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North Bay Battalion

Troops Work Overtime to Defeat Kingston

December 14, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Mike Amadio's power-play goal at 3:50 of overtime lifted the North Bay Battalion to a 2-1 Ontario Hockey League victory Sunday over the Kingston Frontenacs.

Zach Poirier also scored for the Battalion, which improved its won-lost-extended record to 16-8-6 for 38 points atop the Central Division. Goaltender Jake Smith faced 20 shots before a Memorial Gardens crowd of 3,142.

Coach Stan Butler has said that the absence of Nick Paul, attending Canada's selection camp for the World Junior Championship, would mean a shuffling of the Troops' forward ranks. In the third game without Paul, the first three lines were unchanged from a 5-0 road win Friday night over the Mississauga Steelheads.

Conor McGlynn scored for the Frontenacs, who got 27 saves from goaltender Lucas Peressini.

Kingston, 13-12-4 for 30 points, fourth in the East Division, completed a northern swing, having lost 3-2 Friday night to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds and 3-1 Saturday night to the Sudbury Wolves.�

"The Frontenacs really battled hard right to the end, and you have to give them credit," said Butler. "But our guys found a way to win, and in some of these games this season we've found ways to lose. It was nice to finally win one."

Amadio struck one minute after Jacob Graves went off for crosschecking, firing a Kyle Wood feed off Peressini's glove from the right-wing circle. Brenden Miller drew the second assist on Amadio's 15th goal of the season.

"It was a nice pass from Wood, and I had a lot of time in the slot, since it was a four-on-three," said Amadio. "I saw he was open high-glove and I knew I had to shoot there, and that's where it went."

Said Butler: "I always thought Mike would be a good player; it was just a matter of when. A lot of it was he had to get physically stronger. The biggest thing for him now is his shot. He's really starting to shoot the puck well, and as a result of that he's having success."

Rookie Poirier opened the scoring at 15:02 of the first period with his fourth goal, tipping Miles Liberati's lob from the left point between Peressini's legs. Marcus McIvor also assisted.

The Frontenacs failed to generate a solid scoring chance in the period. Peressini made a fine glove save on Jared Steege and turned aside chances by Poirier and Mathew Santos. Liberati narrowly missed converting a Brett McKenzie pass in driving to the net.

McGlynn tied it shorthanded at 16:17 of the second period. On a two-on-one rush against Miller, McGlynn put a Corey Pawley feed over Smith's blocker.

The Battalion outshot Kingston 7-6. Smith came up with key stops on Pawley, Samuel Schutt and Robert Polesello, and Liberati sprawled to thwart a two-on-one rush by Pawley and Schutt. Peressini denied Miller, Amadio and Hampus Olsson.

North Bay held a 7-4 edge in shots in the scoreless third period. Kingston had the best scoring chance, but Smith kicked away a drive by Schutt, who raced down the left wing.

The Battalion hosts the Oshawa Generals at 7 p.m. Friday in its last game before the Christmas break.

BATTALION BULLETS: Miller has 43 career power-play assists, tying him with Howie Martin for eighth place on the franchise list ... Amadio has scored three goals in the last two games ... Liberati has an assist in each of the last three games ... The Battalion went 1-for-5 on the power play. Kingston was 0-for-5 ... The Frontenacs dressed 16 skaters, two below the limit, although Roland McKeown appeared on the game sheet as a phantom ... North Bay's fourth line saw David Sherman centring left winger Owen Green and right winger Kyle Moore. A fifth-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection in April, Moore was called up from the junior A Powassan Voodoos to play his second game with the Battalion ... Apart from Paul, the Troops were without Riley Bruce, Zach Bratina and Calvin Gomes. Bruce suffered irritation to an eye after a contact lens was dislodged in a fight with Mississauga's Nick Zottl ... Tessier made his first return to North Bay since a Sept. 15 trade to Kingston for a ninth-round pick in 2015 ... The online auction of a Battalion sweater worn last season by Jamie Lewis raised $370 for the Juno Beach Centre Association, a Canadian non-profit organization which supports efforts to recognize Canada's contribution to the D-Day landing in German-occupied France during the Second World War.

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