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North Bay Battalion

Gardens Recognition Next for Paul

January 13, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Nick Paul figures to be the centre of attention when the North Bay Battalion hosts the Barrie Colts in Ontario Hockey League action at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Battalion will honour Paul before he plays his first game at Memorial Gardens since helping Canada win the World Junior Championship tournament at Montreal and Toronto, which culminated in a 5-4 victory over Russia in the gold medal game Jan. 5 at the Air Canada Centre.

Paul rejoined the Troops on Friday in his home town of Mississauga as they made a two-game trip to Michigan, combining a 6-3 loss Friday night to the Plymouth Whalers with a 3-2 win Saturday night over the Saginaw Spirit.

But Tuesday was the first day since the world junior triumph on which Paul was fully available to North Bay reporters, and they made the most of it, mobbing him before practice.

"I know it's going to be real loud in here, so I'm excited about that," he said of the pregame recognition.

Paul, the fourth member of a North Bay-based OHL team to play for Canada at the world tourney, is the first to win gold.

Goaltender Alex Auld of the Centennials brought back a bronze medal from Russia in 2001, when Stan Butler, the Battalion bench boss in Brampton then and in the Gateway City now, served as coach of the Canadian entry for the first of two consecutive years.

Other Centennials to play for Canada were left winger Chad Penney, on the sixth-place team in Germany in 1992, and centre Dave McLlwain, who was part of the Canadian squad that, with Russia, was disqualified for the Punch-up at Piestany in Czechoslovakia in 1987. The Cents' Bert Templeton coached Canada.

Somewhat overshadowed by his world junior exploits was Paul's signing a three-year entry-level contract with the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators. The deal, announced Dec. 20, was consummated the previous day, the same day that Paul made the Canadian roster.

"My agent and them were battling a little bit for a contract, and I just let them do it. I got a phone call to come downstairs and sign it. They said they liked my big body and just to keep working hard."

Paul, who scored the first goal at Plymouth and assisted on the first, by Ryan Kujawinski, at Saginaw, said he looks forward to continuing a solid season with the Battalion, which has a won-lost-extended record of 20-10-7 for 47 points, three behind first-place Barrie in the Central Division with two games in hand.

"I think we have as good a team as last year, maybe even better," he said of the Troops, who went to the OHL Championship Series in their first season in North Bay.

Butler suggested that Paul, who has a team-leading 20 goals and 16 assists in 29 Battalion games, did everything expected of him and more at the world tournament.

"I would tend to think he met every expectation. He made the team. He performed in a position that the coach had trust in him, and the team met the expectations and won a gold medal."

Forward Kujawinski is set to play his first home game with the Troops after being acquired from the Kingston Frontenacs four days before the trade deadline. He has three goals and one assist in three games with North Bay.

Winger Nick Moutrey, acquired a day earlier from Saginaw, suffered a sprained right ankle at Plymouth and is sidelined two to three weeks. He registered one goal and two assists in his Battalion debut, a 6-3 road win over the Ottawa 67's on Jan. 6.

Also suiting up with Paul for the first time at North Bay will be defenceman Austin Kosack, who made his Battalion debut Dec. 31 in a 1-0 home-ice win over Ottawa.

"In Kujawinski's case, I think he's done well," said Butler. "In Kosack's case, it's a work in progress, and in Moutrey's case he looked good in the first game but didn't play a lot in the second."

Noted Butler: "It's hard to really say a lot about our team because we're still a Band-Aid team right now. Going into the Barrie game, we're missing Moutrey and (Zach) Bratina, two guys who down the road will be key guys in our lineup."

Left winger Bratina, sidelined with a head injury, has been limited to 21 games, during which he has seven goals and nine assists.

The Battalion visits the Niagara IceDogs on Friday night and the Erie Otters on Saturday night.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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