Troops get boost from specialists
BRAMPTON, Ont. – The Brampton Battalion, buoyed by the showing of its special teams, carries a two-game lead onto enemy ice when it visits the Sudbury Wolves at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the third game of their Ontario Hockey League playoff series.
The Battalion, which trailed 1-0 after the first period, scored two power-play goals in the second en route to a 4-2 victory Sunday in Game 2 of the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal.
“Those two power-play goal we scored quickly in the period helped to put the momentum back in our possession,” said coach Stan Butler. “If we don’t capitalize on our opportunity and score those goals right away, the momentum stays with them.”
Sam Carrick said the Troops got a big lift from the first of Philip Lane’s three goals, 58 seconds into the middle frame.
“We really picked things up and started building momentum off our first power-play goal which tied the game 1-1,” said Carrick. “When you get teams that are so evenly matched like we are, specials teams is what’s really going to make the difference in this series.”
The Battalion has three power-play goals in 11 opportunities over two home games, including one on six chances in a 4-0 win in the series opener Friday night.
Carrick, who contributed to the Battalion’s man-advantage success Sunday by redirecting a Brenden Miller point shot for the second power-play goal at 8:19, credited assistant coach Jason Ward with good work.
“Jason has worked really hard all year with us trying different things, and we’ve been able to find something that’s working, so we just have to stick with it.”
Said Lane: “It was huge to come out and score two goals in the second period. Special teams are huge in the playoffs, and right now our power play is clicking well, so hopefully we can keep that going.”
Brett Mackie sent a pass to the onrushing Lane for his third career playoff game-winning goal, which broke a 2-2 tie at 13:59 of the third period.
“We came into the room after the first period and knew we could get back into it, and with the power play we knew it could be a big momentum builder for us,” said Mackie.
“One thing we’re starting to do better is get some traffic towards the net. We struggled for a little bit on the power play during the regular season, but now that the goals are starting to go in we’re getting confidence.”
The Troops also have done strong work on the penalty kill, denying Sudbury a goal in eight power-play attempts, four in each game.
“Our penalty kill has been really good,” noted Butler, praising Ward and fellow assistant Ryan Oulahen. “The coaches have made adjustments after going over video, and it’s really seemed to help us.”
The Battalion knows it needs to remain focused as the series shifts to the Sudbury Community Arena for two games. The fourth-seeded Battalion and fifth-seeded Wolves are to play there again Wednesday night.
“Sudbury is a tough barn to play in,” said Carrick. “They have pretty loud fans there, and we need to get off to a good start and play our game for a full 60 minutes. We have a great team here. We believe in our group of guys, and we know we’re facing a tough opponent, so we need to be ready.”
Noted Lane: “We’re all playing well, we’re competing hard and we need to go into Sudbury with the same mindset.”
The game Tuesday night can be seen live in Brampton on Rogers Cable 10 and in Caledon and Orangeville on Rogers Cable 63.
