Kingston beats Battalion 4-1

Riley Clark scored the eventual winning goal as the Kingston Frontenacs defeated the North Bay Battalion 4-1 Thursday night in a game between teams that were active leading up to the Ontario Hockey League’s trade deadline.

Matthew Soto, Cedrick Guindon and Tuomas Uronen, into an empty net, had a goal apiece, and goaltender Gavin Betts made 27 saves for the Frontenacs, who swept the season series. Kingston has a won-lost-extended record of 20-10-7 for 47 points, second in the East Division.

Debuting for the Frontenacs were Joey Willis, Ethan Hay and Will Bishop, acquired in two separate trades Tuesday with the Saginaw Spirit. Kingston sent Saginaw players Ethan Weir and Xander Velliaris and a total of 16 OHL Priority Selection picks, including four second-rounders.

Briir Long scored for the Battalion, while goaltender Mike McIvor allowed three goals on 26 shots before a Memorial Gardens crowd of 2,225. North Bay is 14-20-3 for 31 points, fifth in the Central Division.

Parker Vaughan, Zach Wigle and Jonathan Kapageridis made their Battalion debuts after joining the club in two deals before the trade deadline at noon Friday. Vaughan and Wigle were acquired Sunday from the Barrie Colts, and Kapageridis’s rights were obtained from the Sarnia Sting on Thursday.

Ethan Procyszyn wore the captain’s ‘C’ for the first time, with Jacob LeBlanc and Bronson Ride making their first appearances as alternates.

Ihnat Pazii returned after missing 30 games with a broken collarbone, while Kent Greer served the first game of a three-game suspension for actions in a 4-1 road loss last Friday night to the Sudbury Wolves.

“It’s a whirlwind of a day, for sure,” said Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen. “There’s no easy way to explain it, all the different emotions that go on, pretty hectic and crazy, but I give our guys a lot of credit.

“I thought we played a really good hockey game tonight. Of course, there’s the odd little thing you’d like to have back, but especially our start, the way we came out, that really excites me, and I know our staff, to work with this group here, because these guys are going to fight. They’re going to claw, they’re going to compete, they’re going to play like Battalion hockey players.

“That’s the biggest thing I wanted out of our guys tonight, and they certainly showed that here tonight.”

After the Troops recorded the first five shots, Soto struck at 6:41 of the first period when he tipped a Tyler Hopkins blast at the crease. Jacob Battaglia also assisted on Soto’s 15th goal of the season.

Eight seconds later, Clark made it 2-0 with his fifth goal, redirecting a pass from the left boards from Ben Pickell.

Long replied at 13:12, gathering the puck behind the net and stuffing the disc home at the right post. Long’s second goal, assisted by Ride and Brayden Turley, survived a lengthy video review by referee Connor Mallon.

With McIvor down and helpless, Turley cleared the puck off the goal line two minutes later.

Guindon seized a turnover in the neutral zone and broke in alone on McIvor, beating him under the right pad at 6:18 of the middle period. The unassisted goal was Guindon’s 22nd, tying him with Battaglia for the team lead.

The Battalion had the only two power plays of the third period, in which Ride fought Pickell, getting the takedown at 8:47, before Uronen rifled the rubber into the vacant cage at 19:04 for his 17th goal.

The Battalion visits the Brampton Steelheads at 4 p.m. Saturday. The game can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.

BATTALION BULLETS: Participating in the ceremonial faceoff on Near North Crime Stoppers Night were mascots Tipper and Radar, the latter with the North Bay Police Service … It was the last of four meetings, with Kingston having won 9-0 at home Oct. 4, 6-2 at North Bay on Oct. 27 and 5-1 at Slush Puppie Place on Nov. 24 … The Battalion went 0-for-4 on the power play. Kingston was 0-for-3 … Opening lines saw Procyszyn centring left winger Lirim Amidovski and right winger Nick Wellenreiter, Wigle centring left winger Andrew LeBlanc and right winger Vaughan and Pazii pivoting left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Ryder Carey. Long centred left winger Reyth Smith and right winger Stepan Chukharev … Defence pairings were Ride with Jacob LeBlanc, Turley with Aaron Enright and Zach Wilson with Kapageridis … In addition to Greer, the Battalion was without Adrian Manzo, Jacob Therrien, Dylan Richter and Shamar Moses, who has a lower-body ailment … Kapageridis is an affiliate player who’s been with the junior A Cobourg Cougars of the Ontario Junior Hockey League this season … Manzo, acquired Thursday from the Windsor Spitfires, will join the team Saturday … Kingston sent Luke McNamara to Windsor on Wednesday and acquired Charlie Schenkel from the Soo Greyhounds on Thursday for Nolan Lalonde and three picks … Uronen and Emil Pieniniemi, a scratch, won silver with Finland at the World Junior Championship at Ottawa. Photo/article credit - North Bay Battalion