OHL North Bay Battalion

Troops Ready for Pair this Weekend

October 2, 2014 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion has some catching up to do.

While four teams played three games apiece during the first week of the Ontario Hockey League season, the Battalion was one of four teams, all in the Eastern Conference, to play only once.

The Troops, who lost their opener 5-4 in overtime to the visiting Barrie Colts last Friday night, have two games this weekend, starting at 7 p.m. Friday when they host the Peterborough Petes. North Bay sees its first road action when it visits the Sudbury Wolves at 2 p.m. Sunday.

Several aspects of the opening-night performance displeased Battalion coach Stan Butler, and he planned to use the time between games to address those issues.

"Any time your team is making bad decisions with the puck and turning pucks over, it's a huge concern," Butler said Wednesday. "It's important to deal with those things. We wanted to address it early, get it corrected and get the guys going in the right direction.

"Against Barrie, we scored four goals and got three power-play goals. Those were positives, but I didn't like the number of goals we gave up. That's tough. It's uncharacteristic of our team. We were really sloppy."

Butler said there's more stability to the lineup than there was a week ago, when the last returners were freshly back from National Hockey League training camps.

"Everybody is settled now from being away. You need to play some games just to see how coachable guys are, and you hope the veterans don't forget how to play. We need to make sure the players are doing the right things in order to be successful. It's still a process, from the leadership group on down."

The Petes game will mark the Battalion debut of centre Ray Huether, acquired Monday in a trade with Sudbury. He assumed the overage spot previously occupied by centre Jamie Lewis, who was traded to the Windsor Spitfires earlier Monday. Huether, six-foot-two and 200 pounds, scored nine goals and added 17 assists for 26 points in 68 games with the Wolves last season.

"Ray is a different player from Lewis, but he'll have the same type of role," said Butler. "He's a kid who I think is happy to be in that role. Jamie wanted to play a different role, and I couldn't see that happening here. Ray can bring a physical aspect to the game."

Peterborough, which was to host the Belleville Bulls on Thursday night, also played only one game in the opening week, losing 5-3 at home to the Kingston Frontenacs. The Petes trailed 4-0 before pulling within a goal with three third-period tallies.

Peterborough's lineup was bolstered Monday by the return of left winger Nick Ritchie from the training camp of the Anaheim Ducks. A first-round pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, Ritchie has recorded 148 points, including 73 goals, in 165 games over three OHL seasons.

"I think the Petes are a really good team, especially now that they have Ritchie back," noted Butler. "If they get any type of goaltending at all, they'll be a very good team. They have a lot of guys who can be very good players for them."

Battalion fans will have to wait for the regular-season debut of right winger Hampus Olsson. A Swede who was a first-round pick in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft in July, Olsson has been sidelined with a fractured left arm suffered in the preseason.

"He's making some progress, but he still has a way to go," said Butler.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 2, 2014


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