Rivalry sweep for Battalion
Nick Wellenreiter scored the only shootout goal to send the North Bay Battalion to a 3-2 Ontario Hockey League victory Sunday over the Barrie Colts, giving the Troops a sweep of their Rivalry Week home-and-home series.
Ryder Cali and Adrian Manzo scored second-period goals for North Bay, while goaltender Mike McIvor made 25 saves through overtime before a crowd of 2,470 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.
The Battalion, which won 4-3 Saturday night at Barrie, improved its won-lost-extended record to 6-5-0 for 12 points, second in the Central Division.
Cole Beaudoin scored both Barrie goals in the third period, and goaltender Arvin Jaswal provided 36 saves through overtime.
Barrie is 3-6-3 for nine points, third in the division. The Colts have lost five straight games, going 0-4-1 since a 6-5 victory via shootout Oct. 5 over the host Niagara IceDogs.
Wellenreiter, up first for North Bay in the shootout, went in slowly on Jaswal and deked him to score on the forehand. Jaswal denied Cali as the Battalion’s second shooter, but McIvor couldn’t be beaten by Beaudoin, Brad Gardiner or Jaiden Newton.
Beaudoin connected on the power play 22 seconds into the third period, tapping the puck into the net at the right post on assists by Carter Lowe and Gardiner.
Beaudoin then precipitated overtime with his fifth goal of the season at 5:28 when he cruised to the middle off the right wing and beat McIvor between the legs from the mid slot. Alex Assadourian and Kashawn Aitcheson assisted.
Gardiner went off for delay of game at 18:19, giving the Troops a power play that lasted into overtime, but the hosts failed to capitalize and then had Parker Vaughan and Cali just miss open nets in the third minute of the extra session.
Cali opened the scoring on the power play at 15:19 of the second period, sweeping home the rebound off the post of a right-point shot attempt by Kent Greer. Cam Warren had the other assist on Cali’s team-leading seventh goal.
Manzo doubled the lead at 19:44, taking a crisp pass from Evgeny Dubrovtsev on the left-wing boards and, driving up the slot, beating Jaswal high to the stick side. Jonathan Kapageridis also assisted on defenceman Manzo’s first goal in a Battalion uniform since a trade Jan. 9 from the Windsor Spitfires.
Wellenreiter and Bode Stewart tangled at 2:57, with Wellenreiter getting the takedown. Each combatant drew a fighting major.
Jaswal denied Shamar Moses, who sidestepped a defender and got to the crease in the seventh minute, and Ihnat Pazii was foiled on a partial breakaway that saw Assadourian sent off for holding at 14:44.
The teams skated through a first period in which Barrie held a 14-11 edge in shots on goal. Each side had two power plays, including a truncated one.
The Battalion plays host to the Peterborough Petes at 7 p.m. Thursday on Canor Night.
BATTALION BULLETS: On YMCA Fill the Bus Day, half the proceeds from KidSport North Bay’s 50-50 draw went to assist sending children to summer camp … The Battalion hosts the third of six season meetings Dec. 28 … Ethan Procyszyn, who played his 200th game Saturday night, has 55 goals and 67 assists for 122 points in 201 games since the Battalion chose him in the first round, 20th overall, of the 2022 OHL Priority Selection from the North Central Predators U16s. The Collingwood, Ont., native, who turned 19 on July 11, was named the Troops’ captain last Jan. 9 … Vaughan paced the Battalion with five shots on goal. Beaudoin and Aitcheson topped Barrie with five apiece … North Bay went 1-for-6 on the power play. Barrie was 1-for-3 … Opening lines included Procyszyn centring left winger Moses and right winger Lirim Amidovski, Dubrovtsev centring left winger Pazii and right winger Arseny Pronin and Warren pivoting left winger Cali and right winger Vaughan. Briir Long centred left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Wellenreiter … Defence pairs were Carter Kunopaski with Brandt Harper, Aaron Enright with Greer and Kapageridis with Manzo … The Battalion was without Declan Gallivan, Ryder Carey and Bronson Ride … Cali has a four-game points streak during which he has four goals and two assists for six points … Warren has a four-game points streak in which he has two goals and four assists for six points … Mike Cairns and Jack Hennigan were the referees.
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