Around the CHL
By Aaron Bell
The Canadian Hockey League officially welcomed North Bay, Ontario back into the league on Friday night when the North Bay Battalion hosted the Peterborough Petes in the first CHL game at the North Bay Memorial Gardens since 2002.
The North Bay Centennials played in the OHL from 1982 through 2002, when they moved to Saginaw, MI to become the Saginaw Spirit.
Scott Abbott moved his Brampton Battalion team to North Bay in the off-season after 15 seasons in Brampton. He was thrilled with the response that his team received in their new home. More than 4,200 fans were at the opener on Friday and more than 3,500 came for Monday’s Thanksgiving Day game against the Niagara IceDogs.
“It was great,” Abbott told the North Bay Nugget. “The roar for the team, the standing ovations…I was very happy with the reception overall.”
The Battalion started the season with nine straight games on the road while the building renovations were being completed. They won five of those games and are anxious to make up for lost time in their new building.
“They have their team back after 11 years and the people came out and really supported the team,” said Stan Butler, who has been the Battalion coach and GM since their debut as an expansion team in 1998.
Sportsnet commentator Nick Kypreos played for the Centennials in the 1980’s and was part of the opening ceremonies on Friday. He said the city of North Bay is thrilled to have the OHL back in town and said the players are just as happy to have a new home.
“I would think waking up as a hockey player here would be like waking up Christmas morning compared to what it was like in Brampton,” Kypreos said.
“You dream about playing in front of 4,200 fans like these guys are tonight, and that was rarely going to happen in Brampton. Hopefully, they can take advantage of having a team back here.”
Armada Keep on Rolling
The Blainville-Boisbriand Armada continue to roll along in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League season although they did hit a minor road bump, dropping their first game of the season – a 5-4 overtime loss to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles on Sunday.
It was their first loss after starting the season with 10 straight wins.
The Screaming Eagles trailed 4-2 late in the third period but rallied to tie the game on a pair of goals from Jeremy Beaudry and then took the extra point when William Carrier scored 52 seconds into the extra frame to give Cape Breton the first two point game against the Armada this season.
The Armada have a four point lead over the Victoriaville Tigres and Charlottetown Islanders in the QMJHL standings.
The London Knights – the host team for the 2014 MasterCard Memorial Cup – are in a four-way tie for first place overall in the OHL standings with the Erie Otters, Kingston Frontenacs and Oshawa Generals. The Knights and Frontenacs have one game in hand on the other two teams.
In the WHL, the Seattle Thunderbirds have a one point lead over the Medicine Hat Tigers and Prince Albert Raiders for first overall. The Thunderbirds have 16 points in 10 games while the Tigers have 15 points in nine games and the Raiders have 15 points in 12 games.