OHL North Bay Battalion

Troops Face Road Test against Peterborough

Published on March 28, 2016 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion's first-round Ontario Hockey League playoff series with the Peterborough Petes shifts venue this week, with the Troops looking to match the Petes' feat of earning a split on the road.

"The way I look at it is, in playoffs, the pressure's on the home team, so if we can go in there and get a split, then we're no worse for wear," Battalion coach Stan Butler said Monday after practice.

The sixth-place Petes won 5-3 Sunday at Memorial Gardens after third-place North Bay took the opener of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal 2-1 Friday night. Games 3 and 4 are scheduled at the Peterborough Memorial Centre at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.

The Battalion outshot the visitors 27-21 Sunday in a game that got uglier as referees Scott Ferguson and Sean Pindar let the action get away from them. Brett McKenzie was hauled down twice without a penalty to the Petes, and Zach Poirier went off in the third period for what was deemed a check to the head of Peterborough's Eric Cornel.

It was a call that helped see the performance of the referees widely panned, in a variety of circles.

"I think it was pretty obvious yesterday that the third team wasn't as good as the other two teams, and that, amongst other calls or plays, I saw differently," Butler said of Poirier's penalty. "There's not much we can do about it.

"For some reason, they want to take contact out of hockey, and I think that's what makes it exciting for people. I'm fully supportive of head checks and dirty plays to be penalized accordingly, but a hard, clean hit shouldn't fall into that category."

Butler acknowledged that there were problems beyond the officiating that require fixing.

"There were some things that went on in the game where we had defensive breakdowns, some miscommunication - you know, Kyle Wood bumping into Zach Shankar - and some goaltending that we're not used to in North Bay. These are all things those people know about, and hopefully we have a day to correct it and we'll go from there."

Butler also saw at least one positive.

"What I like is our compete level. I think our compete level has been really good. What I'd like to see change is I'd like to see us be a little more hungry for pucks around their net, and we can't have breakdowns in our own end."

It was revealed that centre Brett Hargave will be sidelined for "an undefined time" with an upper-body injury suffered when he went into the boards Sunday. Hargrave scored the winning goal in the series opener.

"It's an unfortunate thing for a kid who's had some bad luck and probably has finally found his game this year and is feeling good about himself and has become a big part of our team," noted Butler. "But, unfortunately, injuries are part of the game, and we're going to have to play without him."

Butler said that left winger Brad Chenier, who played right wing in the opener after being called up when the Rayside-Balfour Canadians were eliminated from the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League playoffs, will take Hargrave's spot. Poirier, returning from a five-game suspension, replaced Chenier in the second game.

"You've got to go with what you've got. It's like a baseball team that's got to bat a singles hitter fourth in the lineup."

The games at Peterborough can be seen live in North Bay on CogecoTV Channel 12 and heard on Country 600 CKAT. Game 5 is scheduled in the Gateway City at 7 p.m. Friday.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from March 28, 2016


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