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North Bay Battalion

Troops Bounce Back for 6-4 Decision

February 17, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


PETERBOROUGH, Ont. - Mathew Santos scored two goals, including the winner at 14:44 of the third period, as the North Bay Battalion rallied for a 6-4 victory over the Peterborough Petes in Ontario Hockey League action Monday.

Ben Thomson scored two goals, including an empty-netter, and added an assist, while Barclay Goodrow had one goal and one assist and Alex Henriksson the other goal for the Battalion, which erased two two-goal deficits in improving its won-lost-extended record to 30-21-6 for 66 points, second in the Central Division and tied for third in the Eastern Conference with the Kingston Frontenacs.

Starting goaltender Brendan O'Neill surrendered three goals on nine shots before giving way late in the first period to Evan Cormier, who allowed one goal on 16 shots the rest of the way for his first OHL win before a holiday crowd of 2,942.

Josh MacDonald scored two goals and Michael Clarke and Eric Cornel one apiece for the Petes, who suffered a fifth straight loss and are 24-27-5 for 53 points, third in the East Division and sixth in the conference. Goaltender Andrew D'Agostini faced 44 shots.

The Troops trailed 4-2 after two periods, but Thomson scored at 3:21 of the third, drilling a loose puck into the top corner, and Santos tied it 1:20 later, beating D'Agostini with a wrister from the slot.

Santos then jumped on a turnover inside the blue line and hammered a shot that D'Agostini knocked down with his glove. The puck landed in the crease, and D'Agostini toppled on it while Nick Paul crashed the blue paint as the goaltender slid into the net. Referee Scott Ferguson conferred with the video goal judge, leading to Santos being awarded his fourth goal of the season.

Thomson connected at 19:40 with D'Agostini on the bench for a sixth skater. The goal was Thomson's 22nd of the season and his 19th in 32 games since joining the Troops from the Kitchener Rangers on Nov. 22.

"It was a long bus ride for us, and you could tell that by our legs in the first period," said Goodrow. "This win makes our ride home a lot better. In the third we started playing the way we ' re capable of and we got some big goals. D'Agostini made some huge stops in the first and second periods, but we were able to find a way past him in the third."

The Petes built a 3-1 first-period lead, striking for two early goals 1:32 apart. MacDonald opened the scoring at 1:56, one-timing a pass from Anthony Stefano inside the right post, and Clarke struck at 3:28, converting a Greg Betzold pass while stationed alone in the slot.

Henriksson replied at 8:00. Vincent Praplan outmuscled Steven Varga to get the puck behind the goal line to D'Agostini's left and fed the disc to Henriksson, who swept it past the goaltender's blocker from the top of the right circle for his eighth goal.

Cornel's goal at 18:43 sent O'Neill to the bench. A Nick Ritchie shot missed the net, but the puck bounced off the end boards to Cornel, who knocked it inside the left post before a scrambling O'Neill could get across the crease.

Goodrow's team-leading 28th goal cut the deficit to one 15 seconds into the second period. Goodrow charged the net and chipped a Thomson pass over D'Agostini.

MacDonald restored the Petes' two-goal lead 1:03 later as he drove down the right wing past Dylan Blujus, who was hobbled earlier in the shift blocking a Ritchie shot, and flipped a backhander inside the right post.

The Battalion hosts the Erie Otters at 7 p.m. Thursday.

BATTALION BULLETS: Cormier was called up from the junior A North Bay Trappers after Jake Smith suffered a strained neck in a 3-2 home-ice loss Sunday to the Oshawa Generals when struck in the head by teammate Kyle Wood's knee following a goal by Oshawa's Cole Cassels. In his only previous OHL appearance, Cormier stopped all eight shots he faced in 12:41 relieving O'Neill in a 4-3 loss Nov. 2 to the host Belleville Bulls. Smith is considered to be day-to-day ... Goodrow has a seven-game points streak during which he has five goals and three assists for eight points ... Blujus and Marcus McIvor each played a 245th game, tying Jay Harrison for ninth place on the franchise list ... Blujus has 96 career assists, tying Adam Henrich for ninth in franchise history... Each team was 0-for-2 on the power play ... The Battalion is 14-13-3 on the road. The Petes are 15-14-0 at home ... Opening lines included Mike Amadio centring left winger Thomson and right winger Goodrow, Paul centring left winger Zach Bratina and right winger Matt MacLeod and Brett McKenzie pivoting left winger Praplan and right winger Henriksson. Jamie Lewis centred left winger Connor Jarvis and right winger Santos ... Apart from Smith, the Battalion was without Riley Bruce, Mike Baird, Jared Steege and Calvin Gomes ... The Battalion went 2-2-0 against Peterborough this season. The Petes won 2-1 in North Bay's home opener Oct. 11 and 6-2 at home Jan. 11, while the Troops defeated the visiting Petes 3-1 on Jan. 26 ... Patrick Brown was the other referee.

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