BRAMPTON, Ont. - Ben Alavie and Cameron Wind of the Brampton Battalion have been dealt a tough weekend on which to return to the Ontario Hockey League team's lineup.Alavie, who has missed eight games with a concussion, is expected to play when the Battalion starts a stretch of three games in as many days with a 7:30 p.m. Friday visit to the Kingston Frontenacs. The Troops meet the host Belleville Bulls at 7:05 p.m. Saturday before returning home to face the London Knights at 2 p.m. Sunday. Fellow defenceman Cameron Wind, who lost two games to flu, also is set to return.
"It's going to be tough, but I've been working hard the last week trying to get in shape," Alavie said Thursday. "You can't do much even though you feel normal. You have to wait until you get cleared by the doctors to resume activities. It's hard to accelerate things because nothing is the same as playing in a game. Tuesday's practice was tough. I was gasping. Yesterday was a bit better, and by game time I'll be fine."
Wind, who has three goals and two assists for five points in 14 games, was recognized this week as the Central Division's academic player of the month for October.
"It was tough not to play," said Wind, 17. "I just didn't have the energy and wasn't up to it. Hopefully I can play like I did at the beginning of the season. I felt a little rusty yesterday, since I hadn't played since last Thursday. I seemed to be losing a lot of spark that I had at the beginning of the season over the last two weeks."
Coach Stan Butler said he's happy to get the two blueliners back.
"It's tough to miss a weekend like Cameron did, but he's in such good shape that I think he'll be farther along than Ben, who was sucking wind the first couple of days back. A concussion like that can put you behind, and he's just trying to catch up."
Alavie was hit into the boards by Brett Flemming in a 2-1 loss Oct. 12 to the visiting Mississauga St. Michael's Majors.
"At times during the layoff I felt fine, and then I'd come to a game and try to go up the stairs and get lightheaded or get a headache," said Alavie. "I've had a few (concussions), so you have to be really careful. Your head is the most important thing you have, so in the long run missing eight games isn't that big a deal."
Alavie, 19, has one assist in six games. The coaching staff challenged him to raise his level of play in his third season.
"I'm a guy who needs to be a leader," said Alavie, a fourth-round choice in the 2006 OHL Priority Selection. "I need to make an impact. I can't just be along for the ride. I'm glad the coaches challenged me because I wasn't performing the way they expected me to. I hope I can get back to the level I was playing at when I got hurt."
The Battalion, which beat the visiting Plymouth Whalers 3-2 Sunday to end a four-game losing streak, faces the resurgent Frontenacs and traditionally strong Knights for the first time this season. Belleville won 3-1 at Brampton on Sept. 25.
"Every game will be a challenge for us," said Butler. "Kingston has lost some tough games, but they're a good team. Belleville's always tough to play at home. They've been getting good goaltending and finding ways to scratch out wins. They're probably very similar to us. Then we get a London team that has a lot of very good offensive weapons."
Fans can see the games at Kingston and Belleville live in Brampton on Rogers Cable 10 and in Caledon and Orangeville on Rogers Cable 63.
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