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 North Bay Battalion

Floundering First Fatal to Troops' Chances

February 20, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. - Michael Bunting scored three goals and added one assist to lead the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds to a 7-3 victory over the North Bay Battalion in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night.

Tyler Hore had one goal and three assists, Sergey Tolchinsky one goal and two assists and Zachary Senyshyn and Jean Dupuy a goal apiece for the Greyhounds, who jumped out to a 4-1 first-period lead. They got 31 saves from goaltender Brandon Halverson before a crowd of 4,462 at the Essar Centre.

Sault Ste. Marie has a won-lost-extended record of 44-11-2 for 90 points atop the West Division and Western Conference. The Greyhounds have won six straight games since a 5-1 road loss Feb. 8 to the Kitchener Rangers.

The 'Hounds were without Tyler Ganly and Darnell Nurse, both injured, and the suspended Nick Ritchie.

Nick Paul scored two goals and Alex Henriksson one for the Battalion, 28-16-11 for 67 points. The Troops, who lost a third straight game, are second in the Central Division and tied for third in the Eastern Conference with the Ottawa 67's, who downed the visiting Saginaw Spirit 4-1.

Starting goaltender Jake Smith allowed four goals on 18 shots before Jake Kment relieved him to start the second period, facing 24 shots the rest of the way.

"They were very good in the first period, and we looked like we were skating in quicksand," said Battalion coach Stan Butler. "In the second period, we came out and played harder, and I won't say we got back in the game, but we made it respectable."

It was Paul who scored first, on the power play 3:29 into the game, as Brenden Miller's shot from the left-wing circle glanced off the right skate of Paul, jousting at the crease with Connor Boland. Mike Amadio earned the second assist.

Sault Ste. Marie then struck for two goals 41 seconds apart. A broken play led to the first, at 4:44, when Tyler Hore's shot hit Hampus Olsson's stick and rolled to Senyshyn, who swept the disc between Smith's pads. Bunting scored at 5:25, driving to the net to convert a pass off the left wing from Jared McCann.

Tolchinsky emerged from the right-wing corner, wheeled around Wood, cut to the front and stuffed the puck between Smith's legs at 11:32, and Bunting buried a Tolchinsky feed over Smith's blocker on the power play at 17:24.

Henriksson responded on the power play at 11:06 of the second period. He had his back to Halverson when he deflected a Wood drive from the top of the left circle between the goaltender's legs. Miller drew the second assist on Henriksson's 17th goal of the season.

Kment was solid, making nine saves in his first period of action, including key stops on Bunting, McCann, Senyshyn and Gabe Guertler, but the Greyhounds struck for two goals 31 seconds apart early in the final frame.

Bunting his scored his team-leading 30th goal 47 seconds into the period, converting a Tolchinsky feed into an open net, and Hore blasted the puck over Kment's glove at 1:13.

Dupuy capitalized on a Kment turnover behind the net at 7:22 before Paul finished the scoring on the power play at 18:40, banging home the rebound of an Amadio shot. Miller earned his third assist on Paul's team-leading 30th goal.

The Battalion hosts the Niagara IceDogs at 2 p.m. Sunday.


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