Solid reasons for defensive record

BRAMPTON, Ont. – It was no accident that the Battalion set a club record for defensive stinginess in the 2004-05 Ontario Hockey League season.rrA solid core of six defencemen and the goaltending tandem of Kevin Couture and Daren Machesney saw the Battalion allow 200 goals in the 68-game season, 21 fewer than the previous year and two below the former record of 202 set in 2002-03.rrWe were happy with the stability of the blue line,” coach Stan Butler said this week in assessing the club’s performance in its seventh OHL season, in which the Troops posted a won-lost-tied record of 33-26-9, including two overtime losses, for 77 points and third place in the Central Division of the Eastern Conference.rrI thought for the most part they did a good job. They’re a promising group for next year, even if you don’t know how much guys are capable of improving from year to year.”rrThe central six defencemen comprised veterans Stuart Simmons, Nick Duff, Martin Lojek and Phil Oreskovic as well as rookies John de Gray and Michael Vernace. rrThey were supported by rookies Scott Boomsma and Tomas Stryncl and sophomore Kyle Sonnenburg, acquired from the Belleville Bulls at the Jan. 10 trade deadline.rrVernace, a candidate for OHL all-rookie team honours, showed fans a glimpse of what he could do offensively after being called up late in 2003-04 from the Bramalea Blues of the Provincial Junior A League. rrHe carried that into this season, scoring 12 goals and adding 38 assists for 50 points. He finished second in Coaches Poll balloting for best offensive defenceman in the conference, and his points total was the second-best ever for a Battalion blueliner, behind Rostislav Klesla’s 54 in 2000-01.rrPeople need to accept him for what he is,” Butler said of Vernace. “He’s an offensive defenceman, and that’s a skill in itself. He brought something to our team that we were sorely lacking.”rrButler said that Vernace, a seventh-round pick of the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks in the 2004 Entry Draft, continues to work hard at improving his defensive game.rrI think he made strides but he still has a way to go, and I think he knows that as well as anyone. He’ll only get better.”rrVernace was complemented by his partner, Duff, one of the club’s most physical players.rrI think Nick did a really good job,” said Butler. He’s a very competitive kid, and he plays very well with Vernace as the defensive guy playing with the offensive defenceman. rrHe’s one of the best middleweight fighters in the league. For a guy his size, he’s more than willing and able to fight anyone. You know you’re going to get a good effort out of him every night.”rrOreskovic, a hulking Brampton resident who was the club’s first pick in the 2003 OHL Priority Selection, continued to contribute a physical element.rrI think Phil made good progress this year. He’s a good player, and it’s important for him to have a good offseason and work extremely hard.”rrOreskovic’s partner was de Gray, chosen with the sixth overall pick in 2004. The underager scored two goals and added eight assists for 10 points in 53 games, missing time with a shoulder injury suffered with Team Ontario at the World Under-17 Challenge.rrJohn’s going to be a great player for us,” said Butler. I think he’s going to be a high pick in the NHL.” rrOverager Simmons and Czech import Lojek, in their third seasons, were the elder statesmen on the blue line.rrSimmons gave us three good years,” said Butler. “He worked hard and will probably now be off to York University. rrMartin had an up-and-down career here. I thought his first season was probably his best, but he really struggled as an 18-year-old. He got things turned around a bit this year, but at times he’d make a big mistake that would cost a goal. There’s no doubt that he has the physical tools to play beyond this level. It’s just a matter of him cutting down on the mental mistakes.”rrButler said he sees big things ahead for the newest Czech import, 18-year-old Stryncl, who recorded five assists in 38 games.rrTomas is going to be a very good player for us. He’s no different from any rookie. He’s got to get stronger and bulkier to be successful. rrThere was a huge learning curve for him, and as a result I think we had to bring him along slowly. I think Tomas and the team will both reap the benefits of that strategy.”rrSonnenburg played 19 regular-season games with the Battalion but missed the conference quarterfinal series against the Sudbury Wolves because of a knee injury suffered in practice.rrKyle is a puck-moving defenceman who can be a pretty good player for us if he can get stronger. We’re hoping he can back up Vernace and give us some experience.”rrButler said that depth on defence will be a factor at next season’s training camp.rrWe’ll have good depth there with Boomsma and Stephane Chabot. We’ll see how some of our young guys do at camp to see if they can push the older guys.” rrSaid Vernace: We have a lot of young guys like de Gray who are going to be good players. Oreskovic is an anchor back there. We have some experience on the back end now, and we need to have the same mentality as we did this year. We need to go out every night and compete as hard as we can.”rrVeteran Couture and rookie Machesney were platooned in goal to good effect. Couture posted a record of 17-13-3 with one shutout and a 2.86 goals-against average in 36 appearances, while Machesney went 16-13-6 with a 2.74 goals-against average and one shutout in 38 games. rrDifferent seasons bring different goaltending situations,” said Butler. rrSometimes you have two goalies that are very capable. Other years you may have one goalie who’s a lot better or a lot older than the other one. We felt very confident that both of our guys were capable. I thought our goalies played very well and they were a big reason we had such a good regular season.”rrMachesney, one of the top North American goaltending prospects for the next NHL Entry Draft, made five emergency appearances with the Battalion in 2003-04. He was asked to carry a much bigger load this season.rrI thought Daren did a good job,” said Butler. “There’s a huge difference between playing five games in the OHL and playing 38 games. There’s a big learning curve there, and he responded pretty well.”rrButler said Couture, who turned 20 on March 17, handled the platoon system like a pro.rrI give Kevin a lot of credit. I thought he had three good seasons here, and I think his numbers showed that. No matter when we called upon him, he did a good job.”r