Shutting it down
Brampton, ON – Led by a 26-save shutout from Brayden Gillespie, the Brampton Steelheads shut down the North Bay Battalion in their return to the win column.
After the Trout and Troops exchanged chances, the Steelheads were given an early opportunity on the man advantage. The top unit got set up where Carson Rehkopf found Mason Zebeski in front. The Oakville native jammed two shots on goal, but Jack Lisson held strong to keep the puck out. Then, it was the second unit’s turn. Parker Von Richter unleashed a blast from the point which bounced wide. Von Richter’s howitzer kicked right off the end boards to Lucas Karmiris beside the net. Karmiris quickly chipped a shot on goal, but yet again Jack Lisson slid over to deny his bid.
The Steelheads pressured again with just under eight minutes to play. A hard forecheck from Mason Zebski allowed him to strip the North Bay defender of the puck behind the Battalion goal. Zebeski cut towards the side of the net where he found Carson Rehkopf in front. Rehkopf dragged into a shot, but it was gobbled up by Lisson.
The action began to tilt the other way with minutes to play. When Brampton lost the puck in the Battalion zone, North Bay broke up the ice in a three-on-one. Reyth Smith carried the puck up the right wing where he elected to shoot it himself in search of a rebound. Brayden Gillespie kicked his pad out to negate the chance.
A minute later, North Bay pressed for the icebreaker again. Started by a strong effort from Lirim Amidovski, the forward stayed upright through contact and slid a pass to Ihnat Pazii on the back door. Pazii tried to slide one five-hole one Gillespie, but the Brampton netminder turned his bid aside.
In the final minutes of the period, it was the Battalion’s turn to on the power play. The Battalion struggled to get set up, and Brampton was able to kill off the penalty.
Brampton did not waste much time in the second frame, finding the icebreaker just over a minute in. Lucas Karmiris set things up with a clean faceoff win back to Konnor Smith at the point. The big man went D-to-D for Parker Von Richter who unleashed a cannon on net. Von Richter’s blast beat Lisson clean, sailing straight under the glove of Battalion’s netminder giving Brampton a 1-0 lead.
Tension boiled over four minutes into the second period. A late whistle for offside led to Luke Misa loading a shot on the North Bay goal. Bronside Ride took exception to Misa’s act and gave the Steelheads’ forward a slash. Members from each side stepped in to defend their player resulting in some four-on-four action.
While still at four-on-four, Finn Harding was called for a hold resulting in a Battalion power play. North Bay was able to get set up this time, but their best opportunity came seconds after Harding stepped out of the box when Parker Vaughan’s one-timer was stopped.
With just over eight minutes to play, the Battalion came inches from the equalizer. Jacob Therrien started the rush with a huge hit on Stevie Leskovar. The speedy winger burst down the right wing before saucing a pass to Andrew Leblanc on the back door. The veteran jabbed the puck on goal, but Brayden Gillespie came sliding over to rob Leblanc.
Brampton pressed to double their lead in the final minute of the second period. First, Angus MacDonell made his way behind the Battalion defence where he received a breakaway pass from Finn Harding. MacDonell tried to cut towards the middle, but he was met by the North Bay back-check, only allowing MacDonell to chip a shot on net. Then, in the dying seconds, Adam Zidlicky flew up the left wing where he threw a low shot on net in hopes of a juicy rebound to Jack Van Volsen on the back door, but the puck had other ideas.
Just under three minutes into the final frame, Brampton looked to double their lead. First, Finn Harding cut down the wing and sent a cross-ice pass toward Carson Rehkopf on the back door, Bronside Ride was there to deflect the puck away from danger. Then, Lucas Karmiris tried to find Carson Rehkopf from behind the goal, but again Bronside Ride used his long reach to disrupt the lane.
The action picked up a quarter into the period following a Brampton Penalty. After the Trout won a battle in their own zone, Adam Zidlicky stormed up the ice. Zidlicky found Angus MacDonell at the line who quickly dropped back for Zidlicky. The speedster ripped a shot on goal, but it was snared by Jack Lisson.
After the rush, the Battalion put the pressure back on the Steelheads. North Bay cycled the puck around before finding Kent Greer at the point. The rookie threw a shot toward the net where Lirim Amidovski got a piece of it, but his deflection bounced off the post.
The Battalion had a chance to tie the game with four minutes to play when Jacob Therrien broke in on a two-on-one with Andrew Leblanc. Therrien tried to feather a pass through to Leblanc, but Spencer Sova closed the gap.
In the final minutes, North Bay pulled their goalie in search of the equalizer, but it was Brampton who added to the scoresheet. After an Angus MacDonell shot was blocked in front, Gabe Chiarot hammered the loose puck into the empty net. Chiarot’s 15th of the season brought us to a final score of 2-0 Trout.
The Steelheads are back in action this Tuesday when they host the Sudbury Wolves. You will not want to miss out as the first thousand fans in attendance will receive a complimentary Carson Rehkopf mini stick! Grab your tickets here!
