Troops win in shootout
Lirim Amidovski scored the only goal of a shootout as the North Bay Battalion survived a Saginaw Spirit rally for a 6-5 Ontario Hockey League victory Sunday.
Amidovski, Nick Wellenreiter and Ethan Procyszyn each had one goal and one assist, while Ihnat Pazii and Evgeny Dubrovtsev provided a goal apiece. Goaltender Mike McIvor made 20 saves through overtime before a Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens crowd of 2,706.
The Battalion, which again dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen, improved its won-lost-extended record to 11-9-1 for 23 points, tied for second place in the Central Division with the idle Niagara IceDogs.
The Troops, who won 7-1 at Saginaw last Saturday night in the middle of a three-game road trip, swept the season series after holding period leads of 4-1 and 5-3.
Dimian Zhilkin scored four goals for Saginaw, which got a goal and two assists from Sebastien Gervais. Stepan Shurygin, who leads goaltenders in minutes played with 1,089, made 34 saves through overtime.
In the shootout, Shurygin denied Wellenreiter before Amidovski connected. Saginaw shot first, with McIvor foiling Zhilkin, Gervais and, to end it, Nikita Klepov, who had two assists.
Saginaw, which lost 2-1 Saturday night to the host Sudbury Wolves, is 7-9-6 for 20 points, fourth in the West Division.
Pazii opened the scoring at 1:51 of the first period, capping a rink-length rush with his unassisted sixth goal. Pazii drove past defenders up the slot and beat Shurygin with a feint.
With the teams skating four a side after unsportsmanlike conduct penalties to Saginaw’s Hayden Barch and Shamar Moses, Amidovski emerged from the left-wing corner and put the puck between Shurygin’s legs at 4:47. Kent Greer and McIvor received assists on Amidovski’s seventh goal, tied with Ryder Cali for the team lead.
Barch and Moses renewed hostilities at 6:59, with each drawing a fighting major after a scrap that saw Moses land a solid left.
Wellenreiter netted his fourth goal from the lip of the crease at 14:08 on assists by Procyszyn and Amidovski before Gervais took a breakaway pass from Klepov off a turnover in the Saginaw zone. Gervais fired home his fifth goal at 15:25.
Procyszyn connected at 18:00 for his third goal. Brandt Harper drove deep down the right wing and fed the puck back to Procyszyn for a one-timer from the circle. Wellenreiter also assisted.
Roughing calls to Procyszyn and Bronson Ride late in the frame gave Saginaw a two-man advantage scheduled for 1:15, and the visitors capitalized 17 seconds into the second period, with Zhilkin finishing off a three-way passing play with Klepov and Gervais.
Dubrovtsev countered on the power play at 8:05, snapping the puck past Shurygin from the top of the left circle. Harper and Ryder Carey assisted on Dubrovtsev’s fourth goal.
Zhilkin cut the Saginaw deficit to two goals with a shorthanded tally at 12:23, taking a centring pass from Gervais on a two-on-one rush against Greer and converting. Josh Glavin also assisted.
Zhilkin tipped home a screened drive from the mid blue line by James Guo at 1:28 of the third period before precipitating overtime at 13:41 when he redirected a Graydon Jones pass from the right wing to the goalmouth. It was Zhilkin’s 14th goal, tied with Klepov for the team lead.
The reigning Memorial Cup champion London Knights make their only visit of the season to North Bay at 7 p.m. Thursday on Tim Hortons Night.
BATTALION BULLETS: Yes Employment Services Nipissing raffled off an autographed game-worn McIvor sweater and a team-signed stick, and PHARA Community Services staffed a booth … Amidovski topped the Troops with eight shots on goal. Zhilkin led Saginaw with six … The Battalion went 1-for-3 on the power play. Saginaw was 1-for-2 … Opening lines had Procyszyn centring left winger Wellenreiter and right winger Amidovski, Cam Warren centring left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Parker Vaughan and Dubrovtsev pivoting left winger Pazii and right winger Carey. Left winger Jax Pereira and right winger Moses had various linemates … Defence pairs were Ride with Harper, Aaron Enright with Greer and Jonathan Kapageridis with Adrian Manzo. Carter Kunopaski also manned the blue line … The Battalion was without Declan Gallivan, Cali and Arseny Pronin … Kaleb Papineau backed up Shurygin. A native of Cochrane, Ont., Papineau played in 2021-22 for the North Bay Trappers U16s before seeing action the next season with the junior A French River Rapids and Hearst Lumberjacks. He was with the junior B Chatham Maroons in 2023-24 before joining the Spirit last season … Among Saginaw’s missing were Zach Wilson, a former member of the Troops, and Ryan Hanrahan, the 13th overall pick in the 2025 OHL Priority Selection, who was injured with Canada White at the U17 World Challenge at Truro, N.S. … Sean Kimmerly and Matt Mannella were the referees.
