Miles Liberati scored the game winner midway through the second as the Battalion outshot and out chanced the Sudbury Wolves Sunday afternoon. PHOTO by: Tom Martineau.
Marcus McIvor, Mathew Santos and Miles Liberati each had a goal and an assist as the North Bay Battalion defeated the Sudbury Wolves 5-2.
After its first defeat of the season against the Sudbury Wolves on Wednesday, the North Bay Battalion was eager to bite back. In that game the Wolves scored three unanswered goals in the third period to win the game 3-2.
It was a much different story on Sunday as the goal feast started early for the home team when Ryan Kujawinski potted his 23rd of the season in the opening minutes of the game. However, that lead quickly vanished after Miles Liberati coughed up the puck from his own zone and then tripped over the referee who had fallen to the ice. That allowed Jeff Corbett to skate in uncontested and put the Wolves on the scoreboard while shorthanded. Mathew Santos would later give North Bay the lead before the end of the first period.
Sudbury would then tie the game in the second period while on the power play, but the Battalion did not hit the panic button. Liberati made up for his first period gaff by scoring the game winner midway through the period and from that moment North Bay never looked back.
“I think this game we came out and played a full sixty minutes and we didn’t take them lightly. I think we did that last game, so had to come out hard,” shared Miles Liberati, who was named the game’s first star.
Head coach Stan Butler said the team had chances to put the game away early, but praised several players, including Liberati for stepping up when it mattered.
“Last year he was just finding his way around and I think he’s getting better and better. I mean he had one bonehead play when he passed it to the other team and then fell over the referee and created the break away, but other than that he had a great game.”
Alex Henriksson and Marcus McIvor added reassurance goals for the Battalion in the third period.
“Henriksson has been on a bit of a tear right now and has been playing well. A lot of people would say well it was not a great goal but if you don’t put pucks on the net, you don’t score and there was a lot of times in the game that I thought we had really good chances. Sometimes guys got to realize you have to put pucks on the net and if you put pucks on the net good things can happen,” shared Butler.
Despite on facing 18 shots, goalie Jake Smith made some key saves throughout the game, including a penalty shot awarded to Sudbury late in the third period.
The win is the Battalion seventh in their past ten games and they are now just five points behind Barrie with two games in hand.
North Bay has little time to rest as they travel to Peterborough Monday for an early afternoon tilt with the Petes.
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