OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion blitzkrieg buries Generals

Published on October 14, 2004 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


BRAMPTON, Ont. – Wojtek Wolski scored two power-play goals as the Battalion extended its Ontario Hockey League unbeaten streak to four games with a 6-2 win over the Oshawa Generals on Thursday night.

Ryan Oulahen, John DeGray and Luch Aquino each had a goal and an assist and Howie Martin also scored for the Troops, who moved into sole possession of first place in the Eastern Conference with a won-lost-tied record of 6-2-1. Goaltender Kevin Couture faced 23 shots in picking up the win.

Chris Hulit and Jesse Biduke replied for the Generals, who lost for the fifth consecutive game to fall to 4-6-0. Ryan Gibb made 28 saves in the Oshawa net.

"I didn't mind our first two periods in this game at all," said Battalion head coach Stan Butler, whose club led 5-1 after 40 minutes of play.

"We were outshooting them 26-12 after two periods. They have a lot of offensive players and to outshoot them like that is a positive sign."

Said overage left winger Dan McDonald, who earned two assists: "It was a total team effort tonight. We knew we had to get to the net and get some shots on Gibb. All of our lines are firing right now."

Oulahen opened the scoring for the Battalion with a power-play goal at 8:56 of the first period, flipping a bouncing puck over Gibb's left pad for his fifth goal of the season.

Martin made it 2-0 at 16:51 as he redirected Michael Vernace's shot from inside the blue line over Gibb's shoulder.

"I think it was important to get those goals early on Gibb," Butler said. "I didn't think he played a bad game, but he didn't see a lot of our goals. We had to get traffic in front of him and that's what you have to do with all the good goalies in this league."

DeGray's first OHL goal gave the Troops a 3-0 lead at 5:14 of the second period. Oulahen won a faceoff deep in the Oshawa zone and fed it back to the left point where DeGray fired it into the top corner.

Wolski collected the Battalion's second power-play goal of the game at 12:30 as he one-timed a cross-ice pass from Tyler Harrison between Gibb's legs.

The Troops took a 5-0 lead at 18:01 as Aquino, using Oulahen as a decoy on a two-on-one, snapped home a wrist shot from the right-wing circle.

The visitors finally got on the board at 19:39 as the rebound from Hulit's shot from the right-wing boards caromed off Vernace's leg and past Couture.

Biduke made it 5-2 with an unassisted goal at 8:32 as he snapped a wrist shot past Couture's right arm.

Wolski closed the scoring with a power-play goal at 18:59.

Tomas Stryncl, Graham McNabb, Scott Boomsma and Jason Cassidy did not dress for the Battalion.

Andrew Gibbons and Justin Wallingford were scratched for the Generals.

The Troops are back in action Friday night when they visit the Sudbury Wolves. Game time is 7:30 p.m.

BATTALION NOTEBOOK: Attendance was 1,638 ... The Battalion is ranked sixth in the Canadian Hockey League's first top 10 list of the season, which was released Thursday ... Aquino extended his points streak to seven games with an assist on Oulahen's goal. He has two goals and six assists for eight points in his last four games ... Aquino and McDonald lead the club in scoring with 12 points ... Martin has a three-game goals streak ... Wolski, who has scored in his last three games, has a five-game points streak. Four of Wolski's five goals have come on the power play ... The Battalion's three power-play goals was a club-high for a game this season. "I think our power play is executing a little better these days," said Butler. "I think we're getting some bounces too. If you work hard sometimes luck is on your side. I think our puck possession has been pretty good once we get it into the other team's end. I think we need to shoot it a little more from the point which we were doing tonight."... Battalion defenceman Phil Oreskovic and Oshawa blue liner Chris Petrow squared off in a first-period bout ... There were a pair of fights in the third period. Battalion defenceman Nick Duff tangled with Oshawa's Jesse Allen and DeGray wrestled with Generals rearguard John Neal ... The Battalion and Generals will meet at Oshawa on Oct. 22.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 14, 2004


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