When hockey teams are missing key players it's up to others to step up.
Well, that’s what Miles Liberati did on Thursday in Barrie.
The Troops were without the services of their top scoring defenceman Brenden Miller, and it was Liberati who provided the offence at the right time for the game winner in a 4-2 road win over the Barrie Colts.
“Santos made an unbelievable play on that goal there, I owe the team that one for messing up on the second goal so that felt good,” said Liberati about his game winner at 17:43 of the second period.
Liberati scored one of three unanswered second period goals to complete the comeback over the hometown Colts and put an end to the Battalion 4-game losing streak.
“This is huge,” Liberati told the OHL tonight.
“We were on the 4 game losing streak and we had a team talk, players only and we just got re-grouped and bonded as a team and I think worked out well tonight.”
The Battalion showed its stifling defence as they only allowed 19 shots at Jake Smith after allowing almost 50 against Niagara on Sunday afternoon.
But despite some good indications and outplaying the competition, the Battalion ran into some tough luck in the opening frame.
The Colts got on the board thanks to an unusual and unfortunate bouncing puck.
The Troops’ Brett McKenzie fell down as the puck bounced over his stick in his end near the blue line, Garrett Hooey and Joseph Blandisi, jumped on the loose puck and Blandisi made no mistake as he took that bouncing puck and ripped it past Jake Smith from the slot.
It was Blandisi’s 47th of the campaign at 12:44.
Kyle Wood and Mathew Santos had a couple very good chances on a late first period power play but were unable to convert.
The Battalion outshot the Colts 13-6 in the opening period but were down by 1 after 1.
Early in the second, the Colts took advantage of another funny hop off the boards as Justin Scott jumped on the loose puck in tight and ripped it past Smith only 40 second into the second period. With that the Colts had 2 goals on only 7 shots.
However, despite falling behind the Battalion didn’t quit and they found their spark.
The Troops got on the board on a quick passing play from Ryan Kujawinski to Brett McKenzie at 11:14 on a power play to cut the lead to 2-1.
Then right off the face-off, the Battalion rushed into the slot and Ray Huether’s shot was stopped by Blackwood, but big Hampus Olsson buried the rebound and slipped it through the legs of the Colts big netminder to even the score at 2-2.
The two Battalion goals were scored only 14 seconds apart.
Then late second period Mathew Santos fed a pinching Miles Liberati who beat Blackwood as the Battalion took their first lead of the game 3-2 at 17:43.
The Troops showed some solid team defence as they contained the Colts only allowing 11 shots after 40 minutes.
That didn’t stop in the third period as the Troops had a number of chances to put this one out of reach.
Blackwood made a couple key breakaway stops within 2 minutes, the first a shorthanded save on Kujawinski, the second a stop on Liberati who got his breakaway chance after coming out of the penalty box near the midway point of the third period.
The Battalion secured the middle of the ice in the final frame, blocking numerous Colts shots and keeping the speedy Colts forwards to the outside.
In the final minute, Ben Harpur kept a clearing shot in and Blandisi walked in and ripped a shot on Smith who made the great blocker save which was his best stop of the period to preserve the one goal lead.
Then off the draw Battalion won the draw and got the puck out and Nick Moutrey took a wrist shot into the empty net and officially put an end to the Battalion 4-game losing streak.
The Battalion move within 7 points of the Central Division leading Colts. The Battalion will be back at it Friday night as they travel to Kitchener to take on the Rangers.
Photo of Miles Liberati courtesy Aaron Bell/CHL Images
