Battalion Hold Off 67's
Sandis Vilmanis provided one goal and one assist and goaltender Dom DiVincentiis made 32 saves in a sterling performance, leading the North Bay Battalion to a 3-2 victory over the chippy Ottawa 67’s in an Ontario Hockey League game Friday night.
Owen Van Steensel and Liam Arnsby also scored for North Bay, which posted a third straight victory and improved its won-lost-extended record to 28-16-8 for 64 points, second in the Central Division.
The Troops, 10-2-2 in their last 14 games after building period leads of 2-0 and 3-0, saw the return of Ty Nelson from a six-game absence since incurring a concussion in a 5-4 overtime loss Jan. 26 to the host Sudbury Wolves.
Braeden Kressler and Will Gerrior scored for the 67’s, while goaltender Ian Michelone faced 22 shots, including a first-period penalty shot by Van Steensel, before a crowd of 2,594. Ottawa, 26-19-6 for 58 points, third in the East Division, is 6-2-3 in its last 11 games after losing two in a row in regulation time.
“He’s been really good as of late — really, really solid tonight,” Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen said of DiVincentiis. “When I have that term for him, that’s a really good thing, just solid. He’s got that presence in the net. Enough said.”
The Battalion scored two power-play goals in the first period, starting with Vilmanis’s tally at 14:04, just 12 seconds after Samuel Mayer went off for crosschecking. Anthony Romani sent the puck across the zone to Vilmanis, who beat Michelone to the short side from the top of the left circle. Nelson also assisted on Vilmanis’s 24th goal of the season, his 14th in 14 games since a trade from the Sarnia Sting.
Van Steensel, driving off the left wing, seized the puck from Matthew Mayich, who mishandled it, and skated across the goalmouth to put home his 29th goal on a backhander at 17:22. Van Steensel took the penalty shot at 12:39 after being slashed by Derek Smyth on a breakaway, but Michelone snagged a backhanded attempt.
DiVincentiis stood firm during Ottawa’s only man advantage of the frame, which followed Ihnat Pazii’s hooking call at 17:48. DiVincentiis robbed Jacob Maillet at the left lip and later foiled him again on a solid chance.
Arnsby struck at 2:04 of the middle period, taking a pass from Vilmanis and breaking away from centre ice to net a 10th goal on the season. It was captain Arnsby’s 100th point in his 199th game since being taken ninth overall in the 2019 OHL Priority Selection.
Ethan Procyszyn hit the right post beside Michelone in the 12th minute, and DiVincentiis stoned Caden Kelly alone in front at 14:01.
A melee behind the Ottawa net and a slashing call to Arnsby put the Troops two men short for 1:17 in the final minute, and Kressler capitalized 15 seconds into the third period. Emerging from the right wing, he put home his 23rd goal and eighth since a trade from the Flint Firebirds.
Gerrior converted his own rebound at 11:47 for a 20th goal, and the 67’s lay siege to DiVincentiis most of the rest of the way, outshooting the Battalion 16-4 in the period. DiVincentiis gloved a threat from Jack Dever at 18:48 to preserve the win.
The Battalion plays host to the Saginaw Spirit at 2 p.m. Sunday on Redpath Mining Day.
