Storm prevails 5-1 over Battalion
BRAMPTON, Ont. – Cody McNaughton scored on a penalty shot and added one assist as the Guelph Storm, which collected four unanswered second-period goals, defeated the Brampton Battalion 5-1 in Ontario Hockey League preseason action Sunday.
Stephen Gaskin, Justin Auger, Patrick Watling and Ben Harpur also scored for Guelph.
Starting goaltender Brandon Foote, who was a member of the Battalion for part of the 2008-09 season, allowed one goal on 23 shots through two periods, making a pad save on a penalty shot by Andreas Tsogkas. Lee Doherty manned the crease in the final frame, contributing four saves.
Tsogkas got the Battalion on the board first in the opening period. Rookie goaltender Keegan Wilson faced 29 shots in the loss.
“Just very disappointed with the lack of effort today,” said Battalion assistant coach Jason Ward.
“They’re a very young team over there. They work hard and they created their chances by work ethic, and we didn’t match that. If you don’t match that in this league, if you’re not the harder-working team out there, a lot of times you’re going to come out on the wrong end.”
Veteran defenceman Cameron Wind, who served as captain for the undermanned Battalion, which has six players at National Hockey League rookie camps, noted that the team still was able to take positives from the game.
“They didn’t score one against us in the third,” said Wind. “I think using that going into the next two games will help us learn that we can regroup and play well.”
Tsogkas scored 15:17 into the game, finishing off a rush started by Patrik Machac, who made a nifty move to break in alone, chipping the puck past a defender and winning a footrace. Machac fired a shot low to the stick side that was kicked away by Foote, who then denied Mitchell Porowski on the rebound before Tsogkas skated in to shovel the loose puck past the sprawling goaltender.
Defenceman Gaskin replied 41 seconds later, converting a power-play chance on a slap shot from the point that beat a screened Wilson low to the blocker side.
McNaughton was awarded the penalty shot at 11:45 of the middle period after falling on a shorthanded breakaway. McNaughton put a snap shot high over the glove of Wilson for what proved to be the winning goal.
Auger, fresh out of the penalty box, made it 3-1 at 16:43, swiping home the rebound of a shot in the slot by Tanner Richard.
Watling scored with the man advantage at 18:08 when he shoveled his own rebound into the net from the crease, and defenceman Harpur completed the scoring 58 seconds later, beating Wilson on a screened drive from the left point.
Tsogkas was awarded a penalty shot at 19:46 after he was tripped up on a shorthanded breakaway. Foote foiled Tsogkas’s attempt with the left pad.
Wilson shut the door in the final period, including a pair of solid saves on one of four Guelph power plays in the frame. Wilson first stopped a point-blank shot by Scott Kosmachuk and then made a sliding pad save against Ryan Horvat.
The Battalion, which dressed 19 players, one below the limit, scratched Matej Machovsky, Zach Bell, Philip Lane, Sam Carrick, Barclay Goodrow and Ian Watters. Guelph scratched Garret Sparks, Andrey Pedan, Matt Finn, Brock McGinn and Zack Mitchell.
The Battalion, with one win and two losses on its exhibition slate, plays its fourth of five preseason games against the host Peterborough Petes at 7:05 p.m. Thursday.
BATTALION NOTEBOOK: There was a pregame commemoration marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. A moment’s silence was observed, and both the U.S. and Canadian national anthems were played … Ward and fellow assistant Ryan Oulahen again ran the bench while head coach Stan Butler watched from the media box … The Battalion went 0-for-5 on the power play, while Guelph was 2-for-9 … Opening Battalion line combinations included Machac centring left winger Porowski and right winger Tsogkas, Spencer Abraham centring left winger Michael Mastrangelo and right winger Michael Santini and Adam Lloyd pivoting left winger Brandon Robinson and right winger Matt MacLeod. Connor Jarvis centred left winger Alex O’Neil and right winger Jordan Poirier … Porowski, MacLeod and O’Neil served as alternate captains … Robinson missed a partial breakaway in the first period, firing a shot high over the net … O’Neil delivered a solid shoulder check after stepping out of the penalty box and catching Watling with his head down … The Battalion played the game without a backup goaltender, as Machovsky is attending the rookie camp of the NHL’s Ottawa Senators. O’Neil was slated to man the crease if Wilson had suffered an injury … Other Troops at NHL rookie camps are forwards Lane with the Phoenix Coyotes, Carrick with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Goodrow with the Carolina Hurricanes and Watters with the Pittsburgh Penguins and defenceman Bell with the San Jose Sharks … The absences saw Abraham, normally a defenceman, moved up front … Foote played 19 games with the Battalion before being traded to Guelph in January, 2009, as part of a package for goaltender Thomas McCollum.
