Memorial Cup: Batman Brilliant

Rimouski may have its own version of Superman wearing an Oceanic jersey in Sidney Crosby, but Ottawa has a superhero in net and his name is Batman.

Danny "Batman" Battochio is one of the key reasons Ottawa is competing in the Memorial Cup and the team will face Rimouski tonight in the semi-finals. While some in the hockey community are surprised the 67's have gotten to where they are, Battochio is not one of them.

"If you asked me that question last year I might have said yes," admitted Battochio. "But we have had an incredible run at home and with every win our confidence just grew".

BATMAN BEGINS

Battochio joined the 67's last season as a walk-on and his play early in camp impressed goaltending coach Tom Dempsey.

"He is a highly-skilled goalie with a tremendous work ethic and is really competitive," beamed Dempsey, who joined the 67's two seasons ago after working exclusively with Marc-Andre Fleury in Cape Breton. "He does not have a problem seeing or stopping the puck at all".

Battochio nearly did not get the chance to live out his dream after suffering a season-ending injury last year that caused him to miss half of the 2003-04 season. The corrective vascular surgery happened just when he was enjoying modest success in the league. He returned focused this year and has shown no signs of slowing down or letting the injury get the best of him.

"I knew with what happened last year ... that getting back into training camp I would have to work hard and get used to the pace of training camp," he reflected. "I worked hard every day and tried to have fun. I'm glad everything turned out for the best."

A HELPING HAND

Battochio split his duties this year with Anthony Guadagnolo and won 24 of his 40 starts in the regular season. Dempsey was very patient with Battochio and helped to hone his young charge's skills.

"When you get a good goalie like Danny, you are not going to change his whole game," noted Dempsey. "We worked on controlling rebounds and covering up pucks with his stick. It is a repetition of things he would do in a game over and over again so it becomes second nature".

Dempsey worked on those same drills with Dominik Hasek during the lockout.

Battochio has relished the opportunity to learn from a coach who has worked with and trained many of the Ottawa-based goalies like Dominik Hasek, Fred Brathwaite and Marc Lamothe.

"Tom is relaxed," he said. "He makes you feel comfortable and lets you play your own game. He stresses hard work and gives you an extra push when he feels you need it - I like that."

The rapport between the two is part of the reason the 67's are competing for the Memorial Cup.

"He is a true professional who carries himself well and the number of bad games he had this year I could count with one finger," beamed Dempsey.

PLAYOFF PUSH

The Ottawa 67's sat in sixth place coming into the playoffs and faced an extremely offensively-gifted Barrie Colts team in the first round of the OHL playoffs. The 67's won that series in six games and then faced an even tougher challenge with the Sudbury Wolves.

"Being from the Sudbury area - it was tough," said Battochio, who played Jr.A with the Sudbury Nothern Wolves. "I'm good friends with Bobby Chaumont and we joked around a lot so it's hard to stop your good buddies".

The 67's took care of Sudbury in six games and then swept Peterborough to claim the Eastern Conference Championship. While they fell in five games to the London Knights in the OHL Finals, Battochio was one of only two goalies to beat the Knights on home ice in the "House of Green".

Dempsey praised his pupil despite the loss. "You can't measure it - what he has done for our team thus far in the playoffs has been nothing short of brilliant and spectacular".

MEMORIAL CUP

The 67's faced the Kelowna Rockets in their first game and knew they would be in tough against the defending Memorial Cup champs. The game, which went into double overtime, was the longest in tournament history (since the format change) and Battochio was named First Star after turning aside 62 shots.

His best asset is most likely his ability to remain composed and mentally strong. He described the overtime game: "You have to take it one shot at a time and keep your team in as long as possible. You can't get too hyper because you need to conserve your energy and never know how long you are going to have to go."

With the win over Kelowna, Battochio gave his team a chance to go all the way. His next opponents would feature two of the most explosive junior players in Sidney Crosby and Corey Perry. Crosby and Perry had been scoring at will, but Battochio's philosophy is that if you give anyone a chance in this highly competitive league they will find a way to score.

"You certainly are aware of when those two guys are out there and you have to be better prepared," he maintained. "You just have to be a little more patient with them because they stickhandle so well and try to fake you at every opportunity."

The 67's lost a close game to Crosby and the Oceanic after mounting a late comeback with two goals in the third. Battochio saved 35 shots, including three partial breakaways by Crosby.

The London Knights also defeated Ottawa in round robin competition with a 5-2 win in which Battochio stood on his head in an impressive 44-save performance. The Knights peppered him with shots in close and did everything they could to throw him off his game.

The 67's now face the Oceanic in the semi-final game tonight and the fate of the 67's relies heavily on their goalies ability to stop the puck and the 67's players staying out of the penalty box.

Battochio is confident of his team's chances. "There is not a team we are not capable of beating if we go hard and play our game for sixty minutes."

BATT TO THE FUTURE

The goaltender is focused and realizes that with two more good showings and a Memorial Cup victory he can probably improve his chances at going pro some day. In the meantime, he'll likely be wearing an Ottawa jersey as an over-ager next season.

Dempsey thinks Battochio has what it takes to elevate his game to the next level.

"Danny's game has always been there," he said. "His 62-save performance in Game One is evidence to that. Whether he can play in the NHL – it's too early to say -- but could he contribute at the AHL level, most certainly."

Dempsey should know a thing or two about talent. Aside from the afore-mentioned goaltending stars he's worked with, the coach took a young 16-year old named Robert Esche under his wing in Tier II and groomed him with the Gloucester Rangers.

"Sometimes you get that gut feeling. Danny's ability is comparable to Fleury but there is a slight size difference, so Danny will have to prove that he is capable of playing at a higher level".

SCOUTING NOTES

A stand-up/butterfly hybrid .. relies on quick reflexes to make saves .. mentally strong and follows play with great concentration .. recovers well and it's not uncommon for him to make two or three saves in a row .. low panic point, calm and poised .. fast feet and is an exceptional skater .. flexible and is able to cover the bottom part of the net well .. quick glove hand is his strong suit and makes many highlight reel saves with it .. tends to drop it a bit on incoming shooters but can get it up in a hurry to make saves .. robbed Perry by showing good anticipation in coming three feet out of his crease to stop the shot early .. uses an active stick to make saves, deflecting them to the corner .. challenges shooters and is not afraid to play top of the crease high to make a save or cut down an angle .. tries to keep it simple and not over-handle the puck .. does not commit to the shooter, very patient, waits them out and remains on his feet until last moment .. has robbed players all tournament long on breakaways .. square to the shooter and stacks the pads well when he is down .. rarely, if ever, lets in a bad goal - most have come on the power play or because of the inability of the defence to clear the zone properly.