Battalion wins in overtime
Shamar Moses scored at 3:15 of overtime to give the North Bay Battalion a 4-3 victory over the Brampton Steelheads in an Ontario Hockey League game Thursday night.
Parker Vaughan provided two goals and Kaden Pitre also scored for the Battalion, which wore Centurion-themed uniforms before 2,117 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.
Goaltender Jack Lisson made 25 saves for North Bay, which improved its won-lost-extended record to 16-12-2 for 34 points, second in the Central Division.
Joshua Avery contributed one goal and one assist for the Steelheads, while MacGregor Richmond and Matej Stankoven had the other goals. Goaltender Luke Johnson of Evanston, Ill., a second-round pick in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection making his sixth appearance, provided 46 saves in almost stealing the win.
Brampton is 12-14-4 for 28 points, fourth in the division, one point behind the Niagara IceDogs, who defeated the visiting London Knights 4-3.
“It was a little dicey at times, but I think we deserved what we got tonight,” said Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen.
“We weren’t able to find the back of the net, especially in times where we were tilting the ice quite a bit. They do a really good job of clearing the net after the first attempt, so that was kind of our challenge there tonight, to try to get to that second puck. We knew that was one of their strengths, so kudos on them.”
In overtime, Moses drove down the left wing on a two-on-one rush and drilled the puck past Johnson from the left circle for a fifth goal on the season. Brandt Harper and Evgeny Dubrovtsev assisted.
The Battalion trailed 2-1 through 40 minutes but tied it on Vaughan’s goal 52 seconds into the third period. Vaughan took a short lateral pass from Ethan Procyszyn high on the right wing and snapped the puck from the top of the circle through a screen. Nick Wellenreiter also assisted.
Avery struck 56 seconds later off an odd-man rush, wiring the puck from the inner edge of the left circle for his ninth goal on assists by Peter Green and William Eggleton, but Vaughan precipitated overtime at 13:49 when Wellenreiter’s shot was deflected on the way to the net. It was Vaughan’s eighth goal.
Richmond broke a 1-1 tie at 11:54 of the second period when he stepped into a loose puck in the slot and beat Lisson high to the blocker side. Julian DeMiglio and Reed Gee assisted on Richmond’s third goal.
The Battalion continued its domination on the shot counter with an 18-10 edge in the frame. Johnson got the left pad on a pointblank chance for Procyszyn at 1:03.
The Troops ruled the first period, outshooting the visitors 20-6, but managed only a 1-1 tie through the frame after Pitre opened the scoring at 4:32. He slipped around Green in the right circle and deked Johnson, going backhand to forehand to tuck the puck home. Jonathan Kapageridis and Lirim Amidovski assisted on Pitre’s eighth goal, his third in seven games since a trade from the Flint Firebirds.
Stankoven replied at 14:11, standing in the left circle after a faceoff and tipping a Parker von Richter shot from high on the left side. Avery also assisted on Stankoven’s sixth goal.
The Battalion opens a two-game road trip when it faces the Erie Otters at 7 p.m. Saturday in a game that can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.
BATTALION BULLETS: On Soles for Goals Night presented by BioPed, fans donating shoes had a chance to win $1,000, while North Bay Professional Firefighters sold their 2026 calendar … It was the second of six meetings, after the host Steelheads won 2-1 on Oct. 25. The next game is Jan. 9 at Brampton … The Battalion went 0-for-1 on the power play. Brampton was 0-for-2 … Opening lines included Procyszyn centring left winger Wellenreiter and right winger Vaughan, Pitre pivoting left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Amidovski and Dubrovtsev centring left winger Moses and right winger Ryder Carey. Left winger Arseny Pronin and Lincoln Edwards on right wing had various linemates … Defence pairs saw Bronson Ride with Harper, Kapageridis with Kent Greer and Carter Kunopaski with Adrian Manzo. Alexander Karmanov was a seventh defenceman … The Battalion was without Aaron Enright, Declan Gallivan, Cam Warren, Ryder Cali and Jax Pereira, who had flu … Pronin returned after losing 10 games to a hand injury suffered in a 6-5 overtime loss Nov. 9 to the host Sarnia Sting … Edwards, whose signing was announced Thursday, was recalled from the junior A King Rebellion … Among Brampton’s missing were Jakub Fibigr and Luke Dragusica, who was suspended for the season after a match penalty for slashing in a 3-1 win Nov. 14 over the visiting Oshawa Generals. Dragusica delivered a high stick to Brady Blaseg’s head, following up with crosschecks.
