Sudbury defeats Battalion

 Hudson Chitaroni’s goal at 6:08 of the third period broke a tie and sent the Sudbury Wolves to a 4-1 Ontario Hockey League victory Friday night over the North Bay Battalion.

Kieron Walton had an empty-net goal and two assists, and Nathan Villeneuve provided one goal and one assist, while Luca Blonda scored one goal and Chitaroni added an assist.

Goaltender Nate Krawchuk contributed 28 saves as Sudbury improved its won-lost-extended record to 20-10-5 for 45 points, third in the Central Division.

Nick Wellenreiter scored for North Bay, and goaltender Jack Lisson, making his OHL debut, made 22 saves on 25 shots before a crowd of 3,657.

The Battalion is 14-19-3 for 31 points, fifth in the division. The Troops, who ended a six-game losing skid with a 4-1 home-ice verdict Thursday night over the Peterborough Petes, completed an arduous run of five games in seven days.

The teams were deadlocked 1-1 through 40 minutes before Chitaroni put home his fifth goal of the season from the high slot. Lucas Di Giantommaso and Gavin Ewles assisted as they gathered a loose puck at centre ice to start the play.

Rookie defenceman Blonda connected at 8:52 of the final frame, using Andrew LeBlanc as a partial screen with Walton and Chitaroni drawing assists.

The Troops, trailing 3-1, pulled Lisson for a sixth attacker, but Walton fired his team-leading 23rd goal into the vacant cage at 17:03. Walton is on a streak that has seen him score 15 goals and record 26 assists for 41 points in his last 17 games.

Villeneuve opened the scoring at 12:04 of the second period after his initial shot bounded into the right corner. He got the rubber back and tried to feed it in front, only to have the puck deflect off the scrambling Lisson’s left skate into the net. Walton and Alex Pharand assisted on Villeneuve’s 15th goal.

Wellenreiter tied it at 16:16. Lirim Amidovski took a shot off a right-wing rush, and Wellenreiter retrieved it deep on the left side, swept across the goalmouth and outwaited Krawchuk to put home his sixth goal and third in two games.

The Troops held a 12-7 edge in shots in the first period, largely because they enjoyed all three power plays.

Amidovski got loose down the right wing but was denied at 14:04, when Villeneuve took a slashing call, the last of the penalties.

The Battalion plays host to the Kingston Frontenacs at 7 p.m. Thursday on Near North Crime Stoppers Night.

BATTALION BULLETS: It was the fifth of eight meetings, with the Battalion 1-3-1 in the season series. The next game between the Highway 17 rivals is scheduled Jan. 26 at North Bay … LeBlanc topped the Battalion with four shots on goal. Rowan Henderson led Sudbury with five … Lisson, who turned 18 on March 31, was a 15th-round pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection from the Oakville Rangers U16s. His rights were acquired from the junior A Wellington Dukes after he left the independent British Columbia Hockey League’s West Kelowna Warriors, with whom he played 10 games this season … The Battalion went 0-for-5 on the power play. Sudbury was 0-for-4 … Opening line combinations had Ethan Procyszyn centring left winger Shamar Moses and right winger Amidovski, LeBlanc pivoting left winger Owen Van Steensel and right winger Wellenreiter and Ryder Cali centring left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Ryder Carey. Briir Long centred left winger Reyth Smith and right winger Stepan Chukharev … The Battalion was without Jacob Therrien, Dylan Richter, Ihnat Pazii, Anthony Romani and Zach Wilson … Cali, an affiliate player, skated in the last of five games for which he was called up during the junior A Milton Menace’s holiday break … Laird was to turn 19 Sunday … Sudbury’s Kocha Delic was a late scratch, while Quentin Musty remains at home in Hamburg, N.Y., with an injury. Ryan Elbers and Ryan Harrison were the referees. Photo/article credit - North Bay Battalion