The North Bay Battalion host the opener of a home-and-home series tonight against the visiting Sudbury Wolves. The game will also mark the return of former Battalion captain Bradley Chenier in a Wolves uniform tonight.
The Troops will visit Sudbury on Friday night and then return home Sunday to take on John Dean's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.
The Battalion defeated the Wolves at home 5-3 in their last meeting at the Gardens on New Year's Eve, however, the Wolves bounced back with an 8-2 rout on January 10.
“When you do have an opportunity back-to-back, you can focus more on what things they’re doing,” Ryan Oulahen, the Battalion interim head coach stated during Wednesday's weekly media conference.
The Battalion dealt left winger and captain Chenier on Jan. 9 for centre Shane Bulitka, who was Sudbury’s captain, and two OHL Priority Selection picks as part of the young Troops’ restocking process.
“We obviously hope the best for Brad and all the best going forward, but we want to come out on the right side of things,” said Oulahen.
North Bay, which ended a six-game skid with a 3-1 road victory last Saturday night over the Niagara IceDogs, has a won-lost-extended record of 10-30-2 for 22 points, fifth in the Central Division. Sudbury is first at 22-20-1 for 45 points.
“That was a feisty hockey game,” Oulahen noted of the Niagara clash, in which centre Luke Moncada, who succeeded Chenier as captain, scored three goals, including two empty-netters.
Moncada’s were the fastest three goals by one player in franchise history, covering a span of 5:44 from the 13:40 mark of the third period to 19:24.
“You love when kids like him get rewarded, because it’s all built on work ethic and compete,” Oulahen said of Moncada.
“He’s done a lot of things off the ice. He’s gotten bigger. He’s gotten stronger, and his confidence right now is through the roof.”
North Bay has 26 games left to play, 15 at home and 11 on the road. The Battalion is 7-10-2 on home ice and 3-20-0 away, including 2-0-0 at Niagara. The Troops, 5-23-0 when Stan Butler was reassigned from coaching duties to an advisory role, are 5-7-2 under Oulahen.
Centre Quinton Byfield leads the Sudbury offence with team-high totals of 26 goals and 41 assists for 67 points in 35 games. Left winger David Levin has 20 goals and 31 assists for 51 points in 38 games.
Right winger Brandon Coe is the Battalion’s points leader with 38, from 15 goals and a team-high 23 assists in 40 games, and Moncada has a team-leading 24 goals and 13 assists for 37 points in 42 games.
The Sudbury game marks Bell Let’s Talk Night in support of mental health.