Battalion gets a big win
Nick Wellenreiter and Nolan Laird scored a goal apiece and goaltender Jack Lisson made 17 saves as the North Bay Battalion squeezed past the Sarnia Sting 2-1 in an Ontario Hockey League game Thursday night.
North Bay improved its won-lost-extended record to 15-11-1 for 31 points, second in the Central Division, before a crowd of 2,616 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.
The win avenged a 6-5 overtime loss Nov. 9 at Sarnia and earned the Troops a split of their season series with the Sting.
Rookie import Alexander Karmanov, who stands seven feet and weighs 265 pounds, made his debut on the Battalion blue line. The tallest player ever to skate in the Canadian Hockey League, he’s the world’s tallest active registered player and the first Moldovan to play in the OHL.
Kaden Pitre, acquired Nov. 21 in a trade with the Flint Firebirds, made his North Bay debut as a member of the Battalion.
Liam Beamish scored for Sarnia, which got 31 saves from goaltender Patrick Quinlan in dropping to 7-15-4 for 18 points, fifth in the West Division.
“I felt he got better as the game went on,” Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen said of Karmanov. “I think it was two shifts in the first, feel it out. Okay, now he gets a little bit more in the second, got some in the third. He got involved in the play.”
Karmanov, who was on the ice for Laird’s tally, said the coaches told him to “play my game, play smart and make plays and play hard and physical.”
Sarnia, which trailed 1-0 at the first intermission, pulled even when Beamish connected at 6:10 of the middle period. Ryan Brown advanced the puck to the crease only to have it slide to Beamish at the left lip of the crease, and he slipped it into the net for his fifth goal of the season.
Laird scored the winner at 12:49 after Pitre, retrieving the puck on the end boards to the right of the net off a rush, fed it toward the front. Laird redirected it inside the right post for his fourth goal, with Lirim Amidovski drawing the second assist.
Karmanov delivered his first big check in the fourth minute of the frame on Cameron Aucoin, drawing an appreciative reaction from fans.
Lisson had to be sharp when penalty killer Ben Pickell stole the puck deep in Battalion territory and hit the left post before the goaltender smothered the disc with his glove 29 seconds into the third period.
Battalion captain Ethan Procyszyn had a would-be goal waved off for high-stick contact at 6:59, and Sarnia staged a last-ditch surge after Shamar Moses drew a slashing minor and misconduct at 17:55, leading to the visitors skating six against four. The Battalion, with the option to ice the puck, weathered the storm.
Wellenreiter struck 30 seconds into the first period, driving alone into the slot and taking a pass from Ryder Carey in the left-wing corner to beat Quinlan cleanly. Brandt Harper also assisted on Wellenreiter’s seventh goal.
Lisson stoned Jordan Bax on a one-timer in the goalmouth at 11:17 to preserve the first-period lead, with the teams taking seven shots on goal apiece.
The Battalion opens a two-game road trip against the Brantford Bulldogs at 4 p.m. Saturday. The game can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.
BATTALION BULLETS: A booth in the concourse distributed information on Lakers Community Alumni Night … Each team went 0-for-3 on the power play … Karmanov, a native of Chisinau who turned 17 on March 22, became the first Moldovan chosen in the CHL Import Draft when he was selected by Brantford in the third round on July 2. The Troops secured his rights from the junior B Brantford Titans after the Bulldogs went with three older imports. Karmanov is taller than anybody who has played in the National Hockey League, with Zdeno Chara, a Hall of Famer, the most notable of several former or current NHLers listed at six-foot-nine. Moldova, with a population of three million and almost half the size of New Brunswick, is bordered by Ukraine on three sides and Romania to the west … Opening lines featured Pitre centring left winger Laird and right winger Amidovski, Evgeny Dubrovtsev centring left winger Jax Pereira and right winger Carey and Cam Warren pivoting left winger Moses and right winger Parker Vaughan. Left winger Wellenreiter and centre Procyszyn had rotating linemates … Defence pairs saw Bronson Ride with Harper, Aaron Enright with Kent Greer and Jonathan Kapageridis with Adrian Manzo. Karmanov was the seventh rearguard … The Battalion was without Declan Gallivan, Carter Kunopaski, Ryder Cali and Arseny Pronin … Among the missing for Sarnia was Hughston Hurt … Brendan Kane and Tyson Stewart were the referees.
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