Battalion Downs Ottawa
Shamar Moses scored the winning goal, breaking a tie at 6:55 of the third period, to send the North Bay Battalion to a 3-2 Ontario Hockey League victory Thursday night over the Ottawa 67’s.
Moses and Ethan Procyszyn each had one goal and one assist, while Owen Van Steensel also scored for North Bay. Goaltender Charlie Larocque provided 33 saves and one assist for the black-clad Battalion before a Memorial Gardens crowd of 2,329.
North Bay improved its won-lost-extended record to 7-4-1 for 15 points, second in the Central Division.
Luca Pinelli and Filip Ekberg scored a goal apiece and goaltender Collin MacKenzie faced 35 shots for Ottawa, 3-5-2 for eight points, fourth in the East Division. The 67’s have lost their last six games, going 0-4-2 since a 5-4 overtime win Oct. 6 against the host Kingston Frontenacs.
“I liked our start tonight,” said Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen. “I know they got the first goal, but that’s more what I would like to see with us at home. I’m looking down at their end for the first part of that period. I really liked that. I thought we were ready to go tonight.”
Moses tipped a right-point shot by Wyatt Kennedy past MacKenzie from tight on the right side, with Procyszyn also assisting on Moses’s third goal of the season, all coming since a trade from the Barrie Colts.
Ekberg tied it 2-2 for Ottawa on the power play at 2:12 of the final frame, putting the puck home on a forehand swipe from the right of the net after a diagonal pass from Henry Mews. Kohyn Eshkawkogan had the other assist on the fifth goal by Swedish rookie Ekberg, a first-round pick in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.
MacKenzie left for a sixth skater with 2:21 to play, but the Troops, backstopped by Larocque, denied the visitors a tying goal.
Pinelli opened the scoring at 6:13 of the first period off a give-and-go play with Cooper Foster, who fed the puck across the crease from the left wing for a backhanded deflection by Pinelli, who collected his seventh goal.
Procyszyn replied on the power play at 13:22, converting a pass across the net front from Jacob Therrien. Moses also assisted on Procyszyn’s team-leading ninth goal.
Van Steensel struck with the man advantage at 17:18, cruising across the goalmouth to backhand the puck behind MacKenzie. Therrien and Larocque, who fired the disc up ice, assisted.
The teams skated through a scoreless, penalty-free middle period in which Ottawa had a 13-11 edge in shots on goal. The Battalion’s Kent Greer got back to break up a solo chance for Zach Houben, and Larocque got his left pad on Foster’s spinning backhand in the 17th minute. MacKenzie denied Andrew LeBlanc in close on an odd-man rush in the 18th.
BATTALION BULLETS: On Rug-A-Roo Night, the company, which is marking 40 years in business, offered a test laying hardwood flooring at a display in the concourse … Against OHL protocol through Dec. 31, the Battalion wore its black Centurion sweaters rather than the whites at the request of the 67’s, who had no assurance that their dark road uniforms would be received by the game date … In 211 games, Van Steensel has 65 goals and 90 assists for 155 points, one more than Brad Chenier and 20th in franchise history … The Battalion went 2-for-2 on the power play. Ottawa was 1-for-3 … Opening lines featured Procyszyn centring left winger Van Steensel and right winger Moses, LeBlanc centring left winger Natan Teshome and right winger Therrien and Ryder Carey pivoting left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Lirim Amidovski. Dylan Richter centred left winger Reyth Smith and right winger Stepan Chukharev … Defence pairings had Bronson Ride with Kennedy, Brayden Turley with Jacob LeBlanc and Zach Wilson with Greer … The Battalion was without Declan Gallivan, Aaron Enright, Ihnat Pazii and Anthony Romani … Rearguard Tyson Rismond has been assigned to the junior A Haliburton County Huskies, leaving the Troops with 24 on the roster, made up of 14 forwards, eight defencemen and two goaltenders … Among the missing for Ottawa were Thomas Sirman and Kimi Korbler … Blake Beer and Mike Cairns were the referees. Photo/article credit- North Bay Battalion
