McClement aims for 100th career OHL point against Belleville
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Centre Jay McClement will be gunning for his 100th career OHL point on Wednesday when the Troops make their only trip of the season to Belleville to meet the Bulls. Game time is 7:05 p.m.
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McClement, in his third year with the Battalion, has earned 21 points (13 goals, 8 assists) this season and is tied with Rostislav Klesla in career points with 99, on 56 goals and 43 assists. When he notches his next point, the Kingston, Ont., native will become the seventh Battalion player to hit the century mark.
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"I didn´t realize it until before last Sunday´s game when I saw the new OHL Yearbook," said McClement. "I did a little math in my head and figured it out." He figures to have a lot of support in the stands as he shoots for the milestone. "I will have a lot of friends there and most of my family will be coming since it´s only 45 minutes from home."
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The Bulls come into the game as the fourth-best team in the Eastern Conference. Belleville, which lost 5-3 to the Sarnia Sting last Saturday, is one of the OHL´s highest-scoring teams, with 114 goals in 30 games. The Bulls are led offensively by Nathan Robinson and Mike Renzi, who are tied for the league lead in scoring with Kris Newbury of Sarnia. Robinson and Renzi each has 22 goals and 31 assists this season. Renzi is tied for second in the league with nine power play goals. Toronto Maple Leafs draftee Kyle Wellwood, last year´s OHL scoring leader, has chipped in with 13 goals and 20 assists, and sophomore winger Matthew Stajan has 31 points on 11 goals and 20 assists. Belleville´s leading rookie scorer is Rane Carnegie, the 18th player chosen in May´s Priority Selection.
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"They have two lines that we have to shut down," McClement said. "I used to play with Nathan Robinson growing up, and he is a pretty explosive skater. Robinson and Renzi score in bunches, and shutting them down will be the key to beating them."
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"They work very hard and score goals in bunches," concurred Head Coach Stan Butler. "Right now we aren´t a very high-scoring team, so we have to be pretty responsible defensively against them. We don´t want to get into an 8-7 shootout with them. We have the best opportunity to win if we keep the scores low."
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The Bulls have recently made wholesale changes in goal. Belleville sent netminder Paulo Colaiacovo to Barrie on Nov. 22 and swapped backstops with London on Monday, sending Jan Chovan to the Knights for Glen Ridler and import blueliner Lubos Velebny. The Battalion has already faced Ridler twice this season, earning a win and a tie.
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The Troops are 0-5-1 lifetime against Belleville, making the Bulls the only team the Battalion has never defeated. Last season, Brampton battled to a 3-3 draw with Belleville at the Bunker on Nov. 9 and dropped a 3-2 decision to the Bulls at the Yardmen Arena on Nov. 29. The Battalion is 0-3-0 at the international-sized Yardmen.
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"They are a team we have had our difficulties with," acknowledged Coach Butler. "When we first came into the league, they were a powerhouse. They got off to a really good start this season, and their rink is extremely hard to play in. It´s different from any other rink in the league. The bigger ice surface means a huge adjustment for the players when they go there."
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"Obviously they are more used to the big ice than us," said McClement, "but we have some good speed on this team and if we use it we can beat them. They have always had strong teams, but I don´t know if they have as much depth as they have had in recent years."
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The Bulls have a 10-6-1 record at home this season, while the Battalion is 6-7-1 away from the Bunker.
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"Belleville´s rink is tough to play in, but it´s really no different from going to St. Mike´s," said Butler, referring to the cramped confines of the Toronto Majors´ home. "It´s just two extremes. Both teams have a good home record because of the facilities they play in."
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