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North Bay Battalion

Shootout Supremacy Gives Troops Win

October 4, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Nick Paul and Mike Amadio scored in a shootout to send the North Bay Battalion to a 3-2 victory over the Peterborough Petes in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night.

Paul beat Petes goaltender Dylan Wells on the Troops' second shootout attempt before Nick Ritchie matched the effort against North Bay goalie Jake Smith. Amadio then beat Wells cleanly and Smith denied Hunter Garlent to secure the win.

The Battalion's Alex Henriksson fired the first shootout attempt off the left post, and Smith foiled Josh MacDonald with a pad save.

Paul and Zach Bratina scored in regulation time for the Battalion, which earned its first victory of the season after a 5-4 overtime loss to the visiting Barrie Colts last Friday night. Smith made 24 saves through overtime before a crowd of 3,471.

Ritchie and Michael Clarke scored a goal apiece as Wells, 16, faced 41 shots through overtime for the Petes, who have a won-lost-extended record of 1-1-1. Wells, a second-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection in April, earned his first win Thursday night with 37 saves in a 7-3 home-ice decision over the Belleville Bulls.

After each team scored late in the third period, Peterborough had a 6-2 shots edge in overtime over the Battalion, which killed a delay-of-game penalty issued to Paul at 19:54 of the third period. Smith produced two huge saves in the final minute, including using the glove to rob Garlent at the lip of the crease.

"We played a lot better tonight, even though we had to go to a shootout," said Battalion coach Stan Butler. "We were much better defensively. We checked better up the ice and, as a result, it was a much better team effort.

"Smith was solid. He made a lot of great saves. He really got unlucky on both goals."

Ritchie opened the scoring on the power play at 15:16 of the first period. Smith stopped Clarke's initial shot, but Ritchie swatted at the rebound from deep in the right-wing circle and the puck glanced off the goaltender's left pad into the net.

Paul's first goal of the season tied it on the power play at 5:15 of the second period. He cruised into the goalmouth and redirected Henriksson's left-point shot past a screened Wells.

Smith was called on to make a number of key saves. He stopped Garlent from the slot in the third minute and came out to challenge a Garlent attempt from deep in the left circle in the ninth. Smith sprawled to deny Ritchie's shot from the right circle with the Petes on the power play in the 19th.

Bratina gave the Troops a 2-1 lead with his first goal at 16:32 of the third period. He took off on a solo rush, stepped around falling defender Cameron Lizotte and beat Wells with a forehand deke.

The Petes responded 1:15 later when Clarke's soft shot from the left boards appeared to carom off the stick of defender Kyle Wood to find its way inside the right post.

The Battalion, which held an 18-5 edge in first-period shots, again made Wells's night difficult in the third. The goaltender foiled a Brett McKenzie rush and stopped a Wood attempt at the rebound in the seventh minute. Wells reacted quickly to stop a Paul chance in the eighth and came up with saves on McKenzie and Brenden Miller in the 15th.

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