Savage makes presence felt in Brampton

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Sebastien Savage was a largely unknown commodity when he joined the Battalion in a trade with the Ottawa 67´s in November.
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The overage winger had spent his entire career in the OHL´s Eastern Conference, with stints in Mississauga, as the IceDogs´ second-round pick in their inaugural draft in 1998, Sudbury and Ottawa before moving to Brampton for popular winger Jonah Leroux. Savage´s arrival marked the first time in Battalion history that the team had three overagers in its lineup.
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"The team will go as far as the veteran players will take it," said Savage, who helped the 67´s get to the Memorial Cup tournament last season. "In Ottawa we won the OHL championship, and our overagers did an awesome job and that´s one of the reasons we won. If we want to get into the playoffs, some of us older guys have to step up."
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Savage has scored seven goals and added six assists in 25 games since joining Brampton, and many of his goals have come at opportune times.
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In his first game with the Battalion, on Nov. 9, Savage scored an empty net goal to seal an important road win at Kitchener, and he scored a pair of goals against Erie at the Bunker on Jan. 6 to help lead the Troops to their first regular season win over the Otters in almost two years.
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"We aren´t a team that scores a lot of goals," conceded Savage. "I have been scoring, but I just wish I was a little more consistent."
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As an overager, the St. Albert, Ont., native is also being called on to provide some leadership to a young Battalion squad that features nine rookies and six players in their second year in the league.
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"We have a really young team and we had an older one in Ottawa," he said. "The older players are always trying to help the younger players, but in Mississauga it was a little different because the team was so bad. You didn´t know who to look up to, but I looked up to guys like (IceDogs captain) Scott Page and, even though I know he wasn´t liked here, he worked hard in games and practices, and that´s what I try to do here.
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"In some places you listen to the other players and follow what they do, but you come here and you are a leader."
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Savage has also earned many fans in Brampton with his willingness to drop the gloves. He decisioned Craig Mahon at Windsor on Nov. 29, bloodied Robert Chapman of Owen Sound at the Bunker on Dec. 2 and stood toe-to-toe with Alan Nolan of Sault Ste. Marie in one of the most exciting fights ever seen at the Brampton Centre on Dec. 20.
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"I´ve always been a physical player," said Savage, "but when I was in Sudbury I didn´t fight much because we had a tough team with guys like Kip Brennan. When I got to Ottawa, they needed some toughness and I stepped up. It´s part of my game.
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"We can´t have guys like Jay Harrison fighting all the time because we need him at the back, but we have four solid lines and, if once in a while I think I need to take care of something, I do it."
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Savage might have helped the 67´s get to the OHL title last year, but he is prepared to work just as hard to make sure the Battalion makes the playoffs for the third time in its history.
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"I think things have changed for us since Christmas," he said. "We have only lost two games since then and we´re fighting to make the playoffs. We have to come here and work hard every day. I know what my role is here. I get in the odd tussle and score some goals. I like that."
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