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OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion Beats Sudbury

March 3, 2019 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Mitchell Russell's goal at 14:56 of the third period helped propel the North Bay Battalion to a 4-2 victory over the Sudbury Wolves in Ontario Hockey League action Sunday.

Harrison Caines, Brad Chenier and Luke Burghardt, into an empty net, also scored for North Bay, which won for the first time in four games to move its won-lost-extended record to 27-30-5 for 59 points, fourth in the Central Division and tied with the Hamilton Bulldogs for seventh in the Eastern Conference. Russell also provided an assist, while goaltender Christian Propp made 46 saves before a crowd of 2,722.

Adam Ruzicka and Quinton Byfield scored for Sudbury, 39-18-5 for 83 points, tied with the Niagara IceDogs, who lost 6-5 to the visiting Sarnia Sting, for first place in the division and second place in the conference. Goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen faced 29 shots.

The Wolves had won their previous four games after a 1-0 home-ice setback in overtime Feb. 22 to the Barrie Colts, who trail the Troops by three points in the division and visit Memorial Gardens at 7 p.m. Thursday.

"It was a game we desperately needed to show up for," said Battalion assistant coach Adam Dennis. "Our team came out with the intensity that was necessary for the game, which was important. We were able to beat a good goalie today. We knew going in that to score on this guy you weren't going to get pretty goals. You were going to have to go to the net and you were going to have to get ugly ones, and that's what happened."

Propp responded with a strong effort after being pulled in his previous start, when he allowed six goals on 20 shots in an eventual 8-4 loss Thursday night to the visiting Owen Sound Attack.

"He was outstanding, and that's the kind of response you need from an older player," noted Dennis. "I was really proud to see him bounce back, and that's the kind of goaltending that can take you deep in the playoffs."

Rookie Byfield, the No. 1 pick in the OHL Priority Selection last April, tied the game 2-2 at 4:50 of the third period with his team-leading 29th goal of the season, battling his way out of the right-wing corner to beat Propp low to the glove side.

Both goaltenders were sharp as the teams traded chances over the next 10 minutes. The winner came when Luukkonen foiled Russell on a breakaway but the rebound bounced off the leg of sliding defender Isaak Phillips into the net. The unassisted goal was Russell's 12th on the season and seventh since a trade from Owen Sound.

Burghardt missed on a breakaway in the 17th minute, and Nick King broke up Sudbury's best scoring chance in the rest of the game when he slid to foil a two-on-one rush by Byfield and Nolan Hutcheson.

Luukkonen left for a sixth skater with 2:07 to play, and Burghardt capitalized after two Wolves fumbled the puck at the red line, firing the disc into the vacant net at 18:25. Matthew Struthers had the lone assist on Burghardt's eighth goal.

Ruzicka struck first at 4:40 of the opening period, cutting to the net off the right wing and tucking the puck around Propp.

Caines replied at 11:05 when he centred the puck from below the goal line in the left corner and had it glance off Luukkonen's mask into the net. Patrick Brown and Zack Malik, a onetime member of the Wolves who had two assists, assisted on Caines's ninth goal.

Sudbury forged an 11-10 edge in shots in the period, but the Battalion had the best chances, with Chenier, Struthers, Daniel Walker and Justin Brazeau testing Luukkonen. He appeared to be shaken up briefly in the 16th minute after a save against Struthers.

Chenier put the Troops in front 2-1 at 12:10 of the second period when he ripped a cross-ice pass from Russell over Luukkonen's glove from the left circle off a rush. Malik had the other assist on Chenier's 26th goal.

Sudbury, which outshot the Battalion 18-9 in the frame, failed to capitalize on a major penalty for kneeing issued to Walker at 12:37 for contact with Cole Candella, who lay on the ice and milked the situation. The visitors' best chances on the five-minute power play, which generated three shots, came from Byfield and Hutcheson. Propp also faced good scoring attempts in the period by Ruzicka, Liam Ross, Blake Murray and Macauley Carson. Burghardt hit the left post on a breakaway in the 11th minute.

BATTALION BULLETS: It was Stick It to Hunger Day presented by the Gathering Place ... The Battalion went 3-5-0 against Sudbury, marking the second time in the 21-year rivalry that the Troops have posted a losing record against the Wolves. Brampton was 2-4-2 in 2009-10. In 144 meetings, the Battalion has a won-lost-tied record against Sudbury of 88-52-4, the most games and best record against any opponent ... Brazeau played his 262nd game, tying Chris Rowan for ninth place on the franchise list ... Propp, who earned his 40th win with North Bay since an Oct. 22, 2017, trade from Owen Sound, was shaken up in the third period after being hit by falling teammate Simon Rose ... The Battalion went 0-for-1 on the power play. Sudbury was 0-for-3 ... North Bay was without Travis Mailhot, David Maier and Kurtis Evans ... Sudbury scratches were Owen Gilhula and David Levin ... Byfield, whose goal was his first against the Troops, has a five-game points streak in which he has six goals and three assists for nine points ... Carson has a five-game points streak during which he has four goals and five assists for nine points ... In eight games against North Bay, Murray had six goals and four assists for 10 points ... In six games against the Battalion, Finnish import Luukkonen posted five wins and one loss with a goals-against average of 1.51, a .945 save percentage and two shutouts.

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