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 North Bay Battalion

Troops Stun Oshawa with 5-2 Victory

April 21, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


OSHAWA, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion headed home Sunday night with a two-game lead in its Ontario Hockey League playoff series with the Oshawa Generals.

Barclay Goodrow scored three goals, including a shorthander and an empty-netter, and added an assist to power the Battalion to a 5-2 victory in the second game of the teams' best-of-seven Eastern Conference final. Brenden Miller had one goal and two assists and Nick Paul also scored shorthanded.

Jake Smith, who made 24 saves in a 1-0 win in the series opener here Friday night, faced 23 shots in goal for the second-seeded Battalion, which hosts Games 3 and 4 at 7 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

Stephen Desrocher scored one goal and assisted on the other, by Dylan Smoskowitz, for first-seeded Oshawa, which won eight straight games over its first two playoff rounds. Goaltender Daniel Altshuller made 24 saves before 4,058 largely disbelieving fans at the General Motors Centre.

The Generals, who had Scott Laughton back in the lineup from a three-game suspension for a match penalty for butt-ending in a second-round game against the Peterborough Petes, will lose Josh Brown to a one-game suspension. He was assessed a match penalty for a slew-foot on Ben Thomson in the second period, but the Troops failed to score during the five-minute advantage. Goodrow, in his first three-goal OHL playoff game, had three shorthanded breakaways on which he didn't score, one in the first period and two in the second, as North Bay gave the Oshawa power play fits.

"We watch a lot of video," noted Battalion coach Stan Butler. "Sometimes you pressure more in certain situations and, if you get a bounce, you take advantage of it." Special teams played a big role starting in the first period, with Smoskowitz scoring on the power play and Paul shorthanded after Goodrow struck early with the teams at full strength.

Goodrow took a long lead pass from Miller and broke in alone on Altshuller from the blue line, beating him to the far side from the left-wing circle at 1:30.

Smoskowitz put home the rebound of a right-point shot by Desrocher at 5:34, just 26 seconds after the Battalion drew a bench minor for too many men on the ice.

Marcus McIvor was off for holding when Paul and Goodrow, who had just missed on a breakaway, staged a give-and-go play on a two-on-one rush, with Paul finishing the sortie by cruising across Altshuller's goalmouth and backhanding the puck into the net at 19:13.

Thomson and Hunter Smith fought at 16:48 off a faceoff, with Thomson landing a number of early rights. The Troops extended their lead to 4-1 in the second period, with defenceman Miller striking first at 7:59 for what proved to be the winner. He kept the puck in at the Oshawa blue line as two Generals threatened to take it the other way, then moved up the slot to whip the puck over Altshuller's blocker.

With Thomson off for charging, Goodrow connected at 18:42 on a two-on-two rush with Mathew Santos, taking his diagonal pass between the defenders and wiring the puck from the left circle. The Battalion, which limited Oshawa to three shots in the third period, saw Altshuller spend most of the final 3:39 on the bench. Desrocher scored with six attackers on the ice at 17:49, collecting a pass from Cole Cassels with the right skate and backhanding the puck high into the net.

Goodrow completed the scoring into the empty net at 19:28. Dylan Blujus lofted the puck down the ice and drew his second assist of the game when Goodrow outraced a defender and slipped the puck across the goal line from the right edge of the crease. It was Goodrow's ninth goal of the playoffs, tying Paul for the team lead.

BATTALION BULLETS: The Battalion evened its playoff won-lost record on the road at 4-4 ... Goodrow scored his third career playoff shorthanded goal, setting a franchise record. Kamil Kreps and Cody Hodgson each had two. Goodrow has 28 career playoff points, tied with Matt Duchene for fourth in franchise history. Goodrow's 13 playoff goals are tied with Luch Aquino for fourth all-time, while his 15 assists also rank fourth in franchise annals, one ahead of Evgeny Grachev and Tyler Harrison ... Paul has a five-game points streak and has scored in each of the last four games ... Miller has at least one assist in each of the last three games. His 16 career playoff points are tied with Michael Vernace for 14th place on the franchise list ... Blujus has 15 career postseason points, tying Jeff Bateman, Anthony Peluso and Matt Kang for 16th in franchise history ... The Battalion went 0-for-3 on the power play. Oshawa was 1-for-5 ... Opening line combinations featured Paul centring left winger Thomson and right winger Goodrow, Mike Amadio centring left winger Vincent Praplan and right winger Matt MacLeod and Jamie Lewis centring left winger Connor Jarvis and right winger Santos. Centre Brett McKenzie and Jared Steege on left wing had various linemates as the Troops dressed seven defencemen ... The Battalion scratched Evan Cormier, Shawn Tessier, Mike Baird, Alex Henriksson, Zach Bratina and Calvin Gomes ... Oshawa scratched Owen McDade and Justice Dundas ... The Troops stayed in Oshawa on Friday and Saturday nights.


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