67’s double Battalion 6-3
Thomas Vandenberg scored two goals to pace the red-hot Ottawa 67’s to a 6-3 Ontario Hockey League victory Sunday over the North Bay Battalion.
Ondrej Ruml, Shaan Kingwell and Cooper Foster each had one goal and one assist and Spencer Bowes also scored before 3,603 at TD Place. Kohyn Eshkawkogan contributed four assists.
Goaltender Ryder Fetterolf made 28 saves for Ottawa, which improved its won-lost-extended record to 19-6-2 for 40 points, second in the East Division. The 67’s are 12-1-1 in their last 14 games.
Parker Vaughan had one goal and one assist and Cam Warren and Ethan Procyszyn also scored, while goaltender Mike McIvor faced 32 shots as North Bay completed a three-game road trip and a run of four away games.
The Battalion, which dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen, is 14-11-1 for 29 points, second in the Central Division. The Troops, who defeated the Peterborough Petes 3-1 Thursday night and the Kingston Frontenacs 4-1 Friday night, are 6-2-1 in their last nine games.
Vandenberg gave Ottawa a 2-1 lead on the power play at 1:04 of the second period, tipping a shot by Eshkawkogan from the blue line and having the puck slide slowly into the net. Filip Ekberg had the other assist.
Warren tied it 1:33 later, breaking up the middle to go in alone on Fetterolf and beat him over the glove. Vaughan, whose outlet pass sent Warren away, and Kent Greer assisted on the rookie’s fourth goal of the season.
Vandenberg capitalized on another man-advantage situation for his ninth goal at 5:35, jamming the puck past McIvor at the right post and drawing the ire of Shamar Moses, who took coincidental roughing minors with Foster.
Ruml scored what proved to be the winner at 11:29, slinging the puck from the mid slot on a setup by Kingwell and Ekberg. It was defenceman Ruml’s sixth goal.
Procyszyn, scoring for a third consecutive game, whipped a rebound past Fetterolf at 12:42 off a left-point shot by Bronson Ride. Procyszyn’s sixth goal left the Troops trailing 4-3 at the second intermission.
Kingwell survived a goalmouth scrum to score his seventh goal 37 seconds into the third period, converting off Ruml’s screened left-point drive, and Foster netted his team-leading 16th goal on the power play at 12:01.
The goal followed a double minor for high-sticking issued to Procyszyn for a foul on Frankie Marrelli. From an ensuing fight, Procyszyn also received a major, while Ottawa’s Kaleb Dietsch drew an instigating minor, major and misconduct.
The teams swapped first-period goals, with Vaughan striking first at 6:10 when, at the right hash marks, he deflected a right-point shot by Adrian Manzo. Jonathan Kapageridis also assisted on Vaughan’s sixth goal.
Bowes replied at 9:52, putting the puck home from a sharp angle on the right side on an assist by Jack Dever with McIvor sprawled to his left and helpless.
The Battalion plays host to the Sarnia Sting at 7 p.m. Thursday on Lakers Alumni Community Night.
BATTALION BULLETS: A pregame tribute saluted former Ottawa general manager James Boyd, now the OHL’s vice-president for hockey operations … It was the second of four meetings, after the visiting 67’s won 3-1 on Sept. 26. The teams next face off Jan. 8 at North Bay … Nick Wellenreiter and Ottawa’s Connor Bewick fought late in the middle period … The Battalion went 7-3-1 in November … North Bay was 0-for-1 on the power play. Ottawa went 3-for-4 … Former captain Owen Van Steensel, who had 75 goals and 99 assists for 174 points in 235 Battalion games, was in attendance. He’s with the Clarkson University Golden Knights of Potsdam, N.Y. … Opening lines saw Kaden Pitre centring left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Lirim Amidovski, Evgeny Dubrovtsev pivoting left winger Jax Pereira and right winger Ryder Carey and Warren centring left winger Moses and right winger Vaughan. Centre Procyszyn and right winger Wellenreiter had various linemates … Defence pairings were Ride with Brandt Harper, Aaron Enright with Greer and Kapageridis with Manzo. Carter Kunopaski also saw action … The Battalion was without Alexander Karmanov, Declan Gallivan, Ryder Cali and Arseny Pronin … The 67’s released Cade Kelly, who has joined the Cape Breton Eagles of the Quebec Maritimes Hockey League. Kelly was a second-round pick, 39th overall, in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection from the Mississauga Senators U16s … Andre Grougrou and Tyson Stewart were the referees.
