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OHL North Bay Battalion

Poirier Ready to Return for Second Game

March 26, 2016 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion will have Zach Poirier back in the lineup when it hosts the Peterborough Petes at 2 p.m. Sunday in the second game of their first-round Ontario Hockey League playoff series.

The third-seeded Battalion got 20 saves from goaltender Jake Smith in a 2-1 victory Friday night in the opener of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal as Poirier completed a five-game suspension.

"They're definitely a hardworking team, and they have a lot of offensive talent," Smith said of the sixth-place Petes.

Logan DeNoble opened the scoring on the power play at 11:39 of the first period on Peterborough's first shot, but Smith stopped the rest as he extended his franchise records for playoff appearances and wins by a goaltender to 40 and 24 respectively.

"Coming into near the end of the game with only a one-goal lead, you know you're going to have to make some key saves, so I just tried to do my best, and we got the result," noted Smith of the third period, when the Petes had an 8-6 edge in shots, their only period lead.

Mike Amadio, who this season became the first player in franchise history to score 50 goals, tied it with a shorthanded tally at 14:23 of the first period with Riley Bruce serving an interference penalty.

When Brett Hargrave scored the winner at 7:09 of the final frame, assisted by Zach Shankar and Steve Harland, Hargrave had his first OHL playoff goal and Shankar and Harland each picked up his first postseason point. The goal gave the Battalion an all-time won-lost record of 19-11 in series openers, including 12-2 at home.

While Hargrave had five playoff games with the Sarnia Sting and Owen Sound Attack, Shankar and Harland were among 11 Troops who made their OHL postseason debuts. Backup goaltender Jake Kment, who's without playoff experience, also dressed.

Coach Stan Butler, who termed Smith's performance "outstanding," praised the "playoff rookies," including the line of Kyle Potts, Max Kislinger and Justin Brazeau.

Daniil Vertiy, who saw no postseason action with the Windsor Spitfires last year before being acquired in a trade Nov. 11, returned from a knee injury suffered in a 9-3 home-ice win Feb. 21 over Peterborough, while Bruce was fresh after being rested for the last six regular-season games.

"He's a skill player," Butler said of Vertiy. "Our power play was much better when he was on it, but it's going to take him a few games to get into shape to play the way he needs to play. But for his first game back I was quite happy with how he did."

Brad Chenier, playing a third game in three days, rejoined the Battalion after his Rayside-Balfour Canadians were eliminated from the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs.

Amadio has 25 points and 11 goals in his postseason career, tied with Evgeny Grachev for eighth place on the franchise list in both categories.

Amadio, Mathew Santos and Kyle Wood each played a 43rd playoff game, eclipsing Nick Paul for a joint fifth place in franchise history.

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