OHL North Bay Battalion

Butler Expects Better from Battalion

Published on September 27, 2014 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Stan Butler was blunt when asked if he saw anything positive in the North Bay Battalion's Ontario Hockey League season opener.

"Not much," coach Butler said after a 5-4 overtime loss Friday night to the visiting Barrie Colts.

"I think we forgot how to play over the summer. We'll score goals, but in this league you can't allow teams to score five goals. If you do that, your record isn't going to be very good."

Kevin Labanc and Joseph Blandisi gave Barrie a 2-0 lead in the first period, but Mike Amadio scored two goals, the second on the power play, to tie it by 1:06 of the second. Kyle Wood put the Battalion ahead on the power play at 14:01, but Blandisi made it 3-3 just 30 seconds later.

Wood restored the Battalion lead during a two-man advantage at 14:56 of the third period before Blandisi, with his third goal of the game and fourth of the young season, struck on the power play at 17:20. Labanc buried the winner 1:10 into overtime, converting his own rebound.

In keeping with rules changes for this season, overtime was preceded by a dry scrape of the ice surface and the teams switched ends for the extra frame.

A Memorial Gardens crowd of 4,086 saw the Battalion unfurl banners commemorating its Central Division and Eastern Conference titles of last season. Overage defenceman Marcus McIvor, making his debut as captain, was one of many returning players to receive a thunderous ovation.

"It was a pretty obvious decision," Butler said of naming McIvor the 13th captain in franchise history. "He'll be a very good captain and, judging from tonight's effort, he has a lot of work ahead of him."

The Colts opened the season at home Thursday night, falling 5-2 to the Oshawa Generals, but Butler said he didn't think that gave the visitors any advantage heading into the Battalion's second home opener in North Bay. The Troops, who posted a won-lost-extended record of 2-3-1 in exhibition play, saw the six players who attended National Hockey League rookie camps return to the ranks before the opener.

"We had a good week of practice. I didn't like our preseason overall, but I thought with a week of practice and getting some guys back we'd be better.

"We have a lot of guys who have to look in the mirror and have to figure out what type of player they really are. We had mushers trying to be crushers; we had rushers playing like ushers. It was one of those games."

Butler said he was happy to see offence from defenceman Wood, back from the Colorado Avalanche, who chose him in the third round of the NHL Draft in June. Wood scored two goals in 33 games last season after suffering a knee injury during training camp.

"He scored two great goals, but he caused a couple too. We know he can really pump the puck, and he'll continue to do that. But we need him to play against the best players on the other team, and with that come challenges. He can't be turning pucks over."

The Battalion is off until next Friday when it hosts the Peterborough Petes at 7 p.m.

"I'd rather play right now," noted Butler. "It's going to be a long weekend after a game like that. We'll have a lot of stuff to go over with the players next week. It's a process, and it takes time. You don't win anything in September. It's early, and we have to better next Friday night against Peterborough than we were against Barrie."

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from September 27, 2014


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