*OFFICIAL* North Bay Battalion 2013-14 Season Thread

[PhlyerPhanatic31]

Congrats to the Battalion on a great season. You had the entire OHL behind you. Heads high.

 

[barclayplager]

..it was a good year...all future players will be measured from now on to Barclay Goodrow....congrats boys..thx Scott!!!! Mike!!Stan!!!

 

[BDizzle*]

Congrats guys, you truly were the underdog who turned many heads. You guys have a great future ahead of you in north bay, and the boys represented your city well.

Hold your heads up high and I hope you enjoyed the ride to this point

 

[bobber]

Great playoff Battalion! Gave the Storm a run. Just a challenge to beat the deepest squad in the OHL . The Battalion and there fans have to be proud of how successful thinks turned out this seasons.

 

[OHLTG]

Great season, NB! Proud of ya!

 

[Caje]

Great series. I didn't think it would be close and the troops proved me wrong. Hats off to Goodrow & co for an excellent playoff run.

 

[HLLYWD99]

Losing sucks but

Congrats!

They gave it their all but in the end the Storm were to deep and strong.(game 3 was a back breaker)

Still a great run and hockey is firmly planted back in NB where it belongs.

 

[belair]

It's frustrating how close the majority of this series was. I can only wish it could've gone farther. Besides the anomaly that was Game 4, the Battalion were toe-to-toe with this Guelph squad and obviously skill prevailed this time around.

Robby Fabbri is undeniably talented and will likely jump many in the NHL draft based on his performance in this series. He's an absolute pest and that will only help him in the long run.

But the North Bay Battalion impressed the hell out of me this year. For a team to accomplish what they did in their first season here is nothing short of astounding. I can only hope that even without the guidance of captain Barclay Goodrow, this team can manage to keep that competitive fire burning within this squad for many years to come. The city of North Bay definitely deserves it.

 

[Crottenham]

It's frustrating how close the majority of this series was. I can only wish it could've gone farther. Besides the anomaly that was Game 4, the Battalion were toe-to-toe with this Guelph squad and obviously skill prevailed this time around.

Robby Fabbri is undeniably talented and will likely jump many in the NHL draft based on his performance in this series. He's an absolute pest and that will only help him in the long run.

But the North Bay Battalion impressed the hell out of me this year. For a team to accomplish what they did in their first season here is nothing short of astounding. I can only hope that even without the guidance of captain Barclay Goodrow, this team can manage to keep that competitive fire burning within this squad for many years to come. The city of North Bay definitely deserves it.

I've said this since his bantam days, if Robby Fabbri were 6'2" he would be a CONSENSUS top 5 pick in the NHL draft....his skill, but particularly his desire to win and compete are off the charts.

Whatever NHL drafts him, is getting a real gem.....to me, he is in the mould of Doug Gilmour, give him time and he will be a leader and an elite NHLer.

 

[SeniorJuniorFan]

No problem with Robby (or any of 2 or 3 other Storm players) being named playoffs MVP. But, without question, the Most Important Player in the playoffs was BG23, our captain, Barclay Goodrow.

 

[mcreferee]

No problem with Robby (or any of 2 or 3 other Storm players) being named playoffs MVP. But, without question, the Most Important Player in the playoffs was BG23, our captain, Barclay Goodrow.

Maybe he was the most important player in the playoffs overall. I admit, I only saw the Battalion play three games, and all were in Guelph during the finals. Goodrow was good, but not overly impressive. Three goals and no helpers in five games isn't exactly awesome. The two Battalion players who more than impressed me, and have received almost no mention of their contributions, are McIvor and Blujus. They ate tons of minutes, were steady almost every shift and were played to the point of exhaustion. If their play in the first three rounds was as good as it was in the finals, they are your most important players. Quiet, efficient, and overlooked.

 

[battfan888]

I just wanted to stop in here and give my congratulations to the Battalion and all their new fans on an amazingly successful first season in North Bay and a fantastic finals series.

Back in 2009 when Windsor beat Brampton in game 1 of the finals 10-1 many laughed at Brampton and called the west final vs London the real final etc. But I feel after that Brampton gave Windsor all they can handle despite it going just 5 games.
This final was much of the same except North Bay gave Guelph a MUCH better run than Brampton gave to Windsor in 2009.

You take away Game 4 and what was the earliest a game winner was scored during this series? 19:34 of the 3rd period. Thats amazing.
Before the series many thought this would be a walk for Guelph. I like to think I was giving the Battalion a bit more respect than most but I would also be lying if I said I didnt think Guelph could easily win the series.

As somebody who watched Brampton for years it was bittersweet seeing Goodrow and MacLeod's 5 year careers end that way, but at the same time I'm glad they had such a great run.
I remember thinking last year in the few starts Jake Smith got as a backup behind Matej Machovsky that he was going to be a solid OHL goalie but wow was he ever amazing for North Bay this year, easily the best goalie actually drafted by the Battalion since Patrick Killeen and you can maybe go back as far as Bryan Pitton. His size makes him remind me of Darren Machesney.

I also wanted to speak highly of my trip to North Bay this week.
All the fans treated us fantastic, we were sitting up in section 9 for both games and didnt get any problems from anybody (though I did hear some Storm fans got into it on the other side of the rink in section 2). I got stopped by A LOT of people who asked me "Are you 888?" which gave me a chuckle. Everybody was great whether it was the very intense close game 3 or the blowout that was game 4.

May I suggest to all Battalion fans next season or even over the summer give some of your business to Arugula on Fisher about a block from the rink. Their pizza was amazing, service was good and it was a really nice place.
Also I've been to 23 different OHL rinks in my travels and game 3 on Tuesday had to have been the loudest I've ever heard a building.
Only one I can think of coming close was Game 5 of the 2009 finals at the WFCU Centre in Windsor, I know people say it alot but I swear I felt the building shake that night when Windsor scored their goals.

Here's hoping you guys get an OHL title soon.
Its good to know that losing my old team was not in vain, it has a VERY good home, enjoy them and never take them for granted.

 

[barclayplager]

...the Battalion players just finished a grueling..playoff run with a heartbreaking finish although I am sure looking back they will see what they really accomplished and 2 days later they are on the ice..full gear playing a fun game with the North Bay North Stars..classy to the end..I am sure they could have took off earlier than that....shows them what is really important in life.....good for the organization..when is the summer camp for new selections..cannot wait for next year..