Owen Sound stymies Troops
Landen Hookey scored two goals, including an empty-netter, and added an assist to propel the Owen Sound Attack to a 4-1 victory Saturday night over the North Bay Battalion.
Braedyn Rogers and Easton Mikus had a goal apiece for Owen Sound, and goaltender Carter George provided 23 saves.
Coach Scott Wray’s Attack moved its won-lost-extended record to 17-27-6 for 40 points, fourth in the Ontario Hockey League’s Midwest Division and ninth in the Western Conference.
Jacob Therrien scored the North Bay goal, while goaltender Mike McIvor allowed three goals on 30 shots before 2,745 at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
The Battalion is 18-27-4 for 40 points, fifth in the Central Division and tied with the East Division’s Ottawa 67’s for eighth place in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand.
The Battalion is off until Thursday night, when the Brampton Steelheads visit Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens. Ottawa plays host to the Flint Firebirds on Sunday and the Peterborough Petes on Wednesday night.
The Battalion completed a two-game road trip. The Troops, who blew a four-goal lead and lost 5-4 in overtime Friday night to the Guelph Storm after suffering a 7-4 setback at home Thursday night to the Soo Greyhounds, completed their second and last set of three games in as many days.
Defenceman Rogers opened the scoring on the power play at 3:07 of the second period, snapping his sixth goal of the season from the top of the right circle. Pierce Mbuyi and Hookey drew assists.
Hookey scored what proved to be the winning goal 36 seconds into the third period. Mbuyi failed to score on a wraparound attempt, but the puck went to Hookey at the left post and he jammed the disc past McIvor.
Therrien, who marked his 19th birthday, scored his eighth goal on the power play at 6:42, assisted by Ethan Procyszyn and Andrew LeBlanc, raising the Troops’ hopes of a comeback.
They were dashed 12 seconds later when Aaron Enright was stripped of the puck by Ethan Kindree. He fed Rafik Varosyan on the left side, and he in turn got the rubber to Mikus for his second goal.
Hookey put his team-leading 22nd goal into the vacant cage at 19:33.
The Attack enjoyed the better chances in early play in the first period, hemming in the Troops. McIvor covered up against Bruce McDonald cutting across the crease at 9:47 before Hookey put the puck past milling bodies at the Battalion crease in the 11th minute. Mikus, alone in front of McIvor, fired high in the 13th.
The Battalion, which killed a tripping penalty to Therrien assessed at 3:11, went on the power play at 15:27 when Mikus was called for tripping. The ensuing power play ran up the visitors’ shot count, giving them a 9-7 edge in the frame.
The Battalion hosts Brampton at 7 p.m. Thursday on Rug-A-Roo Night.
BATTALION BULLETS: The Battalion and mascot Sarge will be at the Northgate Shopping Centre from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Monday for an autograph and photo session with fans … In the only other meeting of the season, the Battalion defeated Owen Sound 4-2 at North Bay on Oct. 14 … Therrien led the Battalion with seven shots on goal. Jake Crawford paced Owen Sound with five … George was credited with the only assist on Hookey’s empty-netter … The Battalion went 1-for-5 on the power play. Owen Sound was 1-for-2 … Opening line combinations had Procyszyn centring left winger Nick Wellenreiter and right winger Therrien, Zach Wigle pivoting left winger LeBlanc and right winger Parker Vaughan and Ihnat Pazii centring left winger Shamar Moses and right winger Lirim Amidovski. Nolan Laird centred left winger Reyth Smith and right winger Ryder Carey … Defence pairs were Bronson Ride with Jacob LeBlanc, Enright with Adrian Manzo and Zach Wilson with Brayden Turley … The Battalion was without Kent Greer, Briir Long and Stepan Chukharev … The Troops spent the night at Kitchener after the Guelph game … Among the missing for Owen Sound were Masen Wray, David Bedkowski and Antonio Tersigni … Hookey has a seven-game points streak in which he has five goals and nine assists for 14 points … In his last 11 games, Mbuyi has 11 goals and six assists for 17 points … Jason Faist and Matt Scott were the referees.
