Barrie downs Troops 5-2
Brad Gardiner scored the winning goal and added an assist as the Barrie Colts defeated the North Bay Battalion 5-2 Saturday night in a home-and-home series opener that ended the Ontario Hockey League’s seven-day Christmas break.
Michael Derbidge, Tristan Bertucci and Carter Lowe also had one goal and one assist apiece, and Parker Vaughan scored the other goal for the Colts in the chippy affair.
Goaltender Ben Hrebik provided 39 saves as Barrie moved its won-lost-extended record to 22-9-2 for 46 points, tied atop the Central Division with the Niagara IceDogs, who fell 4-1 to the host Flint Firebirds.
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Nick Wellenreiter and Shamar Moses scored for the Battalion. Starting goaltender Mike McIvor allowed all five goals on 21 shots before being relieved for the third period by Charlie Larocque, who stopped seven shots before 4,270 at the Sadlon Arena.
North Bay is 13-16-3 for 29 points, fifth in the division. The Battalion won 4-1 at Barrie on Sept. 28 in the teams’ only previous meeting.
Ryder Cali, a first-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection in April whose OHL rights were acquired from the Soo Greyhounds in a Sept. 13 trade, made his league and Battalion debuts as an affiliate player during the junior A Milton Menace’s holiday hiatus.
Overager Dalyn Wakely played against his former team for the first time after an Oct. 10 trade that saw him join the Colts for Moses and two Priority Selection picks. Wakely, with 14 goals and 14 assists for 28 points in 25 games with Barrie, saw the end of a four-game points streak in which he had two goals and five assists for seven points.
Barrie was without Cole Beaudoin, Beau Akey, Emil Hemming and Sam Hillebrandt, who are playing in the World Junior Championship at Ottawa and suburban Kanata.
After the teams fought to a 1-1 tie through 20 minutes, Derbidge capitalized on a McIvor gaffe 44 seconds into the middle frame. McIvor went behind his net to play the puck on a dump-in, failed to control it and was scrambling when Derbidge arrived on the left side to put the disc into the vacant net from a sharp angle. Gardiner and Evan Passmore assisted on Derbidge’s second goal of the season.
Gardiner scored his 11th goal off a rush at 3:59, converting a backhanded pass across the slot from Beau Jelsma before Moses pulled the Battalion within 3-2 with a goal during a two-man advantage at 8:50. Moses, assisted by Jacob LeBlanc and Van Steensel, wired home his eighth goal from the top of the left circle.
Defenceman Bertucci countered with his fourth goal with a two-man numerical edge at 12:18, scoring from between the hash marks, and Lowe collected his ninth goal at 14:40, converting a pass from the end boards by Zach Wigle.
Vaughan opened the scoring at 8:45 of the first period, cashing the rebound of a screened right-point shot by Bertucci. Lowe also assisted on Vaughan’s fourth goal.
The Battalion plays host to Barrie at 2 p.m. Sunday on Relevant Life Financial Group Day.
BATTALION BULLETS: The game was the Battalion’s first of five in a span of seven days, including three straight at home … In 231 games, Van Steensel has 74 goals and 99 assists for 173 points, tied with Anthony Romani for 17th place in franchise history … Wakely, a second-round selection in 2020, scored 89 goals and earned 98 assists for 187 points in 199 games with North Bay. He was third in OHL scoring last season with 104 points from 39 goals and 65 assists in 66 games … In 27 games with the Troops, Moses, a first-rounder in 2023, has 21 assists and 29 points … The Battalion went 1-for-6 on the power play. Barrie was 1-for-5 … Opening lines had Procyszyn centring left winger Van Steensel and right winger Moses, Cali centring left winger Andrew LeBlanc and right winger Jacob Therrien and Laird pivoting left winger Wellenreiter and right winger Lirim Amidovski. Ryder Carey centred left winger Reyth Smith and right winger Stepan Chukharev … The Battalion was without Declan Gallivan, Briir Long, Dylan Richter, Ihnat Pazii, Romani and Zach Wilson … Natan Teshome, a first-round pick in the 2024 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, is not returning from Finland after the break, leaving Pazii, a Ukrainian, as the Troops’ only import. In 22 games, Teshome had one goal and three assists for four points … Amidovski turned 18 last Sunday … Arvin Jaswal backed up Hrebik … Jason Faist and Connor Mallon were the referees. Photo/article credit- North Bay Battalion
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