Sports

Battalion Fan Fest draws big crowd; Troops win pre-season game

Sunday was Fan Fest at Memorial Gardens and the fans went home happy after a pre-season shootout win for the North Bay Battalion.

Reigning OHL goal scoring leader Anthony Romani walks the red carpet at Battalion Fan Fest.

Ahead of the match-up, crowds of people lined the red carpet on the arena's concourse as area minor hockey teams and the Battalion players were introduced.

“I knew it would be a kind of cool event,” says head coach Ryan Oulahen,”I wasn’t picturing a jammed concourse there. You could hear our players talking that they did not expect that, the ovation that they got.”

He says it was great to blend the event in with minor hockey, an aspect the team is looking to build on.

“I get to see it first-hand because I have young kids that were involved in it,” Oulahen says. “Some of the young kids are not dreaming about NHL players they’re dreaming about being North Bay Battalion players. So just to blend that I

On the ice, the Troops gave up two goals in the second period but scored twice in the third to force a shootout.

Battalion right winger Lirim Amidovski found the back of the net just before the 5 minute mark of the final frame before left winger Andrew LeBlanc scored with ‘one minute til ceasefire’.

Right winger Jacob Therrien scored the lone goal in the shootout, with Troops' goalie Mike McIvor stopping all three shots he faced to earn the pre-season win.

Coach Oulahen says the outcome is nice, but the pre-season is about teachable moments for the players.

“Like attacking a little bit better on offence,” he says. “But we’re doing a really good job defensively. That’s something I really like. It’s just nice for the kids to get the believe and whether it’s exhibition or not, it’s nice to have a nice outcome.”

Fan fest was moved indoors because of the weather.