
Battalion Turns Back Steelheads 5-1
February 19, 2016 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Brett McKenzie and Mathew Santos each had one goal and one assist to pace the North Bay Battalion to a 5-1 victory over the Mississauga Steelheads in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night.
Brett Hargrave, Zach Poirier and Mike Amadio also scored for North Bay, which won a third consecutive game to move its won-lost-extended record to 29-18-8 for 66 points, second in the Central Division and third in the Eastern Conference. Goaltender Jake Smith stopped 27 shots.
Stephen Gibson scored for Mississauga, which lost for the first time in four games and is 28-25-4 for 60 points, tied for third place in the division with the Niagara IceDogs and for fifth in the conference with Niagara and the Ottawa 67's.
Starting goaltender Jack Flinn played the first period, allowing three goals on 11 shots, before giving way to Joseph Murdaca, who surrendered two goals on 15 shots over the final 40 minutes before 3,738 at the Hershey Centre.
The Troops, who set a season high for goals in a 9-1 rout of the visiting Sudbury Wolves on Thursday night, kept rolling offensively, striking for three goals in the first period.
Hargrave opened the scoring at 2:03, snapping a wrister from the right-wing circle over Flinn's glove. Steve Harland and Riley Bruce assisted on Hargrave's sixth goal of the season.
Poirier scored what proved to be the winner on the power play at 7:51. Flinn stopped Brady Lyle's shot from the left point, but McKenzie corralled the rebound and shoveled it to Poirier, who got enough of the puck to push it into the net for his 12th goal.
The Battalion was shorthanded, with a penalty looming to the Steelheads, when McKenzie whipped home a wrister off the left wing at 17:30. Santos and Cam Dineen assisted on the 23rd goal by McKenzie, who has scored five of North Bay's league-leading 21 shorthanded goals.
Smith was sharp in the period, denying a net drive by Nicolas Hague in the fifth minute and sliding across the crease to foil Austin Osmanski in the sixth, both saves coming with the teams skating four a side.
Amadio became the fifth player in franchise history to score a 40th goal in a season when he fired his own rebound past a screened Murdaca from deep in the right-wing circle at 1:41 of the third period. Kyle Wood earned the only assist.
Amadio is the first Battalion player to score 40 goals since Cody Hodgson and Evgeny Grachev netted 43 and 40 respectively for Brampton in 2008-09. Wojtek Wolski set the franchise record with 47 goals in 2005-06, while Raffi Torres had 43 in 1999-00.
Maurizio Colella set up the Troops' fifth goal, at 4:23. Murdaca stopped Colella's shot from the left wing, but the rebound made its way to Santos, who converted for his 22nd goal.
Defenceman Gibson got Mississauga on the board at 5:36, beating Smith from the top of the right circle.
Smith, who was shaken up when Marcus Dickerson crashed into him at 9:33 of the scoreless second period, foiled Nathan Bastian at the left post in the 12th minute and turned away a Hague chance and Daniel Muzito-Bagenda's rebound attempt in the 14th. Smith took a Stefan LeBlanc shot off the mask seconds later.
At the other end, Murdaca snared an Amadio shot off a fifth-minute breakaway. Amadio drilled the puck off the right post in the 15th minute, and Murdaca stopped late chances for Poirier and Hargrave.
The Battalion plays host to the Peterborough Petes, currently fourth in the conference, at 2 p.m. Sunday.
Ontario Hockey League Stories from February 19, 2016
- Battalion Turns Back Steelheads 5-1 - North Bay Battalion
- MacInnis Scores Hat Trick; Opilka Shuts out Generals - Kitchener Rangers
- Wolves Drop Match to Petes - Sudbury Wolves
- McEwan's Late Goal Lifts Storm over Attack - Guelph Storm
- Firebirds Score Three Unanswered to Earn 4-3 Road Victory Friday - Flint Firebirds
- 67's Come up Short against Kingston Despite Strong Effort - Ottawa 67's
- Spirit Take Down No. 1 Ranked Otters 3-1 - Saginaw Spirit
- Flint Edges Sting with Third Period Rally - Sarnia Sting
- Attack Fall in Tight Road Game to Storm - Owen Sound Attack
- Spirit Down Erie 3-1 - Erie Otters
- Traffic Advisory for Sunday Afternoon's Game - Windsor Spitfires
- Wolves Out-Gunned by Battalion - Sudbury Wolves
- 1996 OHL Championship Team to be Honoured by Petes on Saturday, February 27 - Peterborough Petes
- Preview: Spirit Host No. 1 Otters Friday Night - Saginaw Spirit
- AM Roofing Night March 4th - Guelph Storm
- Halverson, MacIntyre and PK Help Hounds Soar Past Windsor - Soo Greyhounds
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent North Bay Battalion Stories
- Season Ticket Pickup Scheduled to Start September 3
- Season Opener Set September 27
- Season Ticket Renewal Deadline June 14
- Dennis Named as Top GM
- Troops Provide 'Great Legacy'

