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OHL North Bay Battalion

Troops Win in Butler's Return

December 28, 2018 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


SUDBURY, Ont. - Harrison Caines scored two goals, including the winner, as the North Bay Battalion defeated the Sudbury Wolves 5-3 Friday night for a fourth straight victory and climbed into fourth place in the Ontario Hockey League's Central Division.

Coach Stan Butler, who returned to the bench after being sidelined on medical leave for 30 games, saw the newly acquired Mitchell Russell score one goal and add an assist, while Justin Brazeau and Luke Moncada provided the other goals for North Bay, which moved its won-lost-extended record to 15-18-2 for 32 points, one more than the Barrie Colts, who lost 2-0 to the host Kitchener Rangers.

In both teams' first game after the OHL's Christmas break, goaltender Christian Propp contributed 30 saves for the Battalion, which visits Barrie on Saturday night.

Butler's last bench appearance came in a 6-1 road loss Sept. 29 to the Niagara IceDogs. Assistant coaches Scott Wray and Adam Dennis ran the bench while Butler was out.

Shane Bulitka, Ryan O'Bonsawin and Macauley Carson scored for Sudbury, 21-10-2 for 44 points, second in the division, a point behind Niagara. Starting goaltender Jake McGrath surrendered three goals on five shots. Mitchell Weeks, called up in the absence of Ukko-Pekka Luukonen, allowed two goals on 15 shots in his OHL debut before a crowd recorded as 3,493.

The teams meet again Monday at North Bay in the Battalion's traditional New Year's Eve game.

Caines connected from just below the right-wing circle at 8:12 of the second period, one-timing a crisp cross-zone pass from Russell to give the Troops a 4-1 lead before penalty killer O'Bonsawin went in alone on Propp and backhanded the puck under the goaltender at 13:47.

Caines struck for his third goal of the season at 1:53 of the final period, taking off on a breakaway from centre ice just as teammate Simon Rose got out of the penalty box and beating Weeks between the legs. Rookie Caines scored his first OHL goal in a 4-3 loss Nov. 4 at Sudbury.

Carson scored at 17:11, giving the Wolves some hope, but they couldn't get closer even with six attackers on the ice.

The teams wasted no time swapping first-period goals before the Battalion emerged from the frame with a 3-1 lead. Brazeau cruised in on the right wing and beat McGrath 13 seconds after the opening faceoff. Luke Burghardt had the lone assist on Brazeau's team-leading 35th goal. In the last seven games, Brazeau, the OHL's leading scorer with 64 points, has 10 goals and five assists for 15 points.

Bulitka replied at 1:21 with his seventh goal, assisted by David Levin, before Russell collected his sixth goal on the power play at 11:45. Rose and Brandon Coe provided assists. Moncada added to the North Bay lead at 12:36 off a feed by Cameron Peters, driving McGrath from the net.

The Troops killed a Moncada double minor for high-sticking with the score tied 1-1.

The game at Barrie, a 7:30 p.m. start, can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700 and heard on Country 600 CKAT.

BATTALION BULLETS: Russell made his Battalion debut after a trade Friday from the Owen Sound Attack. North Bay sent forward Adam McMaster to Owen Sound. The Battalion now has three players taken among the first 22 picks in the 2017 OHL Priority Selection, in Coe, its own pick at third overall, Russell, selected 20th by Owen Sound, and Mason Primeau, tabbed 22nd by the Guelph Storm ... Rose fought Blake Murray in the third period ... Battalion defenceman David Maier saw his first OHL action since Nov. 25 after playing for Austria in the Division 1A world junior tournament ... North Bay went 1-for-4 on the power play. Sudbury was 0-for-4 ... Opening lines included Matthew Struthers centring left winger Burghardt and right winger Brazeau, Primeau pivoting left winger Brad Chenier and right winger Coe and Russell centring left winger Daniel Walker and Caines on right wing. Moncada centred Peters on the left wing and Patrick Brown on the right ... North Bay was without Travis Mailhot, Kurtis Evans and Payton Vescio ... Struthers, who had a six-game points streak ended, marked his 19th birthday Wednesday ... Luukonen is with Finland at the World Junior Championship at Vancouver and Victoria ... Sudbury, 14-3-0 at home, starts a run of six road games Saturday night against the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds ... All 20 teams were in action as the holiday hiatus ended.

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