OHL North Bay Battalion

Troops Down 'Dogs on Big Ticket Day

January 20, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion ' s game Sunday proved special indeed.

Nick Paul scored two goals to power the Battalion to a 5-1 Ontario Hockey League victory over the Niagara IceDogs on Special Olympics Big Ticket Day before a Memorial Gardens crowd of 3,132.

Ben Thomson contributed one goal and one assist and Mike Amadio and Miles Liberati also scored for the Battalion, while goaltender Jake Smith made 20 saves. The Troops, who built a 5-0 lead, have a won-lost-extended record of 23-17-6 for 52 points, second in the Central Division.

Matt Gillard scored for Niagara, which got 37 saves from goaltender Blake Richard. The loss dropped the IceDogs to 15-24-6 for 36 points, fifth in the division, two points behind the fourth-place Mississauga Steelheads, who got their first win in six games by downing the visiting London Knights 3-1.

"The first period was very even, but we stayed with it and got some big goals," said coach Stan Butler, whose Troops are 3-1-0 against Niagara this season. " We were up 3-0 going into the third period and put the pedal to the metal and got two quick goals and settled into the game the way we needed to."

Amadio opened the scoring with his ninth goal of the season at 10:28 of the second period. Defenders left the rebound of a Thomson shot loose in the goalmouth, and Amadio arrived to tuck the puck around the left pad of a prone Richard.

The teams were skating four-on-four when Paul scored off a rush at 14:13, hammering the puck from above the left-wing circle past Richard, who may have been screened by fallen defender Blake Siebenaler.

"Nick is playing well," noted Butler. "He can be as good as he wants to be. As he gets older and realizes how good a player he can be, he ' ll only get better and better."

Liberati added to the Battalion total at 18:32. Jamie Lewis did a fine job of eluding Aaron Haydon down the right-wing boards and threaded the puck to a driving Liberati, who beat Richard to the glove side. It was defenceman Liberati ' s third goal of the season and his second since a trade from London.

Smith faced eight shots in the middle period, with the majority of Niagara 's opportunities coming during two early power plays, before the Troops struck for two goals 53 seconds apart early in the third.

Thomson scored shorthanded at 59 seconds after Haydon bobbled the puck at the Battalion blue line. Thomson gathered it, took off down the left wing and beat Richard between the legs. Thomson ' s 14th goal of the season was his 11th with North Bay since a trade from the Kitchener Rangers.

Paul was credited with his 18th goal at 1:52 when Haydon's attempt to clear the puck from beside the net caromed off Paul's right leg and slid over the goal line.

Gillard denied Smith ' s shutout bid at 7:45.

The Battalion, which outshot Niagara 9-6 in the scoreless first period, had its best scoring chance while shorthanded in the 14th minute. Barclay Goodrow forced Siebenaler to turn over the puck in the neutral zone and broke in alone on Richard, who foiled him with a pad save. Mathew Santos had a near-breakaway later during the same penalty kill.

Smith stopped a backhander from Brendan Perlini in the slot in the fourth minute and was tight to the right post to deny a charging Siebenaler in the 10th.

The Battalion hosts the Saginaw Spirit at 7 p.m. Thursday.

BATTALION BULLETS: The Special Olympics fundraiser saw more than $3,050 generated, including money collected by athletes. There also was a raffle for 13 prizes donated by partners of the Battalion and North Bay Police Service, and both teams and the on-ice officials wore red skate laces to mark the occasion ... Butler and several players conducted a postgame practice for the North Bay North Stars special-needs hockey organization ... The Battalion went 0-for-6 on the power play. Niagara was 0-for-7 ... Second-year goaltender Smith, making a seventh consecutive start, played his 50th OHL game ... Thomson has four goals in the last three games ... Liberati's goal broke a 15-game points drought ... Kyle Locke and Niagara ' s Cody Caron traded rights in a spirited second-period fight ... Jon D'Ilario, up from the junior B St. Catharines Falcons, backed up Richard. Brent Moran, Niagara's No. 1 goaltender, has a separated shoulder ... Opening line combinations included Amadio centring left winger Thomson and right winger Goodrow, Paul pivoting left winger Zach Bratina and Vincent Praplan on right wing and Brett McKenzie centring Jared Steege on left wing and right winger Alex Henriksson. Lewis centred left winger Connor Jarvis and right winger Santos ... The Battalion scratched Mike Baird, Brenden Miller, Matt MacLeod and Calvin Gomes. Both Miller and MacLeod sat out a second straight game ... Henriksson left with what was believed to be a hand injury ... The Battalion visits St. Catharines on Feb. 22 for the fifth of six season meetings.

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