OHL North Bay Battalion

Colts Edge Battalion 1-0

November 16, 2018 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


BARRIE, Ont. - Ryan Suzuki scored on the power play at 4:01 of the second period and goaltender Maksim Zhukov made 19 saves for his first Ontario Hockey League shutout as the Barrie Colts defeated the North Bay Battalion 1-0 Thursday night to assume sole possession of fourth place in the Central Division.

Barrie moved its won-lost-extended record to 11-9-1 for 23 points, two ahead of North Bay, which suffered its second shutout, after a 6-0 road loss Sept. 22 to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the second game of the season.

Goaltender Christian Propp provided 34 saves for the Troops, 10-9-1 and fifth in the division, before a crowd of 3,293 at the Barrie Molson Centre.

The game marked the Battalion debut of centre Mason Primeau, acquired earlier Thursday in a trade with the Guelph Storm, which received second-round picks in the 2020 and 2022 OHL Priority Selections.

Theo Calvas was off for roughing when Suzuki took a pass from Lucas Chiodo and ripped a shot high over the left shoulder of a sliding Propp from the right-wing circle. Joey Keane had the other assist on the eighth goal of the season for Suzuki, who was the first overall pick in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection.

Propp, who faced 17 shots in the middle period, denied Jason Willms's net drive and made back-to-back saves in close on Suzuki and Chiodo. The goaltender blocked a Jaden Peca drive from the right circle and got a piece of a Suzuki shot as he broke in alone shorthanded at 17:05. Aidan Brown hit the right post behind Propp after seizing a loose puck in the 14th minute.

North Bay had nine shots. Zhukov was sharp on a Justin Brazeau chance in the first minute and turned away Brazeau and Matthew Struthers with the Battalion on the power play in the 16th. Daniel Walker fanned as he broke in on Zhukov at 10:47.

Brazeau saw the end of a 10-game points streak in which he had 12 goals and 12 assists for 24 points. Brazeau, who has 19 goals and 20 assists for 39 points in 20 games, now is tied with Kevin Hancock of the Owen Sound Attack for the OHL scoring lead.

Barrie had 10 shots in the third period but was unable to take advantage of three power plays. The Battalion had one power play, but its best chance to tie the game came in the final minute with Propp on the bench for a sixth skater. Zhukov denied Brad Chenier in close and gloved his attempt at the rebound.

The Colts outshot the Battalion 8-5 in an uneventful first period. Barrie, which couldn't muster a solid chance during the only power play, tested Propp in the sixth minute, but he stopped a Chiodo drive from deep in the left circle. Suzuki missed converting a goalmouth pass from Chiodo in the final seconds. The Troops' best chance came with two minutes left in the frame when Chenier drove to the net but couldn't convert a Brazeau pass.

The Battalion plays host to the Sudbury Wolves at 7 p.m. Friday on Chris Neil Night, sponsored by the National Hockey League's Ottawa Senators.

BATTALION BULLETS: The Battalion went 0-for-2 on the power play. Barrie was 1-for-5 ... Opening lines featured Struthers centring left winger Chenier and right winger Brazeau, Primeau centring Adam McMaster on left wing and right winger Brandon Coe and Luke Moncada pivoting left winger Walker and Patrick Brown on right wing. Cameron Peters centred left winger Harrison Caines and right winger Kurtis Evans ... The Battalion was without Pacey Schlueting, Travis Mailhot, Egor Postnov, Rhys Forhan and Payton Vescio ... Guelph chose Primeau with the first pick in the second round of the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, 22nd overall, from the Toronto Nationals minor midgets, with whom he played on a line with Coe, taken third overall by the Battalion ... Moncada was dumped headfirst into the boards without a call in the 14th minute of the first period ... Barrie left winger Ben Hawerchuk served the fourth game of a five-game suspension for instigating a fight in the last five minutes of a 4-0 loss Nov. 4 to the host Oshawa Generals ... Chiodo has four goals and four assists for eight points in the last four games ... Suzuki has two goals and three assists for five points in the last four games ... Zhukov, a resident of Kaliningrad, Russia, was a first-round pick, 48th overall, in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft last June ... The referees were Mike Cairns and Ryan Elbers.

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