BRAMPTON, Ont. – The Ontario Hockey League’s holiday hiatus came at an inopportune time for the Brampton Battalion, with the team on a season-high six-game winning streak, but the Troops appear to have survived with a mere hiccup.

The Battalion, which returned from the Christmas break last Thursday night in a 4-3 loss via shootout to the host Barrie Colts, defeated the visiting Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors 4-1 Saturday and captured a 4-2 road win Sunday over the Belleville Bulls.

“For us, heading into the break was tough because of momentum,” said Battalion coach Stan Butler. “We went into it with six wins in a row. When that happens, you really don’t want to take time off, so what was important for us was to reestablish our momentum. I’m pretty happy with where we are now after three games back.”

The Battalion boasts a won-lost-extended record of 22-10-5 for 49 points, first in the Central Division and tied with the Ottawa 67’s atop the Eastern Conference. The Troops are 8-0-1 over their last nine games, their most recent loss in regulation time a 4-0 setback to the host Sudbury Wolves on Dec. 2. 

“You have to give the kids a lot of credit, as they’re working extremely hard,” noted Butler. “They’ve got a taste of what it’s like to win now, and they enjoy that. They realize the type of team we are and the way we need to play to be successful.”

Said Marcus McIvor: “Everyone has just been playing as a team. Most games we’re all ready to play, and we all want to win. Like Stan said, once you get a taste of winning you want to win so bad that you’ll do anything for it.”

McIvor is tied with Jordan Auld and Cameron Wind for second place in scoring among Battalion defencemen with 12 points, all from assists, in 36 games.

“Over the last 10 games it’s been incredible for the team, and it feels good to be winning,” said McIvor.

Despite the loss at Barrie, Butler said, he’s been pleased with the Troops’ progress since the break.

“We’ve got some work to do, some review to do, and there are some new things we need to add, but for the most part I was happy.

“We were playing with a lot of effort before the break, and that first game back at Barrie wasn’t great, but it was our first game back and their second. Our efforts against Mississauga and Belleville were good and, when you’re winning games in the third period like we did Sunday against a team that didn’t play the day before and we did, it tells you that your guys are in good shape and where they should be.” 

McIvor, a first-round pick in the 2010 OHL Priority Selection, assisted on two goals by Matt MacLeod at Belleville.

“When the defence is getting points, it’s the games where we’re getting our shots through the most,” said McIvor. “If we’re getting our shots through, our forwards are always going to the net, so it helps them out and makes it a lot easier for them.”

MacLeod, who scored the game-winner against the Bulls at 1:23 of the third period, breaking a 2-2 tie, returned to the lineup at Barrie after missing 12 games with a concussion suffered in a 7-2 road loss Nov. 18 to the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

“To be able to go down deep in the lineup and have goals being contributed from everybody on the team is great,” said MacLeod. “It’s nice not to have to depend on those top two lines for goals all the time and to be able to get contributions from the third and fourth lines as well as the defence.”

A third-round choice in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection, MacLeod has three goals and six assists for nine points in 25 games.

“We’ve been playing really well as a team,” noted MacLeod. “We’re a team that is really close, and I think that kind of translates onto the ice in a lot of situations. We’ve been playing our game and everyone has been doing their job, and it’s been working out for us.”