Catenacci leads victorious Attack
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Daniel Catenacci scored two goals and added an assist to pace the Owen Sound Attack to a 5-3 victory over the Brampton Battalion in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night.
Gemel Smith and Zach Nastasiuk had one goal and one assist apiece, while Kurtis Gabriel also scored. Goaltender Brandon Hope made 23 saves as Owen Sound moved its won-lost-extended record to 13-3-3 for 29 points, first in the Western Conference and Midwest Division.
Brendan Childerley, Matt MacLeod and Zach Bell scored for the Battalion. Goaltender Matej Machovsky gave up four goals on 28 shots, with Nastasiuk’s goal into an empty net. The Troops are 6-8-5 for 17 points, fifth in the Central Division, one point behind the Sudbury Wolves, who lost 4-1 to the host London Knights.
“We worked pretty hard tonight in a pretty intense game,” said Battalion coach Stan Butler. “Unfortunately, in this league you don’t get points for hard work; you get them for winning hockey games.”
Catenacci broke a 3-3 tie at 16:47 of the third period after an offensive-zone turnover by Barclay Goodrow. Smith led a rush, feeding Nathan Chiarlitti, who found Catenacci in the slot for a one-timer that beat Machovsky over his left shoulder.
“We made a bad pass in the last couple of minutes,” said Butler. “You can’t make those kinds of high-risk passes at that stage of a game, because they come back to bite you, and it happened to us tonight.”
Added Goodrow: “I made a bad read in their zone, and it cost us the goal and eventually the game. I have to be a lot better than that.”
Nastasiuk cleared the puck the length of the ice into the empty net while shorthanded at 19:11. Hope drew the lone assist.
Defenceman Bell tied it 3-3 at 5:23 on the power play, scoring on a right-point slap shot that went off the left and right posts before trickling behind Hope, who tried in vain to sweep the puck away with a hand.
Catenacci gave the Attack a 3-2 lead at 15:01 of the second period when Chris Bigras’s left-point shot glanced off Catenacci’s left skate past Machovsky. Catenacci made a kicking motion only after the puck was gone from his skate, and a video review upheld the goal.
Childerley, playing his first game against his onetime team, opened the scoring at 4:14 of the first period. Nicholas Foglia swept across the goalmouth and shot from the right side, and Childerley tapped the rebound into an open net with Hope out of position.
“I’m happy for him, but the best part about that goal was how we scored it,” said Butler. “We’ve been working on putting the puck to that far pad and driving the net.”
Said Goodrow of Childerley: “It was a huge goal for him. He’s one of the leaders on our team and, when we see him playing like that, it gives us an extra boost.”
Gabriel responded on the power play at 11:06, converting from a scramble in the crease after a left-point drive by Jake Dotchin bounced off the end boards.
MacLeod collected his first goal of the season at 15:14. MacLeod corralled a Dylan Blujus rebound in the slot and spun to slip the puck past the outstretched Hope.
“It was disappointing not to get the two points,” said MacLeod. “It was a huge confidence-booster though to get the monkey off my back and get a goal. Hopefully they’ll start coming a little easier from now on.”
Smith evened the score again on the power play at 16:46. Just 27 seconds after Blake Clarke went off for crosschecking, Smith stuffed a backhander home from the right lip of the crease. Moments before the goal, the sequence appeared offside as Catenacci carried the puck into the zone.
“My feeling on the play was that it was offside,” said Butler.
Noted Goodrow: “The referees make mistakes. It’s part of the game, and you can’t dwell on it. You have to work past it and not let it affect you.”
The Battalion scratched Derek Froats. Owen Sound scratches were Alex Annecchiarico, Jacob Middleton, Jarrod Maidens and Kyle Hope.
The Battalion visits the Barrie Colts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday before hosting the Guelph Storm at 2 p.m. Sunday. The game at Barrie can be seen live in Brampton on Rogers Cable 10 and in Caledon and Orangeville on Rogers Cable 63.
BATTALION NOTEBOOK: Attendance was 2,373 … The Battalion went 1-for-4 on the power play. Owen Sound was 2-for-3 … Goodrow and Attack goaltender Jordan Binnington played for Team OHL in the Subway Super Series against Russia on Thursday night at Guelph. Binnington surrendered both goals in a 2-1 loss … Defenceman Cameron Wind played his 246th game with the Battalion, moving into sole possession of sixth place on the club’s career list ahead of Jay Harrison … Opening line combinations included Jamie Lewis centring left winger Nick Paul and right winger Goodrow, Patrik Machac centring left winger Brandon Robinson and right winger MacLeod and Foglia pivoting left winger Clarke and right winger Childerley. Mike Amadio centred left winger Connor Jarvis and right winger Mathew Santos … Froats missed a sixth game with a wrist injury … Defenceman Middleton has a lower-body injury, while centre Maidens has yet to play this season because of post-concussion syndrome. He missed the final 39 games last season … Winger Jaden Lindo of the Attack is a Brampton resident … It was Investors Group Food Drive Night, with fans asked to donate non-perishable items to the Ste. Louise Outreach Centre of Peel. In a pregame ceremony, Steve Wrenn, divisional director for Investors Group, and his son, Joshua, presented a cheque for $1,000 to Catherine Rivera, board president of the Ste. Louise organization. They then conducted a ceremonial faceoff between captains Goodrow and Keevin Cutting … The referees were Seth Ferguson and Ryan Park, while the linesmen, who had a rough night with as many as three Owen Sound goals possibly offside, were Frank Rocca and Mike Zujko.
