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OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion wins sixth straight at home

December 5, 2004 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


BRAMPTON, Ont. – Tyler Harrison scored two goals as the Battalion set a club record with its sixth consecutive home-ice win Sunday, skating to a 5-2 Ontario Hockey League victory over the Sudbury Wolves.

The win, which extended the Troops' unbeaten streak to seven games, moved their won-lost-tied record to 17-9-4, including one overtime loss, for 39 points. The Battalion, which hasn't lost at home since Sudbury posted a 4-2 win Nov. 7, holds an eight-point lead over the Mississauga IceDogs in the Central Division and a five-point edge on the Peterborough Petes in the Eastern Conference.

The Battalion, 5-0-2 since a 3-2 road loss to the Mississauga IceDogs on Nov. 19, eclipsed the club record of five straight home wins achieved three time previously and are 12-3-0 at home this season. Two of the losses have been inflicted by Sudbury, which has won only three road games.

Luch Aquino had one goal and one assist and Howie Martin and Aaron Snow also scored for the Battalion, while Ryan Oulahen and Wojtek Wolski each earned two assists. Goaltender Kevin Couture made 35 saves to run his record to 8-3-1.

Marc Staal and Alexander Eaton replied for the Wolves, who fell to 11-16-3, including two overtime losses, for 27 points. Patrick Ehelechner faced 29 shots in the Sudbury goal.

Oulahen said the Troops talked before the game about having the chance to set a record for consecutive home-ice victories.

"We talked about it in the dressing room before the game, and it was a little extra motivation for us to break it," said Oulahen. "It was a tight-checking game, and they made us work for everything we got. These teams know each other pretty well now, and to win it just comes down to hard work."

Harrison opened the scoring with an unassisted goal at 3:36 of the second period. Harrison intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, cruised into Sudbury territory and slipped a wrist shot between Ehelechner's legs.

Martin made it 2-0 at 6:04, taking a pass from Brock McPherson and beating Ehelechner between the pads with a wrist shot from the slot.

The Wolves cut their deficit to a goal on the power play at 13:56 as Staal intercepted a clearing attempt and hammered a slap shot past Couture on the glove side from the left point.

The Troops got that goal back with a power-play score of their own at 14:44, with Aquino jamming home a loose puck from the lip of the crease for his ninth of the season.

Snow's second of the campaign made it 4-1 at 4:35 of the third period. Snow blasted an Aquino pass over Ehelechner's left shoulder from the edge of the left-wing circle.

Harrison scored at 10:37, sliding a cross-crease pass from Wolski past Ehelechener's right pad. It was Harrison's 12th goal of the season.

Eaton struck for the Wolves 52 seconds later, taking advantage of traffic in Couture's crease to flip a loose puck over the Battalion goaltender's right arm.

Sudbury outshot the Troops 10-9 in the scoreless first period, but Ehelechner had to make some tough saves. He snared a hard shot from the left-wing circle from Aquino in the fifth minute and made back-to-back stops on J.F. Houle and Wolski in the 13th.

The Battalion was without Dan McDonald, Graham McNabb, Patrick Sweeney and Scott Boomsma.

Bill Kueneman, Jesse Messier and Devin DiDiomete were scratched for Sudbury.

The Battalion visits Sudbury on Friday at 7:30 p.m.

BATTALION NOTEBOOK: Attendance was 2,254 ... Aquino extended a points streak to six games. He has nine points, including four goals, in that span ... Wolski has three goals and four assists for seven points in the last four games ... Oulahen moved into a tie with Jason Maleyko for 12th place on the Battalion's all-time scoring list. Oulahen has 52 goals and 53 points for 105 points in 148 games ... Couture has won his last three starts ... The Battalion first won five straight at home from Oct. 11-28, 1999. They equaled the mark Jan. 14-Feb. 11, 2001, and tied it again from Dec. 31, 2001, to Jan. 24, 2002 ... The Troops dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen ... In McDonald's absence, Snow played left wing with centre Oulahen and right winger Aquino.

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