OHL North Bay Battalion

Balanced Offence Delivers 6-2 Victory

Published on October 5, 2014 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


SUDBURY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion got goals from six different players in rolling to a 6-2 victory over the Sudbury Wolves in an Ontario Hockey League game Sunday.

Zach Bratina, Mike Amadio and Nick Paul each had one goal and one assist and Kyle Wood, Jared Steege and Alex Henriksson also scored for North Bay, which received two assists from each of Ray Huether, acquired from Sudbury in a trade last Monday, and Brenden Miller.

Goaltender Jake Smith faced 18 shots as the Battalion, which defeated the visiting Peterborough Petes 3-2 via shootout Friday night, moved its won-lost-extended record to 2-0-1.

Pavel Jenys had one goal and one assist and Matt Schmalz the other goal for the Wolves, who lost a fourth consecutive game after opening their season with a 3-1 win Sept. 26 over the visiting Niagara IceDogs. Goaltender Troy Timpano was peppered with 43 shots.

The Battalion blew the game open with three second-period goals that produced a 4-1 lead. On the go-ahead goal, Huether worked the puck to Mathew Santos along the end boards to help set up Steege's goal, at 1:13. Steege took Santos's pass and snapped the disc between Timpano's legs.

Bratina scored what proved to be the winner at 3:18. After taking a check from Jonathon Masters, Bratina stepped around him and, following an initial shot, flipped the rebound over Timpano's glove. The goal was Bratina's second of the season.

Henriksson struck at 15:19, firing a Bratina feed between Timpano's pads from the mid slot.

Smith was rarely tested, facing six shots. He kicked out a Connor Cummins drive from the blue line in the fourth minute and denied Danny Desrochers from the lip of the crease in the seventh. Ivan Kashtanov fired the puck off the right post in the 11th.

Amadio's third goal, on the power play at 6:14 of the third period, made it 5-1. Desrochers was serving the first of consecutive minors for hooking and unsportsmanlike conduct when Timpano kicked the rebound of a Marcus McIvor point shot to Amadio, who connected between the legs of the sliding Timpano from the left-wing circle.

For the final North Bay goal, Amadio intercepted a pass at the Battalion blue line and sent Paul off on a two-on-one rush with Owen Green. Paul carried the puck down the left side and scored on a wrister low to the glove side at 9:54.

The frustrated and chippy Wolves, who managed only four shots in the period, none until the ninth minute, struck on the power play when Jenys snapped the puck over Smith's glove at 14:55.

The period featured two fights. Miles Liberati got the takedown on Sudbury's Brody Silk in a skirmish that started after Silk elbowed Liberati in the head. Silk received checking-to-the-head and instigating minors with a fighting major and misconduct. The Troops' Riley Bruce later utilized his height advantage to land several rights on Masters.

With the teams skating four a side, defenceman Wood opened the scoring with his third goal at 6:40 of the first period, wiring the puck from the right circle off a pass from behind the net from Huether.

Schmalz tied it on the power play at 12:30, tucking home the rebound of a right-point shot by Jenys.

The Battalion hosts the Owen Sound Attack at 7 p.m. Thursday.

BATTALION BULLETS: There was no announcement as to the number making up a sparse crowd at the Sudbury Community Arena ... Paul and Miller lead the Battalion in scoring with five points apiece ... Schmalz's goal broke a Sudbury scoreless streak of 189:13 dating to his power-play tally at 3:17 of the first period of a 2-1 road loss to the Belleville Bulls on Sept. 27. The Wolves subsequently were shut out by the host Oshawa Generals and the visiting Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds ... The Battalion went 1-for-10 on the power play. Sudbury was 2-for-6 ... Opening line combinations included Paul centring Zach Shankar on left wing and Amadio on right wing, Brett McKenzie pivoting left winger Bratina and right winger Henriksson and Huether centring Steege on left wing and right winger Santos. David Sherman centred left winger Green and Zach Poirier on right wing ... Shankar, a defenceman, again skated up front. He shook Schmalz with an open-ice check in the first period ... The Battalion scratched Mike Baird, Hampus Olsson, Mark Shoemaker and Calvin Gomes ... Sudbury was without Chase Hawley, Devon Paliani, Nicholas Baptiste and Brody Milne ... The Central Division rivals next meet when the Wolves visit North Bay on Nov. 20 in the opener of a home-and-home series ... The referees were Chris Carnegie and Jason Goldenberg.

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