OHL North Bay Battalion

Johansson, Macleod Back as Troops Aim for Fourth Straight Win

Published on October 6, 2010 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


BRAMPTON, Ont. - Matt MacLeod had a stuttering start to his second Ontario Hockey League season with the Brampton Battalion.

Right winger MacLeod skated in the first period of the season opener Sept. 24 against the visiting Erie Otters before succumbing to the effects of a sprained left ankle.

The Battalion, which lost the opener 5-1, rebounded with three straight wins last week with MacLeod on the sidelines. The Troops routed the host Barrie Colts 9-3, beat the visiting Peterborough Petes 5-2 and won 4-3 in overtime over the Niagara IceDogs at St. Catharines.

MacLeod and first-year centre Jonathan Johansson, who was out for three games with a sore knee, are expected to be in the lineup when the Battalion hosts the Kingston Frontenacs at 7 p.m. Thursday.

"It's been tough sitting out for those games," MacLeod said Tuesday. "I figured the problem would just go away, but it ended up getting worse and it cost me some games. It feels pretty good now."

MacLeod, a 17-year-old resident of Niagara Falls, Ont., tested the ankle during practice Monday.

"It felt good yesterday. It felt like I had all my movement back. I'll just take it day by day, but it's coming along well."

The Battalion defeated the Frontenacs in a seven-game Eastern Conference quarterfinal last spring, earning a 5-2 victory at Kingston in the deciding game March 30.

The Frontenacs, who have 18 players on their roster who skated with the club in 2009-10, have a won-lost-extended record of 2-2-0. They lost 3-1 to the host Oshawa Generals on Sunday night.

"That was an unreal series," said MacLeod, who recorded one goal and three assists for four points in six games in the set. "It was the most intense hockey I've ever played. This game will be a tough matchup for us."

As a spectator, MacLeod said, he could see the Troops coming together.

"We've got an experienced group up front. We have a lot of returning guys. We're young on defence, but the guys at the back and in goal have been very strong. I wanted to be out there, but the guys played great. I thought we put out a solid effort in every game and got three wins out of it. I could tell in practice that the chemistry really seems to be coming along."

MacLeod suffered his injury when he collided with Philip Lane in a practice in advance of the preseason finale against the host Guelph Storm on Sept. 19.

"It was an accident, but those things happen. I had my ankle taped up pretty good and it felt fine to walk on, so I thought it would be fine to skate on. But I went out there and had to leave two minutes into the warmup. I tried to go again against Erie, and after three or four shifts it went on me again."

A fourth-round pick in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection, MacLeod had six goals and 10 assists for 16 points in 57 games as a rookie.

"Last season was a learning one for me. I'm a lot more confident coming into this season."

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 6, 2010


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