Falcons blast Kilty B’s in opener
Trent Gates’ first experience with the St. Catharines Rankin Construction Falcons came in the summer when Falcons head coach/GM Tyler Bielby reached out and invited the 17-year-old Burlington native to join the team for a few skates.
“Ty made me feel really welcome and so did all the guys that were here from last year. When I did get accepted into the OHL, Ty was there by my side and supported me throughout,” Gates said Friday night, after scoring two goals and adding an assist to power the Falcons to a playoff-opening 8-2 victory over the visiting Hamilton Kilty B’s in Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League action. “When I did get released, I had no doubt in my mind this is where I wanted to be after all the welcoming and everything that Ty had done for me.”
The six foot, 160-pound forward, who was the seventh overall pick by the Owen Sound Attack in the 2024 OHL U18 Draft, played in 12 games for the Attack before getting released.
He admitted getting let go by the Attack was disappointing.
“The OHL is where most kids want to be when they are younger and it was cool when I was there but now that I am here there is no place that I would rather be. This is a team that I want to win a Sutherland Cup with.”
He loves everything about the organization, especially the coaching staff.
“The coaches are all winners and they have all won before. They know what it takes to get to the very end and we have a couple previous players coaching us now who have gone all the way and won a Sutherland Cup. They can help show us and teach us what it takes to be a winner.”
Gates was a point-per-game performer for the Falcons in the regular season with eight goals and 24 points in 24 games.
Bielby describes him as a great kid.
“He started the year in the OHL and there’s not much more skill in this league. His skillset is incredible and we’re just working with him on his compete and making sure he is a full 200-foot player. We really enjoy working with him and he is a great addition to our team. We spend a lot of time in the rink and you can’t walk into the rink any one of the five days without him smiling.”
Bielby loves Gates’ vision on the ice.
“He sees stuff that the other guys don’t see. There’s no question his vision is elite and if he can match his vision with compete, he will be a pro.”
Gates makes good use of that vision.
“I try my best when I am on the ice to scan as much as I can and see open players. I am more of a pass-first guy and it has always been how I’ve been. It is how I grew up playing.”
He was thrilled to open the playoffs with a pair of goals.
“It was pretty cool. Like I said, I am a pass-first guy so managing to put those two goals in felt pretty good.”
He has a good time playing hockey.
“I love the game and it makes me happy to come here. It’s exciting to come and see my teammates and my coaches and get to be on the ice.”
Bielby was pleased with his team’s play Friday.
“We will take it. We got contributions from all four lines and all six D and our goalie was really steady and calm and allowed us to build a lead,” he said. “I liked that we put the puck in the net and we probably could have scored a few more.”
There were a few areas where he felt his team could have been better.
“There were moments in the game where we got lacklustre in our own zone and our goalie had to make some big saves. We have to learn in the playoffs that our zone has to be 120 per cent. That is where we win a championship and we will just keep teaching.”
Winning in convincing fashion to open the playoffs should boost the Falcons’ confidence.
“Especially when we had a couple of rough weeks heading into the playoffs, missing some guys and struggling to score the way we normally do,” Bielby said. “To be able to come out tonight and put eight on the board, we’re going to take that.”
STATS PACK
Falcons 8 Kilty Bs 2
St. Catharines Trent Gates with two goals and an assist
St. Catharines Falcons: Treyson Dewar (1, 2); Trent Gates (1, 2); William Moore (1); Juan Agromayer (1); Nathan Duplessis (1); Ally Mostafaie.
Hamilton Kilty B’s: Jonny Brooks (1, 2).
Game stats: Shots on goal: By St. Catharines on Avery Alves (39), by Hamilton on Hayden Jeffery (28); Power plays: St. Catharines 0/2, Hamilton 1/6; Penalty minutes: St. Catharines 14, Hamilton 26.
Attendance: 473.
Up next: The Falcons are in Hamilton Saturday before returning home for Game 3 of the series Tuesday at 7 p.m.
