Coach Butler on Game 1: “It’s nice to get a good start”
Posted: Sunday, March 26, 2000, 6:45 p.m.
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Battalion Head Coach Stan Butler said he was “happy” with his team’s historic first-ever playoff win on the road in Erie Saturday night. The Battalion beat the Erie Otters 5-2 to take a 1-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series. Game two is scheduled for the Bunker on Tuesday night at 7:15 p.m.
“Obviously any time you’re in a series and you can win the first game you are happy with that,” Butler said after putting the Troops through their paces on Sunday afternoon. “The first game is only the start of a series, but it’s nice to get a good start. I thought we played a solid defensive game and we got good goaltending from David (Chant). There’s no secret that, at the OHL or NHL level, your goaltending will make you or break you in the playoffs.”
Saturday night’s game was Brampton’s seventh meeting with Erie this season and Butler could see both pros and cons with engaging a division rival in a playoff series.
“I guess the pros are that you know the other team pretty well,” commented Butler, “and the cons are just the opposite: they know you pretty well. It’s good to know who you are playing but it’s also an advantage for your opponent.”
After engaging the Kitchener Rangers in a physical, 3-3 draw on Friday night, Butler felt that starting the playoffs the next night helped his young squad.
“I think it was good for us,” he said. “Most of our guys haven’t played in the playoffs before and they didn’t have a lot of time to think about it. I think our kids were nervous before the game (against Erie) but I think any good athlete is always nervous. If you talked to Wayne Gretzky I’m sure he was nervous before every game he played and that’s what made him such a great player.”
The Battalion has two players on their roster with OHL playoff experience, captain Jason Maleyko who played seven games against the Kingston Frontenacs as a member of the Oshawa Generals two years ago, and Nathan Herrington, who played seven playoff games with the Guelph Storm last season. Despite the team’s overall lack of playoff experience, Butler has seen many of his younger players step forward and assume leadership roles.
“I think we have pretty good leadership with our younger players,” he noted. “We have a lot of kids who I think have the potential to be leaders down the road and what better way is there for them to learn than on the job training?”
Butler felt it was important for his team to get an early goal on Otters goaltender J.F. Perras who had notched shutouts in his last four home games. Raffi Torres broke Perras’ scoreless run at 11:43 of the first period with the first playoff goal in team history.
“We didn’t talk about it with the players,” he said, “but as a coaching staff we felt that it was important to get out to a good start and score a goal on him. We didn’t want to go a period or two without scoring on him because he had that shutout streak going at home.”
Butler said he didn’t expect anything different from the Otters in game two. “(Otters head coach) Dave MacQueen is a pretty good coach, and I’m sure he practiced today like we did, and he’ll practice again Monday. Now that he’s had some time to know who he’s playing too, I’m sure they are going to come out a little harder at us and we have to be prepared for it.”
Outside of winger Scott Thompson, who is day-to-day with a shoulder injury suffered February 24 against Plymouth, Butler said his team came out of the first game in good shape. “As far as I know everybody came out of it okay. Scott practiced today but his shoulder is something that will be re-evaluated every day.”
