OHL North Bay Battalion

Colts rebound at home to even series

Published on April 8, 2006 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


BARRIE, Ont. - The Barrie Colts figured turnabout was fair play.

Jakub Petruzalek and Andrew Marshall scored two goals apiece and goaltender Dan LaCosta made 23 saves to lead the Colts to a 4-1 Ontario Hockey League victory Friday night over the Brampton Battalion, tying their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal at one game each.

The score was the reverse of the Battalion's 4-1 victory in the series opener at home Thursday night. The Troops host Game 3 at 7 p.m. Sunday.

Aaron Snow, assisted by Wojtek Wolski and Kyle Sonnenburg, scored on the power play at 17:25 of the third period for the Battalion, cutting the Troops' deficit to 3-1, before defenceman Marshall sent the puck down the ice for a shorthanded empty-net goal at 18:58.

Wolski, who was robbed of a goal at 1:13 of the third period, extended a points streak to 26 games, including eight in the postseason. A shot by Wolski beat LaCosta inside the right post and came out again, but there was no goal signaled and, apparently, no video review despite a Battalion request to referee Matt Parlette.

The Battalion saw an 11-game road winning streak snapped, and Luch Aquino had a 24-game points streak ended. Aquino scored 22 goals and earned 39 assists for 61 points in his previous 17 regular-season and seven playoff games.

The Battalion, which ended the regular season with a 14-game winning streak to finish one point ahead of Barrie atop the Central Division, lost on the road for the first time since a 5-2 setback Feb. 16 to the Windsor Spitfires. Since then, the Troops had won eight straight regular-season road games and three away from home in the playoffs while defeating the Belleville Bulls in a six-game conference quarterfinal.

Battalion goaltender Daren Machesney, who stopped Ryan Hamilton on a penalty shot at 16:47 of the third period, faced 36 shots.

As they did in the opener, the Colts took a 1-0 lead in the first period, and Petruzalek made it 2-0 just 45 seconds into the second after David Pszenyczny fired a shot wide right that bounced off the end boards to the other side. Petruzalek was there to bang the puck into the open net.

He did the same thing on a near-duplicate play with the man advantage at 3:22 after Bryan Little appeared to play the puck off the end boards deliberately. Petruzalek, stationed in the same spot to Machesney's right, scored his fourth goal of the playoffs.

With the Colts on the power play, referee Mike Pearce signaled a goal at 16:29 when Hamilton, alone in the deep slot, roofed a shot over Machesney, but the play went to video review at the league office.

With Machesney at the Battalion bench and backup Bryan Pitton warming up in the crease, the officials conferred with the office by telephone before indicating no goal, as the puck struck the crossbar and deflected away. Pitton then skated to the bench and Machesney resumed his duties.

Marshall scored during the only Barrie power play of the first period, connecting on a high slap shot from the right point at 12:26 as Hamilton screened Machesney.

The Colts killed two Battalion power plays in the first half of the period. Howie Martin tested LaCosta during the second, forcing the goaltender to make a good glove save on a shot from the left-wing circle.

Hunter Tremblay kept Machesney alert with a shot through traffic off a faceoff with five minutes left in the period, and the Battalion threatened with three minutes left when defenceman Michael Vernace went behind the Barrie net and put the puck out front, where John Seymour and Nolan Waker lurked.

Both teams dressed the same lineup as in the series opener. The Battalion scratched Stephane Chabot, Justin Levac, Cody Smith and Corey George, while Kyle van de Bospoort, Kris Sparre and Daniel Minor were scratched for Barrie.

BATTALION NOTEBOOK: Attendance at the Barrie Molson Centre was 3,933 ... The Battalion, which lost for just the third time in its last 22 games, was 1-for-6 on the power play. Barrie went 2-for-7 ... The Battalion has an all-time playoff won-lost record of 24-28, including a road record of 12-15 ... Aquino has seven goals and nine assists for 16 points in the playoffs, while Wolski has 14 points on four goals and 10 assists. Wolski is the Battalion's career playoff scoring leader with 16 goals and 18 assists for 34 points in 37 games ... Vernace was rocked in a collision midway through the second period but quickly returned to action ... Phil Oreskovic, Nick Duff and Martin each played his 26th career playoff game with the Battalion, tying Chris Rowan and Jay McClement for eighth place all-time ... Opening Battalion line combinations included centre Wolski with left winger Snow and right winger Aquino, Martin between left winger Luke Lynes and right winger Jason Cassidy and Michal Klejna centring left winger Taylor Raszka and right winger Matt Smyth. Graham McNabb skated between Seymour on left wing and Waker on the right ... The Troops' last previous playoff game at Barrie was March 29, 2003, when they won 2-1 to eliminate the Colts in six games in a conference quarterfinal ... The Battalion's victory in Game 1 ended a seven-game Barrie winning streak that spanned the team's last three regular-season games and a sweep of the Toronto St. Michael's Majors in a conference quarterfinal ... The Peterborough Petes defeated the visiting Sudbury Wolves 6-1 to take a 2-0 lead in their conference semifinal.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from April 8, 2006


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