade. I think I said at the beginning of the year I'd be very disappointed if Heyes was around because I felt like he was ripe for an upgrade but credit to him, he's been a lot better than I thought, already clearing his career high in points and one of the few players that consistently plays with some jam.

If they keep Heyes, that definitely increases the cost of a forward but even though it sucks other teams' cycles are peaking this year they're too deep invested, so as far as I'm concerned empty the pick stash and focus on recouping next year with Battaglia, some OAs and maalyne Hopkins.

 

[OMG67]

Disappointed no Dervin again, McGowan listed but I'm guessing he'll test out the injury in warm-up and if he can't go Velliaris steps in, Lalonde in net.

3rd in a road 3-in-3 - they've played alright so far but it's definitely an uphill battle against a rested Brantford team.

Wasn’t Dervin signed for next season? I thought he may get the odd game here or there but he was going to finish the season (and school year) at St Andrews. I imagine yesterday and today may have conflicted with his schedule at St Andrews. They play Shattuck St Mary’s yesterday and today.

Next weekend they are in Groton Mass playing a three game tournament Thursday through Saturday.