Smyth lowers sights to hit target

BRAMPTON, Ont. – Matt Smyth has been reminded throughout the season to keep his shots low. That advice paid off Sunday for the Brampton Battalion’s rookie right winger.rrThe Battalion trailed the Sudbury Wolves 3-2 late in the third period when Taylor Raszka was in collision with Sudbury’s Marc Staal in the defender’s zone. A prone Raszka steered the puck to Smyth, who snapped his fifth goal of the season under goaltender Kevin Beech.rrThe Troops went on to win 4-3 in a shootout, extending their Ontario Hockey League winning streak to four games.rrRaszka kept boosting me up throughout the game,” said Smyth, who has nine points in 43 games. He made a great play, and I got lucky. I heard Taylor tell me to shoot it and I got it away low and it went in.”rrSmyth, a 16-year-old resident of Orlando, Fla., said shooting high can be a tough habit to break.rrIn Florida all the goalies drop, so we go up top,” said Smyth, a first-round pick in the 2005 OHL Priority Selection from the Markham Islanders minor midgets. rrBut here all of the goalies are great, and I realized that shooting low can produce rebounds. The goalies here are very good positionally, and it’s tough to score, but a low shot with a rebound gives you that extra chance to score. Raszka reminds me every day in practice when I shoot over the net that I have to keep my shots low.”rrSmyth’s performance against Sudbury earned him a shift in overtime. rrHe had a lot of jump and had a great game, and that’s why I put him out in overtime,” said coach Stan Butler. He’s going to be a good player for us. We just have to be patient.”rrSaid Smyth: It was quite nerve-wracking, and I just wanted to play it safe. I wanted to play defensively and not make any mistakes.”rrThe five-foot-10, 173-pound Smyth has been paying plenty of attention to overage right winger Luch Aquino, another smaller player who uses speed to his advantage.rrLuch is a great player,” said Smyth. He’s great with his feet and he knows how to use his speed. He’s the kind of great player I can learn from. I try to sit back and watch and then I’ll ask him questions. He’s helped me out a lot.”rrDespite his lack of bulk, Smyth hasn’t shied away from physical play.rrI try to stay low and get around guys. I have to keep my head up and I’ll avoid a hit if I can. But if they’re coming at me, I’ll take it.”rrAfter a slow start, Smyth has two goals and two assists in the last six games.rrI’m getting more confident every day, and the guys just keep reminding me to play my game and the goals will come.”r