Battalion defeats London

Ryder Carey scored two goals, including the winner, to lead the North Bay Battalion to a 5-2 victory over the London Knights in an Ontario Hockey League game Thursday night.

Lirim Amidovski, Lincoln Edwards and Nick Wellenreiter, into an empty net, each had a goal for the Battalion, while goaltender Jack Lisson contributed 29 saves before a loud crowd of 2,558 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.

North Bay, which defeated the visiting Saginaw Spirit 6-5 via shootout Sunday in its previous outing, improved its won-lost-extended record to 12-9-1 for 25 points, second in the Central Division, two points ahead of the Niagara IceDogs, who were blanked 5-0 by the visiting Brantford Bulldogs.

Braidy Wassilyn and Jaxon Cover scored for the Knights, reigning Memorial Cup champions, as goaltender Aleksei Medvedev stopped 32 of 36 shots.

London, 13-6-3 for 29 points atop the Midwest Division, opened a Northern Ontario swing of three games in as many nights that includes dates with the Sudbury Wolves and Soo Greyhounds.

“I call him a hockey player,” Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen said of Carey. “I can’t tell you everything’s perfect, but the puck seems to find him. He makes good reads. He knows how to win, all those traits he has from growing up in the minor hockey system, and he’s carrying that over and developing here for us.”

Oulahen also noted Lisson’s performance: “I thought he was solid, a lot of kill plays, calm plays.”

The Battalion led 3-1 at the second intermission before Edwards, recalled from the junior A Cobourg Cougars for his second OHL game, struck at 3:35 of the third period. Adrian Manzo shot the puck from the blue line, and Edwards deftly deflected it for his first goal, also assisted by Nolan Laird.

The Knights challenged the play as having been offside and drew a delay-of-game penalty before London’s Sam O’Reilly and Ethan Procyszyn tangled at 4:04. O’Reilly received an instigating minor, major and misconduct, while Procyszyn served a boarding minor and fighting major.

Cover slipped up the slot for his sixth goal of the season at 6:34, but the Battalion killed a roughing penalty to Parker Vaughan at 15:34 that saw London pull Medvedev and skate six against four before Wellenreiter slung the puck into the vacant cage from his own zone at 18:32. Procyszyn assisted on Wellenreiter’s fifth goal.

The Battalion jumped to a 2-0 lead, sparked by Carey at 1:31 of the first period. Evgeny Dubrovtsev won a right-wing faceoff and pushed the puck ahead, with Carey stepping to it and ripping the rubber past a startled Medvedev.

Amidovski connected at 3:33 after Medvedev went behind the net only to have his pass attempt intercepted by Procyszyn. With the goaltender trying to get back to the crease, Procyszyn fed the puck across the goalmouth to Amidovski at the left side for his team-leading eighth goal.

London replied at 6:18 when Wassilyn took a centring pass from Ben Wilmott and converted from the right side off a two-on–one rush. O’Reilly had the other assist on Wassilyn’s ninth goal, his seventh in 10 games since an Oct. 28 trade from Niagara.

The Troops exerted solid pressure early in the middle period, hemming the Knights in their own zone for extended stretches and forging a 6-1 lead in shots on goal on the way to a 14-7 edge in the frame.

Carey capitalized at 19:39 off a two-on-rush after Aaron Enright fired an outlet pass to Ihnat Pazii on the left boards in the neutral zone. Pazii centred the puck to Carey, who put home his own rebound off Medvedev’s left pad. The eventual winner was Carey’s sixth goal.

The Battalion visits the Oshawa Generals at 7:05 p.m. Friday in a game that can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.

BATTALION BULLETS: On Tim Hortons Night, the first 200 youngsters through the gates received prizes, and the North Bay Food Bank sold Holiday Smile Cookies in the concourse. … The Battalion went 4-1-1 in a run of six games against Western Conference opponents … Carey was a first-round pick, 16th overall, in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection from the Oakville Rangers U16s. The Hamilton native has five assists and 11 points in 14 games in his second season with the Troops … North Bay was 0-for-4 on the power play. London went 0-for-3 … Opening lines featured Procyszyn centring left winger Wellenreiter and right winger Amidovski, Cam Warren pivoting left winger Laird and right winger Vaughan and Dubrovtsev centring left winger Pazii and right winger Carey. Left winger Edwards and centre Jax Pereira skated with rotating linemates … Defence pairs had Bronson Ride with Brandt Harper, Enright with Kent Greer and Jonathan Kapageridis with Manzo. Carter Kunopaski also saw action … The Battalion was without Declan Gallivan, Ryder Cali, Arseny Pronin and Shamar Moses, who suffered a hip strain Sunday … Moses has played 150 OHL games, including 79 with North Bay in which he has 16 goals and 42 assists for 58 points … Edwards earned an assist in his OHL debut, a 6-2 home-ice win Nov. 2 over Niagara. He was a fifth-round pick in April from the Don Mills Flyers U16s … Ryan Elbers and James Kraft were the referees.