Guelph Storms back for Win
Max Namestnikov scored at 1:10 of overtime to give the Guelph Storm a 5-4 victory Friday night over the North Bay Battalion in an Ontario Hockey League game that saw the winners rally from a four-goal deficit.
Ryan McGuire had two goals and one assist, Lev Katzin provided one goal and two assists and Charlie Paquette had one goal and one assist, with Namestnikov adding an assist. Goaltender Colin Ellsworth made 25 saves before 4,604 at the Sleeman Centre.
Guelph moved its won-lost-extended record to 15-26-7 for 37 points, fifth in the Midwest Division and last in the Western Conference.
Ethan Procyszyn contributed one goal and one assist for North Bay, which also got goals from Shamar Moses, Lirim Amidovski and Andrew LeBlanc. Goaltender Jack Lisson made 36 saves as the Troops opened a two-game road trip.
Despite the loss, the Battalion is 18-26-4 for 40 points, fifth in the Central Division and tied with the East Division’s Ottawa 67’s, who fell 5-2 to the host Oshawa Generals, for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with two games in hand.
North Bay grabbed a 3-0 lead by the first intermission and made it 4-0 on LeBlanc’s power-play tip at 5:24 of the second period. McGuire responded at 18:12, setting the stage for a three-goal third frame by the Storm.
Katzin scored his 10th goal of the season off a rush at 1:15 before Paquette tipped home a power-play tally at the left post at 7:31 for his team-leading 21st goal. McGuire tied it 4-4 at 11:15, driving to the net to convert a pass from deep on the left wing from Parker Snelgrove.
The Troops failed to capitalize on a five-minute man advantage after Eric Frossard received a match penalty for slew-footing at 12:08.
Namestnikov ended it in overtime when he snapped the puck past Lisson from between the hash marks on the only shot of the extra session.
Moses sparked North Bay’s first-period eruption at 2:08, beating Ellsworth high to the glove side on a second chance after a weak clearing attempt. The unassisted goal was Moses’s 11th.
Upon review, Guelph had a would-be goal at 3:03 disallowed because of goaltender interference, and Procyszyn, in the left circle, struck for his team-leading 28th goal and 100th career point at 4:38, one-timing a crisp cross-ice feed from Nick Wellenreiter. Adrian Manzo also assisted.
Amidovski knocked the puck home from the goalmouth at 16:48 after Parker Vaughan first hit the left post on a rush. He and Ihnat Pazii drew assists on Amidovski’s 12th goal.
Lisson went to his right to rob Paquette on a late power-play chance.
The Battalion visits the Owen Sound Attack at 7 p.m. Saturday. The game can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.
BATTALION BULLETS: In the teams’ only other meeting of the season, the Battalion prevailed 4-3 at home Nov. 21 … In 172 games, Procyszyn has 48 goals and 53 assists for 101 points. The Wasaga Beach, Ont., resident was the Battalion’s first-round pick, 20th overall, in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection from the North Central Predators U16s … Procyszyn paced the Battalion with five shots on goal. Namestnikov led Guelph with nine … North Bay went 1-for-4 on the power play. Guelph was 1-for-5 … Opening line combinations saw Procyszyn centring left winger Wellenreiter and right winger Jacob Therrien, Zach Wigle centring left winger LeBlanc and right winger Vaughan and Pazii pivoting left winger Moses and right winger Amidovski. Briir Long centred left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Ryder Carey … Defence pairings were Bronson Ride with Jacob LeBlanc, Aaron Enright with Manzo and Zach Wilson with Brayden Turley … The Battalion was without Kent Greer, Reyth Smith and Stepan Chukharev … Greer turned 17 on Friday … Among the missing for Guelph was Quinn Beauchesne … Overager Namestnikov, of Wolverine Lake, Mich., was the third overall pick in the 2020 Priority Selection by the Sarnia Sting … Katzin has a seven-game points streak in which he has three goals and seven assists for 10 points … Paquette has a five-game points streak during which he has six goals and as many assists for 12 points … Connor Mallon and Joe Monette were the referees.
