Aidan Hughes dazzled Barrie Colts fans with a hat trick as the Ontario Hockey League team held its annual Blue-White intrasquad game at the Barrie Molson Centre, Thursday night.
Not to be outdone, defenceman Brandt Clarke, who was the fourth-overall pick in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection, popped a pair as Team Blue skated to a 5-4 win over Team White.
The game was mostly a showcase of young talent, with a few Colts regulars also in the lineup, including Nate Allensen, Mathew Hill, Jack York and Ryan Suzuki.
Team White opened the scoring when York, who was recently invited to the Montreal Canadiens' training camp, scored a shorthanded goal on a breakaway. Barrie native Jake Partride soon put Team White up 2-0.
But then Team Blue turned on the offence with goals from Hughes and Clarke to knot the game at 2-2.
Hughes potted his second goal of the game late in the middle stanza to give Team Blue a 3-2 lead at the break.
Early in the third, Clarke found the back of the net again to put Team Blue up 4-2 with a shot from the blue-line.
Hughes completed his hat trick with a shorthanded goal.
Team White's Oliver Smith and Blake Hall found the back of the net, but it was too late as Team Blue held on for the 5-4 win.
The pre-season schedule sees the Colts travel to Port Colborne to face the Niagara IceDogs tonight at 7 p.m.
The Colts will be in Owen Sound on Sunday, Sept. 1 to meet the Attack in a 2 p.m. matinee game. The two teams will meet again on Monday, Sept. 2 in a return engagement at the BMC beginning at 6 p.m.
The Colts round out their pre-season schedule when they host the IceDogs on Thursday, Sept. 12, before heading to Kitchener to take on the Rangers on Friday, Sept. 12. The Rangers will be in Barrie on Saturday, Sept. 14. All games are at 7:30 p.m.
Barrie opens the OHL regular season on the road when they head to North Bay to face the Battalion on Friday, Sept. 20.
The Colts' home-opener is Saturday, Sept. 21 when the London Knights pay a visit.
