Bulldogs edge Battalion

Marek Vanacker scored two third-period goals, propelling the Brantford Bulldogs to a 3-2 comeback victory Thursday night over the North Bay Battalion.

Nick Lardis also scored for Brantford, which got 32 saves from goaltender Ryerson Leenders before a crowd of 2,350.

Brantford improved its won-lost-extended record to 27-16-4 for 58 points, tied for second place in the Ontario Hockey League’s East Division with the idle Oshawa Generals and for third in the Eastern Conference with Oshawa and the Niagara IceDogs, one point behind the Kingston Frontenacs, who outlasted the host Saginaw Spirit 9-5.

Briir Long and Parker Vaughan scored for the Battalion, while goaltender Mike McIvor made 25 saves. North Bay is 17-24-3 for 37 points, fifth in the Central Division and ninth in the conference, one point behind the Ottawa 67’s, who suffered a 5-3 road loss to the Barrie Colts.

Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen suggested the Troops failed to match the intensity displayed in their previous outing, a 3-2 win Sunday over the visiting Sudbury Wolves.

“We had trouble sustaining the really good moments in the hockey game, just a bit of a different feel. Maybe sometimes coming from such an emotional game, our last one against Sudbury, I just felt there wasn’t that same kind of emotion or energy to sustain the play when we really started taking it to them. We weren’t able to continue that on, and I think we just let them off the hook time and time again.

“They have some really good players over there that have the skill and, when you give them the opportunities, Mikey can only make so many really great saves, and they end up cashing in.”

Brantford, which trailed 2-1 through 40 minutes, got even when Vanacker connected at 1:11 of the final period, converting a pass from behind the goal line from Luca Testa, who had swooped behind the net. Owen Protz had the second assist on the goal, which came seconds after McIvor made a left-pad stop on Testa.

McIvor denied Patrick Thomas twice in rapid succession in the eighth minute, first when he darted through the middle and then, with the left pad, on the followup, but Vanacker netted the winner at 14:00, cashing a Testa pass off a two-on-one rush. Jake O’Brien also assisted on Vanacker’s 10th goal of the season.

Vaughan scored the only goal of the middle period at 1:03, breaking a 1-1 tie. Andrew LeBlanc backhanded the puck from behind the goal line to Vaughan, who ripped his sixth goal from between the hash marks. It was his second since a trade from Barrie, the other having come in overtime of a 6-5 road win Jan. 11 over the Brampton Steelheads.

McIvor robbed Testa on a breakaway at 10:23 with a glove grab, one of several big stops among the eight the goaltender registered in the frame.

Lardis opened the scoring at 4:13 of the first period, driving to the right side of the crease to redirect a pass from the left boards from Cole Brown. Thomas also assisted on Lardis’s league-leading 42nd goal.

Long, a former member of the Bulldogs, tied it unassisted at 12:43 with his third goal. He drove into the offensive zone on the right wing, lost the puck and retrieved it before beating Leenders from the right circle.

Nick Wellenreiter intercepted a pass and went in alone on Leenders with the teams skating four a side late in the period but was denied. Battalion penalty killer Zach Wigle shot wide left on a breakaway in the final minute.

The Battalion visits Sudbury at 7:05 p.m. Friday. The game can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.

BATTALION BULLETS: On Capitol Centre Night, a ceremonial faceoff included executive director Katina Connolly and Tim Buhler, president and chairman of the board of directors … It was the third of four meetings. The Battalion won 3-2 in overtime Oct. 18 and lost 2-1 on Jan. 19 at the Brantford Civic Centre. The next encounter is March 13 at Memorial Gardens … Wigle topped the Troops with seven shots on goal. Thomas led Brantford with five … The Battalion went 0-for-2 on the power play. Brantford was 0-for-4 … Opening lines featured Ethan Procyszyn centring left winger Shamar Moses and right winger Vaughan, Wigle centring left winger LeBlanc and right winger Lirim Amidovski and Ihnat Pazii pivoting left winger Wellenreiter and right winger Jacob Therrien. Nolan Laird centred left winger Long and right winger Ryder Carey … Defence pairs were Bronson Ride with Jacob LeBlanc, Aaron Enright with Kent Greer and Brayden Turley with Adrian Manzo … The Battalion scratched Reyth Smith, Zach Wilson and Stepan Chukharev … Among the missing for Brantford were Calvin Crombie, Ben Radley, Joshua Avery and Ben Bujold … Thomas is tied for the league lead in assists with Sudbury’s Henry Mews at 48 … Centre Layne Gallacher, a fourth-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection last April, made his OHL debut after signing with Brantford. He has played this season with the Ajax-Pickering Raiders U18s … Alex Joubert and Ben Wilson were the referees. Photo/article credit - North Bay Battalion