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OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion Blanks Barrie

December 30, 2018 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


BARRIE, Ont. - Goaltender Christian Propp made 15 saves for his first shutout of the season as the North Bay Battalion pushed its Ontario Hockey League winning streak to five games with a 3-0 victory Saturday night over the Barrie Colts.

Matthew Struthers, Brad Chenier and Mitchell Russell scored in the second period for North Bay, which has a won-lost-extended record of 16-18-2 for 34 points, three more than Barrie and fourth in the Central Division. The Battalion's last loss was a 5-1 setback Dec. 9 to the host Hamilton Bulldogs that was the Troops' seventh straight defeat.

Battalion coach Stan Butler was credited with his 1,600th Canadian Hockey League game.

Propp, a former member of the Colts, has three career shutouts, two with the Battalion. Both have come in a 3-0 win at Barrie, the first last Jan. 13. The 15 shots were the fewest allowed by the Troops this season, eclipsing the 26 by the host Erie Otters in a 5-2 Battalion win Oct. 27.

Barrie, which has suffered five straight losses since a 4-2 road decision Dec. 9 over the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, the Colts' only win in their last nine games, is 15-19-1.

Goaltender Kai Edmonds made 29 saves before 4,154 at the Barrie Molson Centre. Barrie saw a scoring drought extended to 144:11, dating to Jason Willms's goal at 15:49 of the second period in a 5-4 loss at North Bay on Dec. 16 in the last game for both teams before the OHL's Christmas break. The visiting Colts fell 2-0 Friday night to the Kitchener Rangers.

Sustained pressure to start the second period paid off for the Battalion as Struthers connected at 1:39, burying the rebound of a Payton Vescio shot past an out-of-position Edmonds. The goal, also assisted by Luke Burghardt, was Struthers's 17th of the season. Burghardt has a five-game assists streak in which he has five assists.

Chenier made it 2-0 at 4:07, four seconds after a high-sticking minor to Barrie's Ben Hawerchuk expired. Chenier steered a Theo Calvas shot between Edmonds's pads from the deep slot. Brandon Coe also assisted on Chenier's 16th goal.

Russell poked a loose puck in the crease into the net at 17:14. Referee Jesse Wilmot initially waved off the goal but, upon a discussion with the video goal judge, the decision was reversed. Calvas and Harrison Caines assisted on Russell's seventh goal of the season and his second in two games since North Bay acquired him in a trade Friday with the Owen Sound Attack.

The Colts were outshot 15-6 in the period, with their best chance coming on the power play in the ninth minute as Jacob Tortora drove to the net off the right wing.

The Troops held a 10-2 edge in third-period shots. Barrie didn't record its first shot until 13:17, when Propp easily fielded a long drive by Jack York.

Each team registered seven shots in the first period. The teams traded early chances, with Propp denying Ryan Suzuki at the lip of the crease in the first minute and Edmonds kicking aside a Mason Primeau drive from the slot in the third. The Troops failed to create a scoring chance during their only power play, while Hawerchuk and Willms tested Propp with the man advantage in the 13th minute.

The Battalion plays host to the Sudbury Wolves at 1 p.m. Monday in the Troops' annual New Year's Eve game.

BATTALION BULLETS: In his 24th CHL season, Butler has a won-lost-tied record of 746-784-70, including 648-696-52 in 1,396 games with the Battalion. He also has coached the Oshawa Generals and the Western Hockey League's Prince George Cougars. Butler returned from medical leave for a 5-3 win Friday night at Sudbury. In his absence, the Troops posted a won-lost-extended mark of 13-15-2, games which count to Butler's totals as he was the coach of record ... North Bay's Justin Brazeau saw the end of a seven-game points streak in which he had 10 goals and five assists for 15 points ... The Battalion is 4-1-0 against Barrie, having faced the Colts in three of the last four games. The teams wrap up their season series March 7 at North Bay ... Each team went 0-for-4 on the power play ... Opening lines featured Struthers centring left winger Burghardt and right winger Brazeau, Primeau centring left winger Chenier and right winger Coe and Russell pivoting left winger Daniel Walker and Caines on right wing. Luke Moncada centred Cameron Peters on left wing and Patrick Brown on right wing ... The Battalion was without Pacey Schlueting, Travis Mailhot and Kurtis Evans ... Barrie sent defenceman Joey Keane to the London Knights on Friday for forward Dalton Duhart and three OHL Priority Selection picks, two of them conditional ... Ben Moser was the other referee.

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