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OHL North Bay Battalion

Attack Doubles Battalion

March 1, 2019 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Barret Kirwin scored three goals as the Owen Sound Attack snapped a five-game losing streak with an 8-4 Ontario Hockey League victory Thursday night over the North Bay Battalion.

Aidan Dudas scored one goal and added three assists, while Andrew Perrott, Sergey Popov and Adam McMaster each had one goal and one assist and Cade Robinson also scored for Owen Sound, which has a won-lost-extended record of 28-26-6 for 62 points, fourth in the Midwest Division and sixth in the Western Conference. Goaltender Mack Guzda faced 24 shots.

Mason Primeau, Luke Burghardt, Justin Brazeau and Matthew Struthers each scored one goal and added an assist for North Bay, 26-29-5 for 57 points, fourth in the Central Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference, two points behind the Hamilton Bulldogs and Peterborough Petes, who downed the host Windsor Spitfires 5-1.

Starting goaltender Christian Propp allowed six goals on 20 shots before being relieved by Christian Purboo, who gave up one goal on 14 shots.

The loss before 2,212 at Memorial Gardens opened a run of three home games in four days, which continues against the Niagara IceDogs at 7 p.m. Friday.

"There were a lot of defensive lapses," said Battalion assistant coach Adam Dennis. "From the goalie out, we didn't have a great game. We had a good first three or four minutes and we took a penalty, and they seemed to get all the momentum after that. We're very reactive to the game right now and we need to play with a more even keel and bring our work ethic regardless of what's happening over the course of the game.

"We have to be tougher in our end. We have to separate guys from pucks and we have to play in the other team's end. That's a huge key for us."

The Battalion had a territorial edge early in the first period, with solid work leading to the first goal at 5:19 as Primeau buried a rebound. Brandon Coe and Simon Rose assisted on Primeau's 11th goal of the season, his eighth since joining the Troops from the Guelph Storm.

Robinson replied at 9:50 when he took a pass from Jackson Doherty, split the defence and chipped the puck over Propp's blocker, and Owen Sound took a 2-1 lead at 11:39. Defenceman Perrott had the puck at the right point and sent it wide of the net. The disc bounced off the end boards and Propp's left skate into the net.

The Troops tied it on the power play at 17:23 after Igor Chibrikov received a double minor for high-sticking. Guzda stopped a Nick King drive from the blue line, but the rebound went right to Burghardt, who swept it into the net from deep in the right-wing circle. Struthers had the second assist on Burghardt's seventh goal.

The Attack regained the lead at 18:09 when Popov rushed to the net and beat Propp to the stick side, and Kirwin struck at 19:52 when his low drive from the slot found its way between Propp's legs.

The Battalion cut its deficit to 4-3 at 5:24 of the second period when Brazeau finished off a two-on-one rush with Burghardt. Primeau drew the second assist as Brazeau extended his franchise record for goals in a season to 52.

Kirwin scored what proved to be the winner at 8:48. His shot from the left circle found its way over Propp's right shoulder, and Dudas ended Propp's night at 10:10, beating the goaltender to the stick side from the right circle.

The Troops had a two-man advantage scheduled for 1:25 and capitalized early as Struthers's low shot from the top of the right circle eluded Guzda, who appeared to be distracted by Brad Chenier in the goalmouth, at 16:58. Brazeau and King assisted on Struthers's 27th goal.

Kirwin batted his own rebound past Purboo at 1:36 of the third period, and McMaster collected an empty-net goal at 17:17.

BATTALION BULLETS: The teams completed their season series, after Owen Sound won 4-3 via shootout at home Jan. 5 ... The Battalion went 4-4-2 against the Midwest Division and 9-9-4 against the Western Conference ... Brazeau, with 102 career assists, is tied with Dylan Blujus and Barclay Goodrow for ninth place on the franchise list ... Burghardt played his 100th game for North Bay after arriving with Luke Moncada in a June 27, 2017, trade from Guelph. Burghardt, who played 169 games with the Storm, has 35 goals and 59 assists for 94 points with the Troops ... The Battalion went 3-6-2 in February ... North Bay was 2-for-4 on the power play. Owen Sound went 0-for-4 ... Several players on each team once played for the other. McMaster made his first trip to North Bay after being traded Dec. 28 for Mitchell Russell. Struthers and King previously played for the Attack, while Propp, who never saw action with the team, was acquired from Owen Sound. Brady Lyle and Zach Poirier, who was acquired from Guelph, are former members of the Troops ... The Battalion was without Travis Mailhot, David Maier and Kurtis Evans ... Chenier and Daniel Walker returned from three- and eight-game injury absences respectively ... The Battalion has reassigned forwards Kyle Jackson and Mat Hardwick to the junior A Ottawa Jr. Senators and Powassan Voodoos respectively ... Owen Sound scratched Bryce Caruk and Trenton Bourque.

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