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Battalion take two-game lead over Frontenacs (PHOTOS & VIDEO)

North Bay Battalion goaltender Jake Smith makes a sprawling second period save on Kingston star Sam Bennett in the Troops' 3-2 win in game two of their opening round series.

North Bay Battalion goaltender Jake Smith makes a sprawling second period save on Kingston star Sam Bennett in the Troops' 3-2 win in game two of their opening round series. PHOTOS BY TOM MARTINEAU

The North Bay Battalion knew they were set to see a revamped and revitalized Kingston Frontenac team after their game-one blow out.

But even a fired up Front squad couldn't confront the Troops on their home ice, who took a two-game lead in their Eastern Conference quarter final series by fencing out the Frontenacs in a 3-2 win at Memorial Gardens Sunday afternoon.

First star of the game Mike Amadio scored two goals, including the game-winner, and had a hand in the team’s other goal.

Linemate Nick Paul pitched in with a two assist third-star performance, while defenceman Brenden Miller contributed with a goal and an assist of his own.

Goaltender Jake Smith was put to the test, stopping 25 Kingston shots and shutting the door in a flood of third-period Frontenac pressure to solidify the win and second-star honours.

Kingston’s top line finally found a way to break the Battalion, combining for five points on the team's two goals. But without the secondary scoring, the Troops continued to frustrate the Fronts, using their obvious size advantage to shut the visitors down.

“There are a lot of positives to build off of: we played a full 60-minutes like we did on Friday night, and we knew that they were going to come out hard, so we knew we had to match and beat their compete level,” Amadio said after the game.

The early tensions turned into a penalty-filled first period, with both teams getting multiple chances on the power play.

While Kingston’s Lawson Crouse capitalized on an early power play rush to give the Fronts the edge, it was the Battalion who made the most of their chances, scoring twice with the man-advantage to take carry a 2-1 lead into the first intermission.

Amadio got the Battalion on the board with a weak wrist shot from the right faceoff dot that snuck under Lucas Peressini’s short side arm.

Then, with Kingston star Sam Bennett in the penalty box for interference, Miller came flying in from the half boards and buried a stray rebound past a sprawling Peressini.

Smith was then called upon to stop a flood of Frontenac shots in the early stages of the second, which proved to be a big momentum swing.

The teams exchanged quality chances throughout the period, but it was poor puck control that eventually cost Kingston.

Attempting to make a routine breakout, the Fronts’ defence coughed up the puck to Zach Bratina, who catalyzed a quick tic-tac-toe passing play with linemates Paul and Amadio.

Paul corralled the transition pass and fired off a one-touch helper across the crease to Amadio, who made no mistake over top of Peressini for the two-goal lead.

And that’s when things got nasty.

In the dying seconds of the period, the tensions erupted with the teams’ top lines squaring off in a spectacular spar.

Miles Liberati took down two different Frontenacs, including Bennett, and emerged from the tussle with his hands up and open to the roar of the home crowd.

“The crowd was amazing tonight; I couldn’t even hear myself talk on the ice in the second period, it was so loud,” said Amadio. “That was a big momentum changer with the fans. We came out and finished with a strong 20 minutes in the third period and got the win.”

The second period intermission couldn’t have come at a better time to cool the players’ emotions, with both squads playing a composed, disciplined third and final period.

The Fronts did manage to pull within one after Bennett found a streaking Evan McEneny sneaking in the Battalion’s back door with five minutes left in regulation.

But even with Kingston's sustained desperation pressure, Smith and the Troops were up to the task, playing their trademark tight defence in the late stages to secure the second game.

The Troops went one-for-five with the man advantage in the penalty-filled affair, while the threatening Frontenac power play scored just one goal on nine opportunities with the extra body.

Amadio now sits tied for second in the league in post-season scoring with three goals and three assists through two games, while linemate Paul now has two goals and three assists.

The two teams now take a turn to Kingston, where the series picks up again on Tuesday night.

“We’ve got to play with that desperation that we had in the third period,” Kingston head coach Paul McFarland said post-game. “When we play desperate, we are a better hockey team and we’ve got to find a way to play that way on Tuesday.

Witnessing the way the Frontenacs turned around their game around after game one of the series, Battalion head coach Stan Butler expects that their best is yet to come.

“The series is just going to get harder and harder every game,” said Butler. “I’ve told our players that they have to improve every game; that’s the way the playoffs are.

“It’s two teams that want to keep playing hockey,” he added,  “so people are going to be at the top of their game all the time.”

Battalion vs Frontenacs Game 2 March 29 2015 from Chris Dawson on Vimeo.

 


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Liam Berti

About the Author: Liam Berti

Liam Berti is a University of Ottawa journalism graduate who has since worked for BayToday as the City Council and North Bay Battalion reporter.
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