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OHL North Bay Battalion

Attack Defeats Battalion

December 15, 2019 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Matthew Struthers and Joshua Samanski scored goals 51 seconds apart in the third period to spark the Owen Sound Attack to a 3-1 comeback victory Sunday over the North Bay Battalion.

Barret Kirwin scored into an empty net and goaltender Mack Guzda faced 37 shots for Owen Sound, which has a won-lost-extended record of 15-12-5 for 35 points, fourth in the Ontario Hockey League's Midwest Division.

Struthers, traded to the Attack on Dec. 2 for three OHL Priority Selection picks, faced his former Battalion teammates for the first time before a crowd of 1,949. He has 14 goals this season, including three with Owen Sound.

Brad Chenier scored for North Bay, 6-25-0 for 12 points, fifth and last in the Central Division. Newly acquired goaltender Cameron Lamour made 24 saves in a stellar performance. It was his first OHL action since allowing seven goals in two periods for the Sarnia Sting in an 8-4 road loss to the Flint Firebirds last March 16.

North Bay sent Sarnia a conditional 11th-round pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection for Lamour, who was playing this season with the Rayside-Balfour Canadians of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

"This was probably our best game of the weekend, but we don't end up with a win," said interim head coach Ryan Oulahen, who was successful in his first game running the Battalion bench last Thursday night, with a 4-3 decision over the visiting Erie Otters. The Troops suffered a 4-2 road loss Friday night to the Mississauga Steelheads.

"We had a good first and second period, but to have only a 1-0 lead at that point was the issue. We couldn't find a way to bury one or two more. We got on our heels a little bit going into the third, and we got a little nervous with a young group. We're fighting right to the end, which I love to see, but it's tough because I really like the way we played today."

Oulahen was pleased with Lamour's showing.

"He played very well today. He made some good saves. He kept it quiet. He's a calm kid and he's steady back there."

North Bay carried the play for most of the first period, building a 12-8 edge in shots. Brandon Coe outmuscled Carter Robertson and Sam Sedley and slipped the puck into the slot, where a charging Chenier fired it high over Guzda's blocker at 14:50. Cameron Peters had the second assist on Chenier's 14th goal, which tied Luke Moncada for the team lead.

Lamour was tested late in the frame but turned away Robertson, Andrew Perrott, Deni Goure and Daylon Groulx. Brady Lyle drilled the puck off the left post in the 17th minute.

The scoreless second period saw the Battalion outshoot the visitors 18-10. Guzda kicked away a close-in chance for Moncada in the 12th minute and sprawled to deny Chenier in the 13th. Guzda stopped Coe as he drove to the net in the 17th minute, seconds after Alex Christopoulos missed sliding the puck inside the post. Mitchell Russell fired wide on a breakaway in the 15th minute, and Peters hit the left post in the 18th.

Struthers tied it at 5:22 of the third period when his low shot from the left circle found its way inside the right post, and Samanski promptly shoveled the puck past Lamour from the lip of the crease for the winner.

North Bay occupied Attack territory for all but the last seconds of a power play after Samanski went off for tripping at 8:03 but, even with penalty killer Matthew Philip minus his stick, the Battalion failed to connect. The Troops' best chance came when Coe missed an open net from close range. The Battalion had good chances the rest of the way by Chenier and Coe.

Lamour first left for a sixth skater with 2:07 to play, and Kirwin hit the empty net at 19:53 for his team-leading 17th goal.

The Battalion plays host to the London Knights at 7 p.m. Thursday in its last game before the Christmas break. The game features the Rogers Radio Teddy Bear Toss, supported by Giant Tiger, with fans asked to throw a new or gently used plush toy wrapped in plastic onto the ice after the Troops' first goal.

BATTALION BULLETS: Lamour, 19, was a third-round pick by the Saginaw Spirit in 2016 from the Sudbury Wolves minor midgets. The Naughton, Ont., resident stands six-foot-two and weighs 175 pounds. In 51 games in two-plus seasons with Saginaw and Sarnia, he went 12-24-3 with a 4.39 goals-against average and an .858 save percentage. In nine games with Rayside-Balfour this season, he was 5-3-1 with a 2.97 GAA and .921 save percentage ... Coe has a four-game points streak in which he has three goals and four assists for seven points ... The Battalion power play went 0-for-3. Owen Sound was 0-for-1 ... Opening lines included Moncada centring left winger Chenier and right winger Coe, Mason Primeau pivoting left winger Harrison Caines and right winger Russell and Peters centring left winger Josh Currie and right winger Chad Denault. Liam Arnsby centred left winger Kyle Jackson and right winger Christopoulos ... The Battalion was without Ryan Thompson and Christian Cicigoi, sidelined with an injury suffered in practice Dec. 7 ... In addition to Struthers, the Attack roster includes former Battalion skaters Lyle and Adam McMaster. Both were first-round picks by North Bay, Lyle in 2015 and McMaster in 2016 ... Among the missing for Owen Sound was Aidan Dudas, with Canada for the World Junior Championship starting Dec. 26 in the Czech Republic.

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