Battalion on brink after overtime loss
SUDBURY, Ont. – Dominik Kubalik scored at 14:35 of overtime to lift the Sudbury Wolves to a 5-4 Ontario Hockey League victory Thursday night over the Brampton Battalion, pushing the Troops to the brink of playoff elimination.
Sudbury grabbed a 3-1 lead in games in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal and can end the series with a win in Game 5 at Brampton at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
With the teams skating four a side and a delayed penalty signaled to the Troops’ Jamie Lewis, Kubalik beat Battalion goaltender Jake Smith from the inner edge of the left-wing circle off an odd-man rush. Kubalik has scored the winner in each Sudbury victory.
The Battalion played shorthanded for 3:03 of overtime, killing a hooking penalty assessed to Brandon Robinson at 6:29 and the final 1:03 of a third-period interference call against Zach Bell. Marcus McIvor was hobbled during the Robinson minor after blocking a shot.
Nicholas Baptiste scored two goals and Mathew Campagna contributed one goal and two assists for fifth-seeded Sudbury. Chad Thibodeau also scored, and goaltender Franky Palazzese provided 35 saves.
Blake Clarke and Dylan Blujus each had one goal and one assist and Robinson and Matt MacLeod the other goals for the fourth-seeded Battalion before a crowd of 4,658.
Starting goaltender Matej Machovsky gave up three goals on eight shots before pulling himself, and Smith, who made his OHL playoff debut, faced 27 shots the rest of the way.
The Battalion again was without head coach Stan Butler, who watched from the stands while serving the second game of a five-game suspension for abuse of an official in the second game, a 5-4 Sudbury win last Sunday at Brampton. The Wolves posted a 3-1 home-ice victory Tuesday night.
“It’s a tough loss, but it’s just one of those games you need to bounce back from,” said Butler. “We have a big game tomorrow and we need to find a way to win.”
Said assistant coach Ryan Oulahen: “It was an up-and-down game. We dug ourselves an early hole like we did in Game 2. We were able to find a way to bounce back and even it up. I thought we’d come out and have a better effort in overtime, but they got a break at the end and the puck went in our net.”
The Troops, who trailed 3-0 after one period and 4-2 through 40 minutes, rallied late to tie it in the third period. Defenceman Blujus scored on the power play at 15:42, cutting the deficit to one. Blujus gloved down a high puck about to leave the zone and wired a screened shot behind Palazzese.
MacLeod precipitated overtime by deflecting home Brenden Miller’s screened left-point drive at 16:32. Nick Paul, who had the other assist, almost gave the Battalion the lead in the 18th minute but fired wide in alone on Palazzese.
The Battalion climbed back into contention with two of three second-period goals, starting when Clarke scored on the power play at 8:23. Blujus fired a shot from the left point, and the puck ricocheted to Clarke deep on the right side. He connected from a bad angle with Barclay Goodrow worrying Palazzese at the lip of the crease.
Campagna gave Sudbury a 4-1 lead during a four-on-three skating advantage at 10:59, one-timing a shot from the right circle.
Robinson replied at 16:19, darting down the right wing to take a backhand pass from Goodrow high in the zone and beating Palazzese between the legs. It was Robinson’s first OHL playoff goal.
Baptiste struck at 5:48 of the first period on Sudbury’s first shot of the game after the Battalion had accumulated seven. Cameron Wind was caught up the ice by a bad carom off the boards, and a two-on-one break became a three-on-one before Campagna, delaying in the right-wing circle, fed the trailing Baptiste.
Baptiste scored his third goal of the series on the power play at 14:00, taking a pass from Campagna deep in the zone and beating Machovsky low to the glove side from the mid slot.
Thibodeau chased Machovsky at 18:05, scoring on a weak shot from the top of the right circle. Machovsky immediately skated to the bench and tapped Smith as the backup gathered his gear.
Battalion scratches were Mark Raycroft, Connor Jarvis and Calvin Gomes. Sudbury scratched Jeff Corbett, Connor Burgess, Zach McFadden and Brody Silk.
BATTALION NOTEBOOK: The Battalion again was supported by a delegation of fans from North Bay, which the Troops will call home starting next season. A busload of fans made the trip west on Highway 17, as did numerous private vehicles … North Bay’s CKAT 600 provided radio coverage, and the city’s TVCogeco Cable 12 relayed live the Sudbury feed of the game … The Battalion went 2-for-7 on the power play. Sudbury was 2-for-6 … The Battalion has a won-lost record of 7-15 in playoff overtime, including 3-8 on the road. The last time the teams went to overtime in the postseason, the Troops completed a sweep of a first-round set with a 4-3 victory on Wind’s goal at 14:47 of the second extra frame one year to the day earlier … Patrik Machac left for the dressing room favouring his left knee after a centre-ice collision with Sudbury’s Evan de Haan in the 13th minute of the opening period. Machac did not return … Clarke and MacLeod both have registered at least one point in every game of the series … Opening line combinations included Paul centring Francis Menard on left wing and right winger Goodrow, Machac centring left winger Clarke and right winger MacLeod and Lewis pivoting left winger Robinson and right winger Mathew Santos. Nicholas Foglia centred Mike Amadio on left wing and right winger Brendan Childerley … The Battalion has dressed the same lineup in all four games … Silk was sidelined after receiving a Bell check in Game 3. Corbett again sat out after colliding with Robinson in Game 2 … Danny Desrochers, a North Bay resident who skated in the warmup before each of the first three games, made his series debut for Sudbury … Foglia celebrated his 20th birthday Thursday.
