Troops top Majors 5-4 in overtime
TORONTO – Kevin Young scored at 4:59 of overtime to lift the Battalion to a 5-4 victory Thursday night over the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors and a two-point lead atop the Ontario Hockey League’s Central Division.
The Majors got goals from Nathan McIver shorthanded and Shane O’Brien in the last minute of regulation to force the extra frame. The Troops, outshot 6-1 in overtime, made their only shot count when Young intercepted a clearing attempt by O’Brien at the Toronto blue line and moved in to beat goaltender Justin Peters on a backhander with three-10ths of a second on the clock.
Brent Burns had two goals and an assist while Tyler Harrison and Adam Henrich added single goals for the Battalion, which moved its won-lost-tied record to 31-26-6, including three overtime losses, for 71 points and the No. 2 playoff seed in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Couture faced 51 shots in the Brampton net.
Toronto is 29-26-7, including four overtime losses, for 69 points, three more than the third-place Barrie Colts.
Scott Horvath and Kevin Klein also scored for the Majors, while Frantisek Lukes earned three assists. Rookie netminder Peters made 31 saves in relief of starter Andy Chiodo, who was pulled after allowing three goals on six shots in the opening 6:29.
Harrison opened the scoring with his 10th goal of the season at 1:28 of the first period when he took a pass in the slot from Burns and beat an out-of-position Chiodo.
Burns made it 2-0 at 5:16 after taking a pass from Chris Rowan just inside the Majors’ blue line and blasting a shot between Chiodo’s legs.
Battalion defenceman Stuart Simmons was off for interference when Burns netted a shorthanded marker to give the Troops a 3-0 lead at 6:29. Brampton captain Jay McClement stripped Klein of the puck in the neutral zone and fed it to Burns, who had slipped behind the Toronto defence. The rookie right winger found room between Chiodo’s legs for his 13th goal.
After Young narrowly missed putting the Troops up by four goals when he fired a power-play shot off the post, Horvath cut the Brampton lead to 3-1 at 9:12. Seconds after serving an interference penalty, Horvath took a pass from O’Brien, raced past Battalion defenders and beat Couture with a deke to the glove side for his 18th goal.
Klein made it 3-2 at 3:51 of the second period, corralling a Lukes shot that went off the end boards and banking the puck off Couture for his eighth goal.
Henrich restored the Battalion’s two-goal lead at 8:58 when he converted a pass from Young on a two-on-one rush.
The Troops, who killed a two-man disadvantage lasting two minutes midway through the third period, were ambushed after Majors forward Craig Foster was whistled for slashing at 18:44. Penalty-killer McIver took a pass from Lukes and beat Couture high to the glove side to make it 4-3 at 19:19.
Toronto head coach Dave Cameron requested a measurement of Young’s stick and, when referee Pat Smola found the lumber illegal, the teams were at reduced but even strength.
Peters went to the bench for an extra attacker with 30 seconds left, and Couture made a save on Lukes with 14 seconds remaining to force a faceoff in Battalion territory. Two Majors muscled McClement off the puck after the draw, and Klein fed Lukes at the left point. Lukes sent a cross-ice pass to O’Brien, who snapped a wrist shot over Couture’s left shoulder for the equalizer at 19:52.
Mike Looby, Ryan Bowness, Ryan Oulahen and Kamil Kreps did not dress for the Battalion.
Ted Perry, Steven Rawski, Scott Lehman and Kyle Spurr were scratched for the Majors.
The Troops are back in action Friday when they host Barrie at 7:30 p.m. The Battalion welcomes the Mississauga IceDogs to the Brampton Centre at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Majors visit Mississauga on Friday night and face the Oshawa Generals at home Sunday. The teams will play the final 4:53 of a Sept. 20 game that was suspended because of a power failure with Oshawa leading 4-2. The teams will play a regularly-scheduled contest after completing the suspended game.
BATTALION NOTEBOOK: The Battalion won the six-game season series with the Majors 4-2-0. The Troops took the last three games. Four games went to overtime, with the Battalion prevailing in three Henrich led Battalion scorers with six goals and eight points against the Majors this season Three of Couture’s nine wins have come against Toronto.
