OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion Makes Goaltending Moves

December 1, 2010 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


BRAMPTON, Ont. ‚¬" The Brampton Battalion signed free agent Cody St. Jacques on Tuesday, prompting the trade of fellow goaltender Jacob Riley to the Sudbury Wolves.

For Riley, a 17-year-old in his second Ontario Hockey League season, the Battalion receives a fourth-round pick in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection that originally belonged to the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors.

St. Jacques completes the Battalion's three-man overage contingent with left winger Stephon Thorne and right winger Scott Tanski. An overage spot became vacant when left winger Sean Jones was traded to the Kingston Frontenacs on Nov. 22.

Rookie Dennis Saikkonen, 18, is the other goaltender on the roster. He and Riley, who had a won-lost-extended record this season of 5-5-4 with a 3.08 goals-against average and an .877 save percentage, have backstopped the Troops to a mark of 9-11-4, third in the Central Division. The Battalion hosts Mississauga at 7 p.m. Thursday in the first of three games this week.

"Bringing in an older goalie was something we had to do," said Stan Butler, director of hockey operations and head coach. "It was tough for our young goalies to play in this league, and it's great to be able to get a goalie with Cody's experience in the OHL."

Said Butler: "Sudbury was looking for a young goalie, and it looks like a good fit for both sides."

Riley said: "We've struggled a bit lately, and bringing in a veteran goalie is something Stan felt he had to do. I think it'll be a good opportunity for me. I'm going up there to contend for a starting job. That's my goal."

Riley, a seventh-round pick in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection, had a 2-4-1 record with a 2.56 GAA and .898 save percentage with one shutout last season, but he and Saikkonen had faltered at times this year behind a youthful defence corps. The Battalion has two wins in its last 13 games.

St. Jacques has played four OHL seasons, three with the Guelph Storm and one with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. He played 26 games for Guelph in 2009-10, going 9-14-2 with a 3.83 GAA and .898 save percentage.

"I was looking for an overage spot coming into this season, but it didn't really work out," said St. Jacques, who played 10 games this season with the Guelph Gryphons in Ontario University Athletics. "I missed a lot of time last season with a back injury, and I think a lot of teams were skeptical about taking me in. But I've found a home here in Brampton and I'm looking forward to it.

"I'm coming here with an open mind. I have to earn everything I get. I have no preconceived notion about how many games I'm going to play. I'm just going to work hard every day and, when I get the call, I'll be ready."

St. Jacques's Gryphons teammates included two former Battalion members, defenceman Ken Peroff and right winger Shane Kinsella. St. Jacques and Peroff, who share an apartment, attended the Troops' 5-4 victory via shootout Sunday over the visiting Barrie Colts that ended a six-game losing skid.

"I want to take some of the pressure off the younger guys on the team," St. Jacques said before his first Battalion practice. "I want to be able to hold the fort when they make mistakes. I don't want the guys to be afraid to make plays. My job is to give the guys a chance to win every night and be like a security blanket back there."

Said Butler of the five-foot-11, 180-pounder: "Cody can help stabilize things back there. We have a really young defence, and that gives us some confidence back there."

St. Jacques said that Peroff, who played four seasons with the Battalion, offered advice.

"He told me not to expect many shots in a good, solid defensive system, which I'm looking forward to. He really helped me make my decision. He had nothing but good things to say about the organization and the coaches, staff and players."

With the Gryphons, St. Jacques went 6-4-0 with a 3.61 GAA and .865 save percentage.

"The season was going well with the Gryphons, and then I got a call from Stan. It took me some time to weigh the pros and cons about leaving school, but if I want to pursue a hockey career this is where I should be."

The Storm's fourth-round choice in the 2006 OHL Priority Selection, St. Jacques played two seasons in Guelph before being traded to Sault Ste. Marie prior to the 2008-09 campaign. He was traded back to the Storm on Aug. 6, 2009. A resident of Iroquois Falls, Ont., he has a career OHL record of 31-54-10 with a 3.72 GAA and .890 save percentage and two shutouts in 111 games.

"I bring a lot of experience. I've been through it all. I've been through the good and the bad in Guelph and the good, the bad and the ugly in Sault Ste. Marie. I even moved on from the OHL and I've been around older guys in university. Some of the guys on the team are married. You kind of mature a lot faster once you've been in that environment. You learn a lot of life lessons, too. University has made me grow as a person and a player."

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