Ottawa defeats Battalion

Luca Pinelli scored three goals, including an empty-netter, and added an assist as the Ottawa 67’s skated to a 6-3 victory over the North Bay Battalion in an Ontario Hockey League game Saturday.

Cooper Foster also had three goals, one of which was a shorthanded empty-netter, and goaltender Collin MacKenzie provided 16 saves for Ottawa before 2,567 at TD Place. The 67’s have two wins in three games to start the season.

Ryder Carey, Ethan Procyszyn and Aaron Enright scored for North Bay, which suffered a second consecutive loss and has a won-lost-extended record of 3-2-0. Goaltender Charlie Larocque stopped 29 of 33 shots.

The Battalion, in its third game in three days on an eastern swing, played the fourth of six straight road dates. The Troops defeated the Peterborough Petes 5-3 Thursday night and were blanked 9-0 Friday night by the Kingston Frontenacs.

Foster broke a 2-2 tie at 5:38 of the third period, deflecting home a Bradley Horner shot through traffic, and Pinelli scored what proved to be the winner on the power play at 16:11, beating Larocque to the glove side with an assist to Henry Mews.

The Battalion pulled Larocque to skate six on four during a late power play, but Foster broke away to put the puck into the empty net at 18:05 for his team-leading fifth goal of the season.

Rookie defenceman Enright collected his first OHL goal on a wrister from the left side on the power play at 18:29 to pull the Battalion within 5-3, but Pinelli scored into the vacant net from long range at 19:33.

Carey opened the scoring at 8:15 of the middle period, dashing down the left side on a three-on-one rush and beating MacKenzie from the circle, assisted by Natan Teshome and Jacob LeBlanc. It was the first goal for the Battalion’s first-round pick in the OHL Priority Selection in April.

Pinelli tied it at 13:06 after the Troops applied sustained pressure in the Ottawa zone. Pinelli took off alone with the puck from the blue line and drilled the disc home from the left circle.

Foster struck on the power play at 14:27, one-timing the puck to the short side from the right circle off a setup by Pinelli.

Procyszyn capitalized on a two-man advantage at 16:34 with Chase Yanni and Caden Kelly serving interference penalties issued 30 seconds apart. Jacob Therrien stepped the puck from the left side and sent it to the net front, where Procyszyn popped it high behind MacKenzie. LeBlanc had the other assist.

The Battalion, outshot 14-3 in the scoreless first period, survived the frame unscathed when Mews’s would-be goal at 5:22 was negated for interference after a lengthy video review by referee Matt Boulby. Mews jammed the puck inside the left post, but Will Gerrior was on the ice crowding Larocque.

The Troops killed the only penalty in the period after Kent Greer was called for holding at 3:04, and Therrien tested MacKenzie off a two-on-one break in the 12th minute, with the goaltender making a left-pad stop. Larocque made his best save when he slid to his right to snag a drive by Kimi Korbler at 16:27.

The Battalion visits the Erie Otters at 7 p.m. next Friday night. The game can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.

BATTALION BULLETS: The Battalion chose Carey 16th overall in the 2024 Priority Selection from the Oakville Rangers U16s. The Millgrove, Ont., resident was one of three Rangers taken in the first round … Therrien topped the Battalion with four shots on goal, while Owen Van Steensel and Andrew LeBlanc had three apiece. Mews led Ottawa with five, followed by Foster with four … Each team went 2-for-3 on the power play … Opening lines saw Procyszyn centring left winger Van Steensel and right winger Anthony Romani, LeBlanc centring left winger Ihnat Pazii and right winger Lirim Amidovski and Nolan Laird skating between left winger Teshome and right winger Therrien. Dylan Richter centred left winger Reyth Smith and right winger Carey … Defence pairings had Bronson Ride with Wyatt Kennedy, Brayden Turley with Jacob LeBlanc and Enright with Greer … The Battalion was without Declan Gallivan, Dalyn Wakely, Tyson Rismond, Zach Wilson and Stepan Chukharev … Four members of the Battalion are from the Ottawa area, with Larocque from Kanata, Kennedy from Vars, Enright from Cobden and Greer from Renfrew … The Troops bused to Ottawa immediately after the game at Kingston, having spent Thursday night at Peterborough … Ottawa’s scratches were Kaleb Dietsch and Thomas Sirman … On Friday, the 67’s traded Charlie Hilton to the Soo Greyhounds for a fifth-round pick in the 2027 Priority Selection … Damian Figueira was the other referee.