Troops torch Firebirds 4-1
Jacob Therrien, Bronson Ride and Nick Wellenreiter each scored one goal and added an assist to pace the North Bay Battalion to a 4-1 Ontario Hockey League victory Friday night over the Flint Firebirds.
Ihnat Pazii had the other goal, and goaltender Mike McIvor made 31 saves in a sharp showing before a crowd of 2,723 at the Dort Financial Center as the Battalion played the second game of a four-game road trip after a 5-1 loss Thursday night to the Saginaw Spirit.
North Bay improved its won-lost-extended record to 22-28-4 for 48 points, fifth in the Central Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of the East Division’s Ottawa 67’s, who defeated the visiting Niagara IceDogs 6-2. The Troops hold two games in hand on Ottawa.
Matthew Wang scored for Flint, while goaltender Nathan Day surrendered three goals on 22 shots, with Wellenreiter’s goal an empty-netter.
The Firebirds are 22-27-5 for 49 points, tied for third place in the West Division and sixth place in the Western Conference with the Sarnia Sting, who downed the visiting Windsor Spitfires 6-5 in overtime.
Flint opened a stretch of six games in nine days, split evenly home and away, while the Battalion played the second of six games in nine days, with all but one on the road.
The Firebirds were without leading scorer Sam McCue, who has a team-high 27 goals and 19 assists for 46 points in 49 games, and overager Evan Konyen, formerly of the Sudbury Wolves.
Therrien opened the scoring at 5:36 of the second period, one-timing the puck home from the left side off a rush. Andrew LeBlanc and Ride assisted on Therrien’s 12th goal of the season as he scored for a fourth straight game.
Ride was credited with the Battalion’s second goal when his pass to the net front from behind the goal line to Day’s left deflected off the goaltender’s skate at 11:16. Ethan Procyszyn and Therrien assisted on defenceman Ride’s fourth goal, the eventual winner.
Jacob LeBlanc got back to break up a shorthanded solo rush by Flint’s Alex Kostov in the closing seconds of a tripping penalty to Hayden Reid issued at 12:07.
Wang pulled Flint within 2-1 at 3:10 of the third period, scoring his 15th goal from deep in the left circle, but Pazii capitalized on the power play at 10:43, converting his third goal from the goalmouth on a pass from behind the net from Wellenreiter. Parker Vaughan had the other assist.
With Day gone for a sixth skater, Wellenreiter put his eighth goal into the vacant cage from just outside the blue line at 19:05, assisted by Procyszyn.
The scoreless first period saw North Bay enjoy three power plays to one for Flint. Josh Colosimo drew a double minor for high-sticking the Battalion’s Zach Wilson at 2:23, but a holding call to Procyszyn at 2:52 offset half of the four minutes.
McIvor made his best stop in the 14th minute, putting the right pad to a shot by Christopher Thibodeau driving off the right wing.
The Battalion visits Sarnia at 2:05 p.m. Sunday. The game can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.
BATTALION BULLETS: The Battalion swept the teams’ season series, having won 4-1 at home Dec. 8 … Therrien has a six-game points streak in which he has five goals and two assists for seven points … Lirim Amidovski and Flint’s Rylan Fellinger tangled at 13:31 of the final frame, with Amidovski getting the takedown. Each received a fighting major, with Fellinger assessed an instigating minor and misconduct … Shamar Moses led the Battalion with five shots on goal. Wang topped Flint with five … North Bay went 1-for-6 on the power play. The Firebirds were 0-for-2. The Flint power play is ranked 19th in the league, while its penalty killing is 17th … Opening lines featured Procyszyn centring left winger Andrew LeBlanc and right winger Therrien, Zach Wigle pivoting left winger Moses and right winger Vaughan and Pazii centring left winger Amidovski and right winger Wellenreiter. Nolan Laird centred left winger Stepan Chukharev and right winger Ryder Carey … Defence pairings were Ride with Jacob LeBlanc, Aaron Enright with Kent Greer and Wilson with Brayden Turley … Battalion scratches were Adrian Manzo, Briir Long and Reyth Smith … The Troops, who spent Wednesday and Thursday nights at Saginaw, bused to Sarnia after the game … Flint also scratched overager Nolan Collins … Flint’s Kaden Pitre saw the end of a five-game points streak in which he had two goals and seven assists for nine points. Included was a five-assists performance in a 5-2 win Feb. 9 at Ottawa.
