Troops Take Series 4-1
The North Bay Battalion, buoyed by two goals from Justin Ertel, dug deep for a 5-1 Ontario Hockey League victory Friday night over the Kingston Frontenacs, winning their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal four games to one.
Owen Van Steensel contributed one goal and one assist and Paul Christopoulos and Ty Nelson also scored. Sandis Vilmanis provided three assists, and goaltender Mike McIvor made 22 saves in a sterling performance before 4,065 at Memorial Gardens.
The second-seeded Battalion advances to a conference semifinal against an opponent to be determined.
The Troops were without captain Liam Arnsby, who was suspended for six games after drawing a head-checking major and game misconduct in a 5-4 road win Wednesday night in the fourth game. Kingston’s Linus Hemstrom, who struck his head on the ice, left on a stretcher and was sidelined for Game 5.
Jacob Holmes scored for seventh-seeded Kingston, which got 18 saves from goaltender Mason Vaccari.
“I’m just extremely proud of our group here,” said Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen. “We played a really good hockey game.
“Obviously, they made some pushes at different times in the game, but I’m so, so proud of our guys and the adversity we’re fighting through here and the things that we’re going through in this series. We had guys that stood up, rose to the challenge, and it was a total team effort.”
Ertel opened the scoring on the power play 48 seconds into the second period. Vilmanis sent the puck behind the Kingston net, where Dalyn Wakely gathered it. He sent the disc in front, and Ertel knocked it behind Vaccari.
Ertel scored what proved to be the winner at 11:00, redirecting Wyatt Kennedy’s screened shot from the blue line. Vilmanis also assisted on Ertel’s third goal of the playoffs.
Christopoulos struck at 18:10, taking a feed from Andrew LeBlanc and driving deep into the right circle to fire the puck over a fallen Vaccari. It was defenceman Christopoulos’s first goal.
Kingston, which outshot the Battalion 7-6 in the period, had good chances in the second half of the frame, but McIvor denied Gabriel Frasca and Jax Dubois in close.
Rearguard Nelson hammered the puck home from the mid blue line for his second goal at 9:38 of the third period. Vilmanis and Van Steensel had assists on the power-play goal as Ethan Procyszyn set a screen at the crease.
Van Steensel, open on the right side, converted a backhanded Jacob Therrien pass from the goal line on the left at 10:24. It was Van Steensel’s second goal.
Defenceman Holmes ended McIvor’s shutout bid at 15:02, beating the goaltender to the glove side from the left circle.
The scoreless first period saw the Battalion forge a 12-4 edge in shots. Kingston had the best early chances, with McIvor stoning Gage Heyes from deep in the right circle in the third minute. The visitors’ Paul Ludwinski was unable to tame a bouncing puck at the lip of the crease in the fifth minute.
Vaccari denied Wakely, alone in front with the Troops on the power play in the seventh minute. Vaccari parried a Nolan Laird drive off the right wing in the eighth minute and got the blocker on a Wakely threat from the right circle in the ninth. Procyszyn narrowly missed stuffing the puck inside the left post midway through the frame.
BATTALION BULLETS: The Battalion has a won-lost record of 52-44 in 96 playoff games since relocation to North Bay in 2013, including 30-18 in 48 home dates … The Battalion is 13-15 all-time in the fifth game of a playoff series, including 10-6 at home. The Troops are 9-4 in fifth games since relocation, including 8-0 at home … With Charlie Larocque returning to the junior A Carleton Place Canadians, Easton Rye of the Peterborough Petes served as the emergency backup to McIvor. Rye played eight games with the Petes this season and one on loan to the Erie Otters, against visiting Kingston, allowing five goals in a 6-4 loss Feb. 25 … In 38 playoff games, Van Steensel has 10 goals and 14 assists for 24 points, 15th in franchise history … In 38 games, Wakely has 12 goals and 11 assists for 23 points, tied with Mitchell Russell, Kamil Kreps and Mathew Santos for 16th place in Battalion annals … In 37 games, Nelson has six power-play goals, tied with Luch Aquino, Matt Duchene and Kyle McDonald for fifth place in franchise history … The Battalion went 2-for-6 on the power play. Kingston was 0-for-2 … Opening lines had Wakely centring left winger Van Steensel and right winger Therrien, Procyszyn centring left winger Ertel and right winger Vilmanis and Brice Cooke pivoting left winger Ihnat Pazii and right winger LeBlanc. Dylan Richter centred left winger Laird and right winger Lirim Amidovski … The Battalion also was without Dom DiVincentiis, Brayden Turley, Trevor McDowell, Anthony Romani and Stef Forgione.
