Nick Paul scored a natural hat trick, which included the game winner, as North Bay defeated Barrie 4-1. PHOTO BY: TOM MARTINEAU
Just when it looked like the Battalion were about the play their fifth straight overtime game, Nick Paul scored a natural hat trick in the third, to secure a 4-1 win over the Barrie Colts.
“We came out strong in the third period and I just knew someone had the take the lead and get the guys going and it happened to be me. I couldn’t have done it without my line mates. Amadio made some nice passes and they just ended up in the back of the net,” shared Nick Paul, who also nabbed first star honours.
The game featured many scoring chances from both sides, but some spectacular saves by Jake Smith, along with some stellar defensive plays, kept the Colts off the score sheet during the first two periods.
“I think defense is team defense and it starts with Jake Smith. If all the guys buy in, they block shots and they work hard. If you can keep teams to just a few goals a game, that certainly makes it easier for the offensive side of the game,” said Battalion coach Stan Butler.
“Smith is real good. He is always going. He is one of the most reliable guys on the teams. He is one of the huge parts of our team. I think once he starts playing, we start playing too, we start backing him up and our defense was very good today,” added Paul.
The Battalion had many scoring chances in the first period, including a two man advantage in which they only managed one shot on net. However, Smith kept coming up with huge saves of his own, until Barrie’s Justin Scott scored Barrie's lone goal and his sixth of the season
It was the Battalion's first home win in regulation time, which was much needed after suffering back to back loses in overtime.
“In hockey, teams need to be like a rubber ball and they have to bounce back. We needed to bounce back, we told our guys that at the end of the day we can do it the easy way or the hard way, and we haven’t had much luck the hard way, so it was good we got it done during regulation,” shared Butler, who also credited the fans for the win.
“The seventh man played a great part of it. Our fans are so supportive, they just give our guys a little bit of extra jump in their step that they need.”
The Battalion get some much needed rest after playing three games in four days. Their next opponents are the Sault Ste Marie Greyhound. The puck drops at the Gardens at 7pm.
