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OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion breaks single-season points mark

March 10, 2006 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


OTTAWA - The Brampton Battalion ushered in the 80s Friday night.

And it's not as though the Ontario Hockey League team is behind the times.

Howie Martin, Wojtek Wolski, Aaron Snow and Graham McNabb scored a goal apiece for the Battalion, which defeated the Ottawa 67's 4-2 to push its won-lost-extended record to 39-21-3 for 81 points, a single-season record for the eighth-year club.

Goaltender Daren Machesney made 37 saves as the Battalion pushed a club-record winning streak to nine games and won a team-record sixth straight road game. The Troops haven't lost since a 5-2 setback Feb. 16 to the host Windsor Spitfires.

The Battalion, which broke its mark of 79 points set in 2000-01 on a won-lost-tied record of 33-26-9, including four overtime losses, is second in the Central Division, three points behind the Barrie Colts, who lost 5-2 to the host Kingston Frontenacs.

Matt Lahey and Jamie McGinn scored for Ottawa, fourth in the East Division with a won-lost-extended record of 26-31-7 for 59 points. Goaltender Brady Morrison faced 32 shots as the 67's suffered a fifth consecutive loss.

The Battalion, which scored three second-period goals for a 3-0 lead before Ottawa connected twice to trail 3-2 after 40 minutes, got an insurance marker from McNabb at 18:06 of the third period. John Seymour forced a turnover in the right-wing corner and centred the puck to McNabb, who scored from directly in front of Morrison.

Just 17 seconds into the second period, Martin opened the scoring during a two-man advantage inherited from the first frame, tapping home the rebound of a shot by Michael Vernace. It was Martin's 21st goal of the season.

Wolski scored his team-leading 41st goal at 3:30, taking a tap pass from Luch Aquino at the Ottawa blue line and blasting a high shot from the right-wing circle past Morrison.

Snow slid home the rebound of Tomas Stryncl's shot from the right point at 9:04. It was Snow's 26th goal of the season and fourth in five games.

Lahey scored his 18th at 11:36, tipping a shot by Logan Couture past Machesney after Couture eluded Jason Cassidy's coverage on the left-wing boards.

McGinn pulled Ottawa within one at 14:04 when he put Couture's rebound behind Machesney on a tight shot after persistent pressure by the 67's in the Battalion zone.

The teams played a penalty-punctuated scoreless first period, with Ottawa drawing five minors to the Battalion's three. There were no coincidental calls but plenty of power plays that lasted less than two minutes.

Kyle Sonnenburg of the Battalion received the first penalty, a slashing call at 3:33, but the Battalion enjoyed the best scoring chance when Morrison had to stop Wolski off a two-on-one rush with Aquino.

With the teams at full strength at the 13-minute mark, Machesney hit Aquino with a breakaway pass up the middle, but Morrison again came up big against a close-in shot.

Nolan Waker, Cody Smith, Michal Klejna and Corey George did not dress for the Battalion. Ottawa scratched Joe Pleckaitis, Robbie Lawrance and Tibor Radulay.

The Battalion visits the Belleville Bulls at 7:15 p.m. Saturday. Fans in the Brampton area can see the game live on Rogers Cable 10, with an audio simulcast on battalionhockey.com.

BATTALION NOTEBOOK: Attendance at the Ottawa Civic Centre was 7,310 ... The Battalion power play went 1-for-5. Ottawa's was 1-for-7 ... The Battalion has a club-record 20 road wins, eclipsing the previous record of 14, set in 2002-03. The Troops are 20-11-1 on the road ... Ottawa is 16-11-4 at home ... The Battalion is 21-6-2 since the Christmas break, a stretch that started with a 5-2 road win Dec. 29 over the Peterborough Petes ... The Battalion is 13-3-0 against the East Division and 28-12-3 against the Eastern Conference ... Wolski has a 13-game points streak, the longest active such streak in the league, during which he has scored 16 goals and earned 24 assists for 40 points. He had at least two points in every game in the run before Friday night ... Aquino, who had two assists, has a 12-game points streak, with 11 goals and 19 assists for 30 points in the span ... Snow is on a six-game points run, having scored four goals and added eight assists for 12 points in the streak ... McNabb's goal was his fourth of the season and first since Dec. 1 in a 4-3 win over the host Oshawa Generals ... The Battalion dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen. Opening line combinations saw Wolski centring left winger Snow and right winger Aquino, Martin skating between left winger Luke Lynes and right winger Cassidy and Justin Levac working with left winger Taylor Raszka and right winger Matt Smyth. Centre McNabb and left winger Seymour had rotating partners ... Seymour returned after missing four games with a broken finger suffered Feb. 24 ... The Battalion swept the teams' four-game season series, winning one in overtime, a 2-1 decision at Ottawa on Feb. 3 ... The Battalion hosts Peterborough, which leads the East Division and Eastern Conference, at 2 p.m. Sunday.

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