Head Coach Stan Butler has touched on the same shortcomings in his assessment of the play of the Battalion this season. Lack of goal scoring. Low compete level. Seldom putting a full 60 minutes together.
Considering the date that the game was played on, there is no more fitting way to describe the North Bay Battalion's performance this season (especially at home) as stuck repeating the same mistakes game after game, similar to the movie Groundhog Day. With the team in the Bill Murray role from the cult film, living the same day over and over. The good news? Murray's character eventually gets it right, leaving the time loop in the film.
The Troops got it right Thursday, exploding for seven total (and two powerplay markers) at Memorial Gardens in a 7-4 barn-burner over the Sarnia Sting, one of their better games played this year.
"Every win at this stage of the year is the biggest win of the season," said Butler post-game.
Trailing 4-2 early in the second, the Troops ripped off five unanswered goals on their way to the much-needed victory, coming on Butler's birthday. Daniil Verity and Brett McKenzie had three points apiece for the Battalion. Verity scored two goals, with Kyle Potts, Adam Thilander, McKenzie, Zach Poirier and Justin Brazeau adding singles.
Following the game, Butler said that he was pleased that his team did not "fold their tent," after falling behind 4-2. "We battled back, and once we got it to 4-4, I think the most important thing was we got that next goal, and normally for us, we haven't."
Riddled by injuries, the Battalion had lost four straight (gaining one point for a controversial shootout loss to the Kitchener Rangers) and had dropped 15 of their last 18 games, with eight of a possible 36 points earned in that period. The team sat in eighth entering Thursday night's game, percentage points ahead of the Niagara IceDogs, with two more wins and one game in hand.
"It's been a tough week for these kids. They got robbed of a game Friday night in Kitchener and they could have won the game easily on Sunday [versus Peterborough], so you have to give them credit, they battled through that."
Less than one minute into the game, Battalion starter Brent Moran was tested by Troy Lajeunesse, but Moran squared to the shooter and made the save. Children from Dokis First Nation (from which Lajeunesse hails) sang the national anthem prior to the game.
At 2:40, just seven seconds after Zach Shankar was sent to the penalty box for high-sticking, Adam Ruzicka scored on a blistering shot past the North Bay netminder. Ruzicka's 15th of the season was assisted by Jordan Ernst and Drake Rymsha.
Just 23 seconds later, the Sting struck again, making it two goals on two shots. Franco Sproviero beat Moran for his ninth of the campaign, with helpers going to Sean Josling and Kelton Hatcher (son of Sting bench boss and former North Bay Centennial Derian Hatcher).
The Troops pushed back, as Steve Harland and McKenzie broke in on Sarnia goalie Blair Coffin, but McKenzie could not handle Harland's pass across the front of the goal, missing the net wide to the left.
On an innocent looking foray into the Sting zone, Verity let one fly a few steps inside the blueline, and a screened Coffin barely reacted as the puck found the top left corner. Verity's 10th was unassisted and cut the Sarnia lead to 2-1.
Shots-on-goal after one period were 13-12 for the Sting.
Verity directed his second of the game off of a strong Harland move to the net and dish. Verity's 11th was also assisted by McKenzie and tied the game at 2-2, but only briefly.
Sarnia responded 40 seconds later on a scramble in front of Moran that resulted in Ruzicka potting his second of the game. The Sting centre's 16th was assisted by Ryan McGregor and gave the Sting the lead once again.
At 3:52, the Sting stung again, this time Jordan Kyrou scoring his 21st, unassisted, for a 4-2 Sarnia lead.
At 10:17 of the second, Brazeau went strong to the net, forcing Coffin to make the first save, but the young goaltender could not stop Potts, who banged home the rebound, cutting the Sting lead to 4-3. Adam McMaster was also credited with a helper on Potts' seventh goal of the season.
After Lajeunesse was whistled for interference, it took the Troops 36 seconds to convert with the man advantage. Thilander snuck in from the point, took a McKenzie feed and made no mistake. Harland also assisted on the powerplay marker that tied the game 4-4.
It has not been often this season that North Bay has scored three goals in one game, let alone one period. The home team registered an 18-14 advantage in shots in the second period and held a 30-27 lead overall.
Kyrou had a golden chance just over one minute into the third period, looking to put his team ahead, but missed wide to the left of the Battalion net.
The Sting pressured constantly during the first half of the third, saved by some strong defensive work by Shankarand the acrobatics of Moran.
McKenzie, who had been shaken up after sliding into the boards earlier in the period, returned to the ice and scored on an individual effort that brought the Gardens faithful to their feet. McKenzie's 23rd of the season put the Battalion ahead 5-4 halfway through the third period.
At 16:15, Poirier scored an insurance marker, the forward's 13th, making it 6-4 for North Bay, and Brazeau added another with less than three minutes to play to make the final score 7-4 Troops.
North Bay outshot the Sting 43-36.
Fans serenaded Butler on their way out of the Gardens, singing him Happy Birthday.
"We really appreciate our fans," said Butler, "we know this has been a tough year for them, we haven't played as good as we'd like at home, I think there are some pretty good mitigating circumstances for that to say the least. They've stayed with us and we appreciate it. It's nice to win a hockey game, you know?"
The Battalion face the division-leading Steelheads in Mississauga Friday night at 7 p.m. before hosting the Soo Greyhounds on Super Bowl Sunday at 2 p.m.
