Troops face IceDogs to open weekend
BRAMPTON, Ont. – The Brampton Battalion’s game Thursday night against the Niagara IceDogs looms as a potential playoff preview.
The Battalion, with six games left on the schedule, has a won-lost-extended record of 27-29-6 for 60 points, sixth in the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern Conference, four points behind the Kingston Frontenacs and three ahead of the Sudbury Wolves.
Niagara, which hosts the clash of Central Division rivals at 7 p.m., is 40-16-6 for 86 points, seeded third in the conference, 10 points shy of the division- and conference-leading Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors and six points up on the fourth-place Oshawa Generals. If the rankings don’t change, the IceDogs and Battalion would meet in a best-of-seven conference quarterfinal.
To complete their action this week, the Troops host Mississauga at 7:30 p.m. Friday and the Barrie Colts at 2 p.m. Sunday.
“We have only six games left, so the onus is on us to get some points,” rookie defenceman Jordan Auld said Wednesday. “We’ll hope we get some help but, realistically, we need to help ourselves and get as many points as we can.”
The Battalion, 2-2-1 against Niagara this season, skated to a 3-0 home-ice win over the IceDogs on Feb. 27. The visitors were without veteran forwards Darren Archibald and Alex Friesen, but both have returned to the lineup.
“They don’t have many weaknesses, from their goalie through their defence and forwards,” said Auld. “They were missing some guys the last time, and I’m sure they’ll have a full lineup Thursday, but that won’t change how we have to play them. We need to work hard, stick with our systems and get as many shots on them as we can. We need some ugly goals.
“The games against them have been close, but they’re a really deep team. We might see them in the playoffs, so going into their barn will be a real challenge for us to get a couple of points out of there. Those would be huge.”
The IceDogs are 24-3-4 in the close confines of their home rink, the Jack Gatecliff Arena, which dates to 1938 and is the oldest facility in the OHL. Niagara is tied with the Kitchener Rangers for the most home-ice wins in the league.
“It’s so small, and you have to make your decisions so much quicker,” noted Auld. “In minor hockey, you play in rinks like that, but the game isn’t that quick. In the OHL, you have big, strong guys who get on you right away. It’s a real challenge for all of us young guys. It’s pretty demanding. It’ll be a muck-and-grind kind of game. The neutral zone isn’t very big, and it’s important for us at the back to keep their time and space to a minimum.”
The Battalion has yet to beat the Majors in six games this season. The Troops led 3-2 with little more than five minutes to go in their most recent meeting, at Mississauga on Feb. 27, but lost 5-3.
“We had some bad luck in that game,” said Auld. “It would have been great to get two points, but if we play like that again we’ll do well. Their style is similar to ours. They’re defensive and check hard up the ice. We need to match their intensity throughout the game. It’s probably not going to be the offensive game you’d see against a team like Niagara or Oshawa. We really have to capitalize on our chances, and our goalies are playing so well that they can give us a great chance to win.”
Auld, who has one goal and 15 assists for 16 points in 59 games, said he’s noticed the intensity of games ratcheting up lately, particularly last week when the Battalion posted road and home wins over the Peterborough Petes and lost 2-0 to visiting Sudbury despite firing a season-high 57 shots at goaltender Alain Valiquette.
“We’re all battling for playoff spots. The games have a lot more meaning to them now, and they’ve become a lot more physical. We’re neck and neck with the Wolves. We had a lot of shots, and it was very physical. We all knew how important the game was and played like it, but Valiquette stood on his head.”
The game at Niagara can be seen live in Brampton on Rogers Cable 10 and in Bolton, Caledon and Orangeville on Rogers Cable 63.
