Battalion goalies leading the way
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Consecutive shutouts have the Brampton Battalion tandem of Matej Machovsky and Keegan Wilson sitting atop the charts in the Ontario Hockey League goaltender rankings.
“Matej and Keegan have both given us great goaltending this year,” said Stan Butler, Battalion director of hockey operations and head coach. “As a coach it’s extremely comforting that it doesn’t matter which goalie you put in, you know you’re going to get a good effort out of either one of them.”
The Battalion, which has a won-lost-extended record of 7-3-2 for 16 points, second in the Central Division, recorded back-to-back shutouts for the fourth time in club history on the weekend, earning a 4-0 road victory Friday night over the Kingston Frontenacs and a 4-0 home-ice win Sunday over the Peterborough Petes.
The Troops rank first defensively among OHL teams with 25 goals against in 12 games. Second are the London Knights with 30 goals against in 13 games.
“A lot of it has to do with the way we’ve been playing in our own end,” noted Butler.
“I guess you could say we play like an overplay system. If our guys play it really aggressive, it really makes it tough on other teams. If you don’t score on us off the rush, we usually do a pretty good job in our own zone in not allowing you to get to our net.”
Machovsky, in his second OHL campaign, earned his second shutout of the season and the third of his career in the Peterborough game. His previous shutouts came in an 8-0 verdict over the host London Knights last Jan. 7 and a 5-0 win Sept. 24 over the host Sudbury Wolves.
“It feels awesome,” said Machovsky. “The guys played very well and helped me out a lot.”
Machovsky, 18, who suffered a 5-2 loss to the visiting Saginaw Spirit on Thursday night, looked for redemption when he took his place between the pipes Sunday.
“It was a very tough game Thursday. I tried to keep it behind me and stay sharp and stay focused in the net for the game Sunday.”
A Czech import acquired in a trade with the Guelph Storm last Dec. 1, Machovsky is 4-3-1 in eight starts and ranks second in the league, behind Wilson, with a 2.23 goals-against average and has a .915 save percentage.
Mississauga resident Wilson, a ninth-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection in May, leads all goaltenders with both a 1.30 GAA and a .940 save percentage. Wilson, 19, registered his first shutout at Kingston and is 3-0-1 in four starts.
Machovsky said the duo has worked well together.
“It’s been great,” said Machovsky. “We’ve been pushing each other every practice. Every game both of us have been playing well. Keegan, I can’t believe he wasn’t drafted before this year. He’s an unreal goalie playing his first year.”
Machovsky, six-foot-two and 195 pounds, lauded the Battalion’s strong defensive play.
“We’ve played well in our own end, one defence-to-defence pass and right up and out. The guys have helped me out a lot every game. They play well in front of me, and it helps me play well.”
