Battalion defeats Erie 4-2
Nolan Laird scored the winning goal and added an assist to lead the North Bay Battalion to a 4-2 victory over the Erie Otters in an Ontario Hockey League game Thursday night.
Jax Pereira, Ryder Carey and Ethan Procyszyn, into an empty net, had the other goals for the Battalion, and goaltender Jack Lisson contributed 20 saves before 2,084 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.
The Battalion, which dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen in its Centurion uniforms, improved its won-lost-extended record to 10-9-1 for 21 points, third in the Central Division.
Gabriel Frasca and Michael Dec each scored a goal while goaltender Noah Erliden stopped 32 of 35 shots for Erie, 6-14-1 for 13 points, fifth in the Midwest Division.
“I thought we had a pretty solid game today,” said Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen. “We had the puck a lot. We did some really good things when we didn’t have the puck to get it back. I loved our back pressure and kind of getting on them quick to force a bunch of turnovers.”
Laird grabbed a turnover in the Erie zone and slipped to the left hash marks to break a 2-2 tie with his third goal of the season at 10:47 of the second period.
After the teams traded first-period goals, Carey gave the Troops a 2-1 lead at 5:36 of the middle frame, swiping home a centring pass from Ihnat Pazii on the right wing. Aaron Enright also assisted on Carey’s fourth goal.
Dec replied at 7:47 after intercepting a cross-ice Pereira pass and darting between two defenders to move in on Lisson. The unassisted goal was Dec’s seventh and his fourth in five games since a trade from the Owen Sound Attack.
Erie forged a 10-7 edge in third-period shots but couldn’t get the equalizer before captain Procyszyn fired the puck into the vacant cage from in front of the Battalion bench at 19:28 for his second goal.
Nick Wellenreiter missed two big scoring chances in the period, failing to beat Swedish import Erliden when in alone in the first minute and missing the open net with the goaltender on the bench in the 19th.
Frasca struck shorthanded at 7:56 of the first period, breaking away with Kent Greer in pursuit and deking Lisson before depositing the puck between his legs. Frasca’s ninth goal, tied with Brett Hammond for the team lead, was unassisted.
Pereira, playing his first game since joining the Battalion fulltime from the junior A Powassan Voodoos, tied it 1:17 later with his third goal during the same power play. Pereira, off to the right side, cashed the rebound of a Laird shot from the slot, with Shamar Moses drawing the other assist.
Erliden robbed Procyszyn on the right side at 18:56, and Erie’s Garrett Frazer gloved down a soaring puck in the crease off a chance by Lirim Amidovski in the final minute of the frame.
The Battalion plays host to the Saginaw Spirit at 3 p.m. Sunday on Yes Employment Day. The start time is one hour later than usual because of the Santa Claus parade.
BATTALION BULLETS: On Rug-A-Roo Night, fans danced on a red carpet with mascot Roo … A bucket pass collected cash donations for Special Olympics Ontario as part of the OHL Big Ticket Game. The 2027 Special Olympics Provincial Winter Games will be held at North Bay … Moses has a six-game points streak in which he has two goals and five assists for seven points … Laird has a five-game points streak during which he has two goals and four assists for six points … The Battalion went 1-for-2 on the power play. Erie was 0-for-2 … Opening lines featured Procyszyn centring left winger Wellenreiter and right winger Amidovski, Cam Warren pivoting left winger Laird and right winger Parker Vaughan and Evgeny Dubrovtsev centring left winger Pazii and right winger Carey. Centre Pereira and right winger Moses had various linemates … Defence pairings were Bronson Ride with Brandt Harper, Enright with Greer and Jonathan Kapageridis with Adrian Manzo. Carter Kunopaski also saw action … North Bay was without Declan Gallivan, Ryder Cali and Arseny Pronin, who suffered a hand injury in a 6-5 overtime loss Sunday to the host Sarnia Sting … Briir Long, who had one goal and two assists for three points in 10 games this season, has chosen to join the junior A Greater Sudbury Cubs of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League … The Otters acquired Dec on Oct. 31 for Wesley Royston … Connor Mallon and Kyle Whiteman were the referees.
