Troops’ depth earns split on the road
GUELPH, Ont. – Scott Walker knows how the North Bay Battalion has found success against the Guelph Storm through two games of the Ontario Hockey League Championship Series.
“To be honest, they want it more than we do,” Guelph coach Walker said after the Battalion tied the best-of-seven set with a 4-3 overtime victory Friday night. The Storm prevailed 3-2 in overtime in the opener Thursday night.
The battle for the J. Ross Robertson Cup and a berth in the Memorial Cup tournament shifts to North Bay’s Memorial Gardens for the next two games, beginning with Game 3 at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Guelph grabbed a 2-0 lead before Marcus McIvor’s power-play goal put the Battalion on the board late in the first period. Mathew Santos tied it at 9:17 of the second period, and Robby Fabbri put the Storm back in front with his second goal of the game at 15:57. Nick Paul’s power-play goal at 14:32 of the third period tied it 3-3, and Barclay Goodrow produced the winner 2:30 into overtime.
“That’s the character we’ve shown all season,” said Goodrow, who leads the OHL with 12 playoff goals, including a league-high four game-winners. “We get down and we stick to the game plan. We don’t try to cheat for offence. We got some big goals out of Marcus, Santos and Paul. Our depth is the key to our success, and that showed with a big goal by Santos.”
Guelph, which boasted the OHL’s best regular-season record and led the league with 340 goals credited, entered the series with three losses in 15 playoff games.
“We’re getting frustrated,” Walker acknowledged. “We’re not used to not being able to have a little more creativity. They’re working extremely hard against us. We knew it would be a battle. You don’t get this far in the OHL and not be a good team. We need to look at each other, grab on and start rowing the right way.
“We’re a mature team with good leadership. We’ll spend a couple of days at practice to get better and see what we can do up there.”
Walker said he didn’t think the Storm has played to its capabilities.
“We haven’t played an ‘A’ game, and that’s not to take anything away from them. They might not be allowing us to play one. It would be nice to see if we do that. I’d rather get beat playing an ‘A’ game and know for sure that they’re a better team.”
North Bay has had the edge in the special-teams contest, going 3-for-7 with the man advantage while holding Guelph’s vaunted power play, which produced 16 goals through its first three series, scoreless in six opportunities. Paul’s equalizer came on the second penalty issued to the Storm for delay of game, as Steven Trojanovic fired the puck into the crowd.
“We know they have a great power play,” said Battalion coach Stan Butler. “All we’re trying to do is play physical, but smart. We don’t want to take a lot of penalties against them. We’ve been fortunate with a couple of pucks going into the stands, which are penalties the referees have to call.”
Guelph’s Matt Finn said the Storm, which inexplicably escaped a penalty against Fabbri for downing Zach Bratina immediately before Fabbri scored to make it 2-0, can’t worry about officiating.
“It’s going to be back and forth. Some games you’ll get the calls and some games you won’t. You just have to roll with it and do your best whether you’re on the power play or penalty kill. The special teams need to execute better. We haven’t scored one yet in the series, and we have to start getting pucks to the net. We’re trying to be too fancy and use our skill a little more than we should.”
Battalion goaltender Jake Smith produced another solid effort, shaking off an early goal by Trojanovic to turn in a 21-save performance, including key first-period stops on Fabbri and Brock McGinn.
“He’s a focused kid,” Butler said of Smith. “A lot of lesser goalies would let an early goal in like that and would falter.”
Butler also complimented the play of the fourth line, comprising Santos, Jamie Lewis and Connor Jarvis. The trio created plenty of havoc in the Guelph zone leading to Santos’s first career playoff goal.
“We knew Jamie and Connor would have chemistry, and Jamie’s game has really taken off since he’s been with those other guys. That line has been great through the playoffs.”
