OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion Hits Road for Back-To-Back Pair

Published on November 5, 2014 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion looks to take the momentum of a stirring comeback victory over the Sarnia Sting on a two-game trip into the Ontario Hockey League's East Division.

The Battalion, which scored six unanswered goals to stun visiting Sarnia 8-5 after trailing 5-2 in the second period Sunday, visits the Peterborough Petes at 7:05 p.m. Thursday and the Kingston Frontenacs at 7 p.m. Friday. Both games can be seen live in North Bay on TVCogeco Cable 12 and heard on Country 600 CKAT.

A road date against the Ottawa 67's on Sunday was postponed after a malfunction in equipment at TD Place caused the ice to melt. The game has yet to be rescheduled.

North Bay, first in the Central Division with a won-lost-extended record of 8-2-4 for 20 points, and the Petes meet for the second time. Nick Paul and Mike Amadio scored shootout goals to give the Troops a 3-2 home-ice win Oct. 3 as Dylan Wells, Peterborough's rookie goaltender, made 39 saves through overtime. The Petes, who have won their last two games, are fifth and last in the East at 4-6-3 for 11 points.

"Their rink is always a tough one to play in," Battalion captain Marcus McIvor said Wednesday. "They're a good team, and it'll be a battle. We definitely need to be ready if we want to come out with two points.

"The first game of the week is always huge, and we've struggled with that at times this season. It would be great to get off to a good start in Peterborough. That will really help our momentum heading to Kingston."

The Battalion and Frontenacs meet for the first time. Kingston sits third in its division at 7-6-1 for 15 points.

"They're a good team that can score, and our defensive game is really going to have to be on point," noted McIvor. "They can run-and-gun with the best teams in the league."

The Troops have been charged with 39 goals against, fewest in the league, and the win over Sarnia was the second in four games in which they've trailed after two periods.

Paul and McIvor scored to cut the deficit to 5-4 after two periods, and Jared Steege tied it at 10:37 of the third frame before Zach Bratina netted the winner on the power play at 15:25. Paul and Alex Henriksson added empty-net goals.

McIvor said the seeds of the comeback lay in North Bay's performance in last season's OHL playoffs, when the Battalion overcame a 3-1 series deficit against the Niagara IceDogs to win an Eastern Conference quarterfinal in seven games.

The Troops defeated the Barrie Colts in six games and swept the Oshawa Generals to win the conference title and a berth in the OHL Championship Series.

"Last season was a learning experience for all of us. Going through the Niagara series and being down, we all learned that nothing is over until it's over. Our effort Sunday was a perfect example of that. We came back with all our heart.

"It was a weird game. Once they got up 5-2, most teams would have rolled over. Paul got a quick one, and that gave us some life. The ball just started rolling. Even when we were down, I was never worried. We just started to play our best hockey."

Steege said the Troops saw a change in fortunes when they returned to what coach Stan Butler calls "Battalion hockey."

Said Steege: "It's all about chipping pucks deep, not turning it over and finishing your checks. It's mistake-free hockey. I thought we were playing a good game at the start and we just let off the gas a little bit in the second period. The coaches let us know the game was still in our hands. We just had to keep playing our game and good things would come."

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from November 5, 2014


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