Levac making up for lost time
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Justin Levac’s third Ontario Hockey League season got off to a late start, but the Brampton Battalion right winger is catching up quickly.
Levac missed training camp and the first four preseason games while sorting out some personal issues at home in Garson, Ont. After returning for the final exhibition game on Sept. 14, he scored his first goal of the season in a 5-4 victory Sunday over the host Niagara IceDogs.
“I feel pretty good,” Levac, 18, said Wednesday. “I didn’t think I was that out of shape when I came back. It was simply a matter of getting my stamina back and getting back to the pace of the game.”
Levac’s goal, at 5:24 of the second period, gave the Troops a 3-2 lead. Defenceman Bobby Sanguinetti threaded a pass from the blue line to centre Cody Hodgson in the deep slot, and Hodgson steered the puck to Levac, alone at the right post.
“That was pretty much Cody’s goal,” said Levac, who skated on a line with Hodgson and left winger Luke Lynes. “I was just in the right place at the right time. Now that I’m in my third year, I know where to go to get the puck.”
In the season opener, a 2-1 loss to the visiting Ottawa 67’s on Friday night, Levac skated alongside his linemates for much of last season, centre John Hughes and left winger Graham McNabb.
“The guys I’ve played with so far are all great players,” said Levac. “They all do their jobs, and being on a line with those guys is a huge confidence boost for me.
“I think my role is basically the same no matter what line I’m playing on. But when I’m with Hughes and McNabb, the coaches might look for more offence from me because McNabb is a defensive forward. On a line with Hodgson and Lynes, I might be looked at more to provide defence.”
As a top penalty killer, Levac has been called on often through the first two games, as the Battalion has faced 21 shorthanded situations, fourth-most in the OHL.
“I like killing penalties. Everybody has a role to play here with the skilled guys we have here this season, and I might not get too many chances on the power play, so if it means I have to work killing off penalties that’s fine.”
