Vaughan strikes in OT

Parker Vaughan scored at 4:48 of overtime to lift the North Bay Battalion to a 6-5 victory over the Brampton Steelheads in a back-and-forth Ontario Hockey League game Saturday.

Ethan Procyszyn scored three goals, Jacob LeBlanc had one goal and four assists for a career-high five points and Andrew LeBlanc provided one goal for the Battalion, which got 33 saves from goaltender Jack Lisson in his first OHL win before 2,597 at the CAA Centre.

The Battalion, which lost 4-1 at home Thursday night to the Kingston Frontenacs, has a won-lost-extended record of 15-20-3 for 33 points, fifth in the Central Division.

Vaughan, who added an assist, and Zach Wigle, with two assists, registered their first points since a trade last Sunday from the Barrie Colts. Adrian Manzo, acquired with four OHL Priority Selection picks Thursday from the Windsor Spitfires for Wyatt Kennedy, made his Battalion debut.

Angus MacDonell scored two goals for Brampton, while Porter Martone had one goal and three assists. Parker Von Richter contributed one goal and one assist and Gabriel Chiarot the other goal.

Starting goaltender Brayden Gillespie, acquired Jan. 1 from the Guelph Storm, allowed four goals on 16 shots before being relieved by Jack Ivankovic, who stopped 20 of 22 shots for the Steelheads, who suffered a fourth straight loss and are 18-15-6 for 42 points, fourth in the division.

After Lisson stoned Martone at the other end, Jacob LeBlanc set up Vaughan alone in front and he, with North Bay’s only shot of the extra session, ripped the puck past Ivankovic for a fifth goal on the season.

Brampton, which trailed 4-3 through 40 minutes, tied it on Martone’s 22nd goal 2:01 into the third period, tucking the puck inside the left post after it eluded two Troops behind the net.

Procyszyn scored on the power play at 8:20 after MacDonell drew an unsportsmanlike conduct call. Procyszyn, assisted by LeBlanc and Lisson, broke into the offensive zone and wired the puck high into the net for his team-leading 24th goal. It marked his first three-goal game in the OHL.

MacDonell precipitated overtime with his 14th goal on the power play 1:15 later, emerging from the left corner and reaching across the goalmouth to backhand the rubber around Lisson.

Procyszyn struck on the power play nine seconds into the second period, taking a long lead pass from LeBlanc and breaking in from the blue line to beat Gillespie from the inner edge of the right circle.

Andrew LeBlanc gave the Battalion a 4-2 lead off a rush at 11:47 when he took a back pass from Wigle and wired his seventh goal from the right faceoff dot. Ivankovic relieved Gillespie at that point.

Chiarot cut into Brampton’s deficit at 14:40, wheeling off the left wing through the circle and snapping the puck past Lisson, who had lost his stick behind the net. It was Chiarot’s 10th goal.

Procyszyn opened the scoring at 12:27 of the first period, firing the puck from the right circle. Jacob LeBlanc, whose initial shot produced a fat rebound into the high slot, had the lone assist.

MacDonell tied it on the power play at 15:34, gathering a rebound at the left side of the crease and tucking the puck inside the post for his 13th goal, assisted by Carson Rehkopf and Martone.

LeBlanc connected at 16:19, taking a pass from Wigle, who was deep on the left wing, and rifling the puck past the handcuffed Gillespie. Vaughan also assisted on defenceman LeBlanc’s sixth goal.

Von Richter tied it with the man advantage at 19:58, driving to the goalmouth to take a pass from the end boards from Martone. Rehkopf also assisted on rearguard Von Richter’s fifth goal.

The Battalion returns to action when it plays host to Barrie at 7 p.m. Thursday.

BATTALION BULLETS: It was the Battalion’s first win at Brampton since a 4-1 verdict over the Sudbury Wolves on March 21, 2013, in Game 1 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal … Vaughan scored his first OHL goal at the CAA Centre in a 6-4 Barrie win Oct. 25 … North Bay received an instigator penalty and misconduct for each of three fights, which pitted Briir Long against Brampton’s Reed Gee, Stepan Chukharev against Gee and Zach Wilson against Chiarot, who drew a coincidental double minor for a check from behind … The Battalion went 2-for-5 on the power play. Brampton was 3-for-5 … Opening lines had Procyszyn centring left winger Lirim Amidovski and right winger Nick Wellenreiter, Wigle pivoting left winger Andrew LeBlanc and right winger Vaughan and Ihnat Pazii centring left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Ryder Carey. Long centred left winger Reyth Smith and right winger Chukharev … Defence pairs saw Bronson Ride with Jacob LeBlanc, Brayden Turley with Aaron Enright and Wilson with Manzo … The Battalion was without Jacob Therrien, Shamar Moses and Kent Greer, who served the second game of a three-game suspension … Jonathan Kapageridis, an affiliate player whose rights were acquired Thursday from the Sarnia Sting and who made his OHL debut against Kingston, has been returned to the junior A Cobourg Cougars, and Dylan Richter has been assigned to the junior B Chatham Maroons … Wigle turns 21 on Sunday, and Ride is 20 on Tuesday. Photo/article credit - North Bay Battlion