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OHL North Bay Battalion

Kment Proves Worth as Goalie-In-Waiting

October 31, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - Jake Kment had proved his patience. Now he's demonstrated his readiness.

With Jake Smith sidelined with an upper-body injury, Kment has got the call in goal for the North Bay Battalion's last two Ontario Hockey League games.

The 19-year-old figures to make a third consecutive start when the Battalion hosts the Niagara IceDogs in a Central Division showdown at 2 p.m. Sunday. The Troops, with a won-lost-extended record of 6-6-2 for 14 points, are third in the division, one point ahead of Niagara.

Kment made his season debut Thursday night, backing the Battalion to a 3-2 overtime victory over the visiting Ottawa 67's, before a 4-3 loss via shootout to the host Kitchener Rangers on Friday night before a crowd of 6,772.

"Now he's just undefeated in regulation," a smiling assistant coach John Dean said after Kment made 30 saves, many of the spectacular variety, through overtime at Kitchener.

Having posted a record of 6-0-0 in eight appearances last season, Kment has a career mark of 7-0-1. He has a goals-against average of 2.35 and a .914 save percentage this season.

Kment stoned the Rangers' Ryan MacInnis late in the power play after Jake Ramalho went off for interference at 6:11 of the first period and got the left pad on a pointblank blast from Joseph Garreffa in the 13th minute.

MacInnis was foiled again in tight in the 17th minute on the way to seeing a four-game goals streak and a six-game points streak snapped. MacInnis, who scored four goals Thursday night in a 7-2 road win over the Peterborough Petes, had collected nine goals and seven assists for 16 points in the previous six games.

Kment denied Brandon Robinson his third goal of the game with a larcenous stop late in the second period before foiling Kitchener newcomer Jeremy Bracco, formerly of the Boston College Eagles, on a two-man breakaway with MacInnis 36 seconds into overtime.

The Rangers, runaway league leaders with a scoring percentage of 28.9 on the power play, were held to a 1-for-4 performance with the man advantage. Kitchener, 11-0-3, is the only team in the Canadian Hockey League without a regulation-time loss.

The Battalion signed Kment last Jan. 5, a day after backup Evan Cormier was dealt to the Saginaw Spirit as part of a package for right winger Nick Moutrey. Kment earned his first win in a 3-2 decision via shootout Feb. 7 over the host Belleville Bulls.

A sixth-round choice in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection, Kment had been at home and practising with the Sault Ste. Marie Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League after playing the 2013-14 season with the Essex 73's of the Great Lakes Junior C League, with whom he went 15-2-1 with a 2.45 GAA and a .900 save percentage.

Smith no doubt can relate to Kment's mindset in taking up starting duties.

As a rookie with the Brampton-based Battalion in 2012-13, Smith went 9-6-2 in 20 appearances, including 4-3-2 in nine starts while Matej Machovsky was with the Czech Republic's entry in the World Junior Championship.

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