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North Bay Battalion

Troops Welcome Wood Back to Action Thursday

November 18, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion is set to welcome defenceman Kyle Wood back to the lineup for an Ontario Hockey League rematch with the visiting Kingston Frontenacs at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Wood, who underwent offseason surgery on a broken scaphoid bone in a wrist, hasn't played since the Battalion was eliminated by the Oshawa Generals in the Eastern Conference final last spring.

Wood said Wednesday that the biggest challenge for him probably will be "just the speed, just getting used to that again."

"I've been practising for a couple of weeks, so I'm getting used to that and the new guys and how they play. It's going to take me a couple of games to get used to that again, but it's going to be fun getting back into the games."

The Battalion lost 4-1 at Kingston in a fight-filled game Nov. 6 that coach Stan Butler suggested may have been the Troops' worst showing in two-plus seasons in North Bay. Wood was of a similar mind.

"The loss against Kingston was probably one of our worst games all year, so we're just going to have to pull it together," said Wood. "I think we know what to expect after playing them once and have to be ready for them, especially here in North Bay with our fans with a great atmosphere, and hopefully come out with a win."

Kingston has a won-lost-extended record of 12-6-2 for 26 points in the East Division, one point ahead of the second-place Ottawa 67's, who were to visit the Peterborough Petes on Wednesday night. The Battalion is 9-8-2 for 20 points, fourth in the Central Division and coming off a 7-3 home-ice win Sunday over the first-place Barrie Colts.

Butler, whose roster has been battered by injuries to one degree or another all season, said he was happy to have Wood returning.

Left winger Zach Bratina quit hockey this season because of recurring concussion symptoms, while Wood and Brady Lyle, who broke a collarbone in exhibition action, haven't played a shift yet. Defenceman Lyle was the Troops' first-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection in April.

Right winger Brett Hargrave has sat out the last two games with concussion-like symptoms, and left winger David Sherman has missed 12 games with a groin problem. Goaltender Jake Smith has yielded the crease to Jake Kment for the last seven starts because of an upper-body ailment.

"We're happy we've got Wood coming back this Thursday, and that'll be good," said Butler.

"Smith's got to undergo one more test on Thursday morning, and then we'll find out when he gets clearance. Lyle is actually practising in a jersey other than red now, so he's about two weeks away, and I think Hargrave is about two weeks away too, and Sherman actually practised today, so we're slowly getting there."

Butler, who noted that Wood has been skating for the last six weeks, said the towering rearguard's return can only improve the Battalion's back end.

"I don't think there are too many defencemen in the league who are better than him. If you watched practices, you'd see how dominating he is. He's at least in the top three defencemen in the league, so anytime you can add a top-three defenceman in the league to your lineup, obviously that's going to really help."

Wood, who was limited to 33 games by a knee injury in 2013-14, played 67 games last season, scoring 16 goals and earning 24 assists for 40 points while leading the Battalion with 11 power-play goals.

"Obviously, the power play was a big part of my success last year, and I'm just going to try to do the same thing I did last year and hopefully have the same success that we did."

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