OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion, Generals Dress for Battle

December 18, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - There'll be a vintage look to the proceedings when the North Bay Battalion hosts the Oshawa Generals at 7 p.m. Friday in the Troops' final Ontario Hockey League game before the Christmas break.

For the second time, the Battalion will wear Centennials sweaters and socks, in the style sported by the 1993-94 OHL championship team representing the Gateway City.

The Troops will wear historical white sweaters after having worn black Centennials garb in a 5-1 victory last Jan. 23 when the Saginaw Spirit visited. The Cents franchise was relocated to the Michigan city in 2002.

Onetime Centennials favorite Dennis Bonvie, who amassed 577 penalty minutes in 113 games over two seasons with the club culminating in 1992-93, is to conduct the ceremonial faceoff, and other alumni will be in attendance. A Cents display is to be on view in the western concourse of Memorial Gardens.

The Battalion also has invited a special guest, whose identity will be revealed before the puck drop.

In addition, the annual teddy bear toss is scheduled for the second intermission. Fans are asked to bring new or almost new bears or other stuffed toys, wrapped in clear, sealed plastic bags, for distribution to needy children. Bears will be available for purchase at the arena for $10.

The game features a battle of Eastern Conference division leaders. The Battalion, with a won-lost-extended record of 16-8-6 for 38 points, tops the Central Division, while Oshawa, 25-4-1 for 51 points, sits first in the East Division and boasts the best record in the league.

The visiting Generals edged the Battalion 2-1 on Oct. 23 in the only previous meeting this season as Tobias Lindberg's goal at 15:11 of the third period snapped a 1-1 tie forged in the first frame.

Each team has won its last two games, with Oshawa having captured six of its last seven, the two most recent losses coming at the hands of the Niagara IceDogs.

North Bay and Oshawa have several players away at selection or training camps with their respective national squads in advance of the World Junior Championship, which opens at Toronto and Montreal on Dec. 26.

Battalion centre Nick Paul is with the Canadian crew at St. Catharines, while the Generals are without three players.

Left winger Michael Dal Colle also is vying for a berth on Canada's roster, and centre Cole Cassels is with the United States team in Boston. Defenceman Sonny Hertzberg left Monday for Denmark's camp in Saskatchewan.

Paul leads the Troops in scoring with 19 goals and 15 assists for 34 points in 27 games, while Dal Colle paces Oshawa with 21 goals and 25 assists for 46 points in 23 games. Cassels ranks second among the Generals with 12 goals and 27 assists for 39 points from 22 games.

While some offensive firepower is occupied elsewhere, two of the OHL's top goaltenders are set to do battle again, having faced each other in the first meeting.

Oshawa's Ken Appleby, a North Bay product, is 22-3-0 with a league-leading 2.04 goals-against average, a third-ranked .926 save percentage and four shutouts. The Battalion's Jake Smith is 14-6-5 with a 2.36 GAA, which ranks third in the OHL, a .910 save percentage and three shutouts.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 18, 2014


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