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HomeNewsBattalion set to kick off season seven in the Gateway City

Battalion set to kick off season seven in the Gateway City

Another season of North Bay Battalion hockey officially kicks off this evening when the puck is dropped at Memorial Gardens at 7:00pm.

For the home opener, the Troops will welcome the rival Barrie Colts. Last season the Battalion held a record of 30-33-3-2 good for 65 points and seventh in the Eastern Conference. The Colts missed the playoffs with a 26-38-3-1, which resulted in 56 points.

Assistant General Manager/Assistant Coach Adam Dennis says this year’s version of the Battalion can’t be outworked.

“We have to be a hard-working team. If you look at last year, some games we won with the powerplay, by goaltending and sometimes by Justin Brazeau. We can’t be a team that takes shifts off and we want to make Memorial Gardens a tough place to play.”

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Such is the nature of the beast in the OHL that teams have roster turnover. Gone are the likes of 61-goal man Brazeau, Luke Burghardt, Christian Propp, Christian Purboo, David Maier, Theo Calvas, and Zack Malik and in are guys like Liam Arnsby, Alex and Paul Christopoulos, David Campbell, Joe Vrbetic, Christian Cicigoi and more.

“We’re going to have a young defence, young goaltending so there are going to be mistakes early on. It’s just making sure that we stay positive and correct them and move on,” Dennis explained.

One player who will be counted on for leadership on this young team is Matthew Struthers. Struthers was acquired two seasons ago for Brett McKenzie and has flourished in his time with the Battalion.

Brad Chenier has been selected as the sixth captain in North Bay Battalion history while Struthers, Luke Moncada and Vegas Golden Knights draft pick Mason Primeau have been named his alternates.

“We have a good group,” Struthers said. “We have a lot of young guys and a mix of older guys. It is a hungry group and I think that everybody has aspirations and goals which is key when you’re making a hockey team. It is very competitive and the practices have been good and I am excited for the season to start.”

After the trades of veteran goaltending tandem Propp and Purboo, the reigns have been handed over to Vrbetic and Cicigoi. Goaltending can be a volatile situation on a good day, but without experience in the league, it can be nuclear. Adam Dennis is confident in this tandem, however.

“You can complicate the position as much as you want but at the end of the day, it’s stopping more pucks than the guy at the other end. Just try not to complicate it because when you come to the OHL there is a lot of new things coming at you. There are more fans in the stands, the shots are harder, and guys can pick their spots a bit better. We are just trying to arm these guys with as much information as we can.”

“Just like a lot of our other guys they are quality people, they’re quality players. It is up to us as a staff to develop them.”

Both Vrbetic and Cicigoi played as teammates with the Powassan Voodoos last year.

As for the Battalion, a fresh season is always a cause for optimism, and with the injection of youth, there is no shortage of it.

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