OHL North Bay Battalion

Seymour sees more ice with solid play

Published on October 16, 2004 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


BRAMPTON, Ont. – Battalion coach Stan Butler's advice was simple enough: Get to the net.

By heeding that directive, second-year centre John Seymour earned his first Ontario Hockey League goal in the Troops' 2-2 road tie with the Sudbury Wolves on Friday night.

With the game knotted at 1-1, the 17-year-old Peterborough resident drove to the net and steered a pass from Howie Martin over Wolves goaltender Patrick Ehelechner at 14:49 of the second period.

"J.F. Houle did a great job getting the puck out of our end and taking a check," said Seymour, a second-round choice of the Battalion in the 2003 OHL Priority Selection. "Howie picked it up and passed it to me in front of the net. All I had to do was chip it in. I knew the first goal would come eventually. I'm happy it came at a time when we needed a goal."

Said Butler, whose club brings a five-game unbeaten streak into its game against the visiting Barrie Colts on Sunday at 2 p.m.: "What John's goal shows the other guys is if you drive the net you can put the puck in. It's great to see John get rewarded like that, because he's had a pretty good year."

After earning three assists in 40 games as a left winger in 2003-04, Seymour now is playing centre on the fourth line between left winger Aaron Snow and right wingers Houle or Jason Cassidy, all rookies.

"I like playing centre," said Seymour. "I can get my feet going and skate better through the neutral zone. I have to give my linemates credit. They're great guys to play with. I think we're chipping in as much as we can to help out. I think Stan sees how well we're playing as a unit, and we're trying to give him no choice but to play us as much as he can."

Seymour, who's two days older than Cassidy and five days older than Houle, said he's trying to pass on the lessons he learned as a rookie.

"I try to help the guys through things. I was there last year, and I know how it feels to play on the fourth line."

The 6'3", 175-pound Seymour also has added a physical dimension to his play. He has 15 penalty minutes through 10 games, one fewer than he was assessed in 2003-04.

"I feel a lot stronger. I might be lighter than I was last year but I think my muscle mass has gone up. I've got more confidence with the puck."

The Colts and Battalion, with three wins and two ties in its last five games, meet for the first time this season. Barrie, which was to host the Peterborough Petes on Saturday night, has lost its last two games and sits five points behind the Troops in the Central Division.

"The Colts have guys like Bryan Little and B.J. Crombeen, and they can generate a lot of offence," said Butler. "We've seen this year that our division is a tough one. All the teams are really good."

Said Battalion captain Ryan Oulahen, who scored his club-leading sixth goal at Sudbury: "We didn't have too much success against Barrie last season, and we have to be ready for this one. But we're a different team from the one that struggled with Barrie last year. Hopefully we can use that to our advantage and come out flying."

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 16, 2004


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