BY RENATA GABRIELLA KUZMA – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
In their second meeting of the season, the Mississauga Steelheads dominated the Brampton Battalion from start to finish in OHL action Friday night at the Hershey Centre in a 5-1 victory.
The announcement of yet another month of cancelled NHL games has not overridden the spirit of hockey as 2,044 eager fans roared throughout the arena.
Both teams wasted no time putting the pressure on. In the first minute of play, Barclay Goodrow gained momentum up the middle for a great chance to put the Battalion on the board, but the shot was saved by Mississauga’s Spencer Martin, who maintained stellar presence in the crease.
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Just a few moments later, a textbook 1-2-3 by Dylan Smoskowitz’s line was quickly blocked by Brampton’s Matej Machovsky.
Nick Zottl received the first penalty of the game for slashing that sent a Battalion stick flying across the ice in half. The Battalion did not take effective advantage of the early power-play as the Steelheads did a phenomenal job of breaking up their 5 on 4 setup throughout the two minutes.
The Steel proved their powerhouse signature midway through the first period. Josh Burnside slid right through the centre for the first goal. And just 20 seconds later, Sam Babintsev doubled the lead to two as he flew up the right wing with a top shelf goal. With a minute and half left in the period, a sensational backwards fling by Kristoff Kontos extended the Steelhead lead to three.
Tensions quickly mounted and Alex Cord and Brendan Childerley took an early trip to the dressing room after breaking out into a fight right off the faceoff near the end of the first period.
It did not take long for Mississauga to keep their momentum going, as Brett Foy put the Steelheads up 4-0 in the first minute of the second period.
Brampton’s Barclay Goodrow fostered great momentum once again and managed a breakaway, but was no match for the too-quick Steelhead defence.
With some Battalion pressure in the second period, Dylan Blujus finally put one past Martin at 16:27 with a shot from the point.
Power-plays at both ends remained largely ineffective throughout the game, until Damian Bourne’s huge hustle deep in the zone rounded out the Steelhead victory 5-1 over the Battalion.
Pro-league scouts were also in attendance, keeping a close eye on potential prospects. With or without the regular NHL schedule, the future NHLers continue to push limits and showcase their talent on the ice.
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