Sports stats



OHL North Bay Battalion

Wild West Weekend Next for Battalion

December 2, 2015 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion opens a three-game weekend road trip at 7:05 p.m. Friday against the Sarnia Sting, which has bolstered itself for action in the Ontario Hockey League's Western Conference.

The Battalion, with a won-lost-extended record of 12-10-2 for 26 points, fourth in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference, visits the Saginaw Spirit at 7:11 p.m. Saturday and the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds at 2:07 p.m. Sunday to complete a tour through the West Division.

North Bay defeated the visiting Sting 5-4 on Oct. 2, but Sarnia centre Pavel Zacha, the sixth overall pick in the 2015 National Hockey League Draft, still was in camp with the New Jersey Devils. Left winger Matt Mistele was acquired Tuesday from the Oshawa Generals for three OHL Priority Selection picks, made up of one second-rounder and two thirds.

"Obviously, they added Mistele because they think they've got a chance to win over there," Battalion coach Stan Butler said Wednesday of the Sting, 13-10-2 for 28 points, second in the West.

"Zacha is a good offensive player, obviously, whom we have to shut down. He wasn't here last time. Their (defence) is extremely mobile, with Jakob Chychrun, and their goalie, (Justin) Fazio, has been playing well."

Butler announced that Riley Bruce has been named an alternate captain, replacing fellow defenceman Miles Liberati, who was traded Monday to the Kitchener Rangers for two second-round OHL Priority Selection picks, a third-rounder and an eighth.

"He's worked really hard," Butler noted of Bruce. "He's the epitome of what we want in Battalion hockey players. He comes to the rink every day trying to be a better player, and he's got good off-ice qualities. He's a good student, and he never gets nailed for curfew."

Bruce, 18, joins rearguard Kyle Wood and right winger Mathew Santos as alternates to the captain, centre Mike Amadio.

Bruce, six-foot-six and 207 pounds, has one goal and five assists for six points in 24 games this season. The Carp, Ont., resident was a third-round choice, 50th overall, in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection from the Ottawa Valley Titans minor midgets.

Butler also addressed the trade of overager Liberati.

"He wasn't a player I was looking to trade. Kitchener approached me two or three times about how it would be a good fit. They really, really wanted him and, once they came up with the offer they did - you see what Oshawa got for Mistele yesterday - it was an offer that would allow me to get all my picks back for (Nick) Moutrey and, at the same time, with Brady Lyle coming back, alleviated a problem of seven defencemen who feel like they should play every day."

The Battalion acquired right winger Moutrey from Saginaw on Jan. 4 for goaltender Evan Cormier, second-round picks in the 2015, 2017 and 2019 OHL Priority Selections and a fourth-rounder in 2020. Lyle, the Troops' first-round pick last April, made his OHL debut Sunday in a 6-3 home-ice victory over the Flint Firebirds after recovering from a broken collarbone.

Butler acknowledged that trading Liberati, who exhibited great character and became immersed in the community, was difficult.

"I just felt that I was putting him in a good place, and that's what made the move easier. He's going to a team that's lost only three (regulation-time) games this year, is ranked second in Canada, and he's going to get a great opportunity to play there. So we were able to get draft picks that we badly needed, I put him in a situation that I think he will be happy to be in, and it now allows us to play some of our young D.

"So with those three things in mind, that's why the trade was consummated."

The game at Sarnia can be seen live in North Bay on TVCogeco Cable 12 and heard on Country 600 CKAT.

Check out the North Bay Battalion Statistics



Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 2, 2015


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

Other Recent North Bay Battalion Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central