NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



North Bay Battalion

Battalion to be Tested over Final Quarter

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


NORTH BAY, Ont. - With one-quarter of its schedule left to play, the North Bay Battalion is about to find out just how difficult the mission to finish first in the Ontario Hockey League's Central Division will be.

The second-place Battalion, with a won-lost-extended record of 27-13-11 for 65 points, trails the Barrie Colts by three points while holding one game in hand.

With Barrie visiting the Plymouth Whalers on Friday night and the Saginaw Spirit on Saturday night, the games in hand will number three before North Bay hosts the Sudbury Wolves at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Troops then visit the Peterborough Petes in a Family Day matinee Monday.

The Battalion did itself no favours by dropping a 3-2 decision at Sudbury on Wednesday night, giving the Wolves, who own the worst record in the league, a second win in three games following a franchise-record 18-game losing streak in which they went 0-17-1.

But coach Stan Butler's Troops rebounded Thursday night, defeating the London Knights 5-2 before a crowd of 3,917, second-largest of the season at Memorial Gardens.

Ryan Kujawinski, playing on a line with Brett McKenzie and Nick Moutrey, had one goal and one assist, while Alex Henriksson and Nick Paul, flanking Mike Amadio, had a goal apiece.

"I think any time you shut down their big three, and not give them a point in the game, that's a credit to your team's defence, because we know they're all world-class players," Butler said of London's Mitchell Marner, Christian Dvorak and Max Domi.

"You just can't let them get speed through the neutral zone. It sounds easier than it really is. They try to stretch you out and, if they can skate through the neutral zone, they have guys with high skill."

Butler said the line-shuffling atop the depth chart reflected a desire to even out the offence.

"We're just looking for some chemistry. We want to have more than one line that can score."

Paul shifted to left wing and Amadio to centre, to be joined by Henriksson. Moutrey moved from the left side with Paul and Amadio to right wing with Kujawinski and McKenzie.

"I thought that gave us a little bit better balance," noted Butler. "I like (Ray) Huether and (Mathew) Santos on that line. They're a good third line, and we're just trying to sort out our first two."

Hampus Olsson, who played left wing with Huether and Santos, scored his fourth goal of the season, the eventual winner, against London.

Fellow Swedish import Henriksson collected his 14th goal, giving him 28 points to match his total of last season, while Paul's empty-netter was his team-leading 27th goal, establishing a career high, one more than last season. Brenden Miller also scored for the winners, while Josh Sterk had both London goals.

The Battalion has eight home and nine road games left in the 68-game schedule as it seeks to repeat as division champions.

North Bay has won five of six games this season against Sudbury, outscoring its Northern Ontario and division rival 25-8. The Wolves, 9-40-2 for 20 points, were to host London on Friday night.

Check out the North Bay Battalion Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Ontario Hockey League message board...

Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 13, 2015


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.

Other Recent North Bay Battalion Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central