OHL North Bay Battalion

Butler, Thinking Pink, Sees Red After Loss

Published on October 17, 2014 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion, which gave the Ontario Hockey League's top team all it could handle Thursday night, left coach Stan Butler seeing something closer to red on Pink in the Rink Night.

The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds skated onto Memorial Gardens ice as the OHL's only undefeated team and, having rallied from a two-goal deficit, left with a 5-4 victory, their perfect record intact.

The Canadian Cancer Society reported that $13,500 was raised in the effort for breast cancer awareness. The pink-trimmed sweaters which the Troops wore were sold via a silent auction, and pink T-shirts were available for purchase by the 3,433 in attendance. A chuck-a-puck contest was held in the first intermission.

The teams traded first-period goals before North Bay, which had yet to lose in regulation time, built a 3-1 lead in the second period on goals by Ray Huether and Brett McKenzie. The Greyhounds, who allowed 18 shots in the period, pulled even by the end of the frame.

Miles Liberati put the home side back in front at 2:35 of the third period, but Jared McCann tied it at 7:37 before Gabe Guertler redirected a shot from the left point at 15:34 to give the Greyhounds an eighth straight win to start the season.

The Battalion's won-lost-extended record went to 3-1-3 for nine points, second in the Central Division.

"The reality is there are no bright spots when you don't get any points," said Butler, whose Troops return to action at 2 p.m. Sunday when they host the Mississauga Steelheads in the third game of a four-game home stand.

"You're disappointed any time you lose. You're going to lose games, but it's more the way you lose. When you lose games you think you have a chance to win, that's when it gets frustrating. The Greyhounds are a very good team and very well coached, but there were times the body language and effort of some of our guys in certain situations was not the type of effort you can have if you want to be a winning team."

Butler, who like his assistant coaches wore pink ties and ribbons for the occasion, said he was frustrated by the plays that led to the last two goals.

"You're going to make mistakes in games. That's life, and it happens. But what bugs me the most is on the fourth goal we turned the puck over in their end and the guys that turned the puck over don't backcheck or skate hard, and they scored. On the fifth goal our guys have to get out to the point quicker, and from where the puck was deflected the goalie has to make the save."

Butler said Battalion coaches must concentrate on what didn't go right as opposed to what the Troops did to vex the visitors, who had recorded only one one-goal decision before facing North Bay.

"There were some things we did that I was happy with, but as a coach you don't spend a lot of time looking at the positive things because those are things we don't have to worry about. We need to look at the negative things and correct them, and those are things we have to clean up. There were turnovers at the wrong time, and you have to backcheck right through to your end. There were times our guys didn't do that or were waiting for other things to happen.

"I call it 'second-effort hockey,' and there were times I thought our guys were short on that second effort."

Through Thursday the Steelheads had played the fewest games in the league, compiling a record of 4-1-0 while surrendering a league-low 12 goals. The Troops swept the six-game season series in 2013-14 against their former Peel Region rivals.

Check out the North Bay Battalion Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 17, 2014


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.

OurSports Central