OHL Finals Game 2 – North Bay vs. Guelph

Before the game I tweeted my keys to the game. For Guelph I said they need to get there big line of Kerby Rychel, Robert Fabbri and ZachMitchell going. For North Bay I said they needed to dominate play and keep Guelph’s chances to the outside.  

Through the first period each of these keys held true. For North Bay they dominated the first ten minutes of this game. They had tons of zone time and all sorts of shots. However many of the shots were from the outside and credit to Guelph for keeping the North Bay players out of the slot. Guelph was on their heels for the most part but had a 1-0 lead on an early goal by Steven Trojanovic from a terrible angle. They extended the lead to 2-0 when Fabbri scored on what should have been a pass to Mitchell. The North Bay goalie Jake Smith tipped the puck into the net.  Fabbri was very impressive this period, not only with the goal but also in drawing a penalty as he intercepted a clearing attempt and used his speed to get into the slot drawing a hooking penalty. This is something I have become fascinated with in watching Boone Jenner play for Columbus. The ability to draw a penalty and get your team on a power play is huge for any team.

Second period was a tale of two halves even more than the first. North Bay had 7 scoring chances in the period with 6 of them coming before the ten minute mark in the period. From that point on, Guelph had the chance advantage with 5 of their 6 chances coming after the ten minute mark. Fabbri scored his second of the night this one a much nicer goal than the first. A good wrist shot that beat Smith short side. The two goals give Fabbri, the 21^st ranked player on CSS list, 11 goals for the postseason.

The third period was very tight defensively for both teams. Chances were 5-4 for Guelph but only 3-2 at even strength. Nick Paulcapitalized on a delay of game penalty by Trojanovic, to send the game into OT. And in OT much like game one, did not last very long. Barclay Goodrow the captain of the Battalion scored 2:30 into the OT period.

Overall this was a very good game for the Battalion. They did exactly what I laid out in my key to the game. They were dominate in the shot count finishing the game with a 41-24 advantage. They limited the shots and chances of the Guelph snipers. For Guelph they completed half of my key as Fabbri got going with two goals, where Rychel only had one assist. Guelph is going to have to create more pressure and chances to win this series as Justin Nichols can’t be making 35+ saves every night.

Scoring Chances     

Team	First Period	Second Period	Third Period	OT	Total
North Bay	4(3)	7(5)	4(2)	1(1)	16(11)
Guelph	6(5)	6(6)	5(3)	0(0)	17(14)