ERIE, Pa. — Anthony Romani, Kyle McDonald and Owen Van Steensel each scored one goal and added an assist as the North Bay Battalion defeated the Erie Otters 5-3 Saturday night, extending the Troops’ Ontario Hockey League winning streak to five games.
Matvey Petrov and Justin Ertel also scored for North Bay, which improved its won-lost-extended record to 10-4-0 for 20 points atop the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The Battalion’s last loss was a 6-3 setback Oct. 27 to the host Windsor Spitfires.
Goaltender Dom DiVincentiis made 24 saves before 4,806 at the Erie Insurance Arena as North Bay moved back in front of the Mississauga Steelheads by one point after their 6-3 home-ice decision Saturday over Windsor.
The Battalion swept a two-game road trip, having downed the Hamilton Bulldogs 5-1 Friday night.
Spencer Sova had one goal and one assist, while Noah Sedore and Sam Alfano also scored for Erie, 8-5-2 for 18 points, tied with the Owen Sound Attack for first place in the Western Conference’s Midwest Division. The Otters saw a winning streak ended at five games, their previous loss a 5-1 home-ice defeat Oct. 21 to Owen Sound.
Goaltender Nolan Lalonde faced 35 shots.
The Battalion, which led 4-2 through 40 minutes, added to its lead when Van Steensel swept the puck around Lalonde at 17:29 of the third period off a right-wing faceoff. McDonald and Liam Arnsby assisted.
Alfano drove to the crease off the right wing and converted his own rebound from a scrum at 18:44.
Petrov struck at 6:07 of the first period, taking a forward pass from Dalyn Wakely and shoveling a backhander past Lalonde. It was Petrov’s team-leading eighth goal of the season.
Romani connected 22 seconds later, converting a cross-crease pass from Kyle Jackson, before a rash of penalties interrupted the flow, the first two going to Erie and the last two to North Bay. Sova one-timed the puck from the right circle for his sixth goal during a two-man advantage at 12:34.
Ertel scored his fourth goal at 15:48 after being tripped on a rush. With a delayed penalty pending, Romani broke in alone but was denied. He circled the net and found Jackson at the right post for a tap pass to Ertel for the conversion.
McDonald gave the Troops a 4-1 lead with what proved to be the winner at 8:02 of the middle period, taking a back pass from Van Steensel on a left-wing rush and rifling the rubber home from the circle. It was the seventh goal for McDonald, who has scored in each of the last five games.
Sedore replied at 13:39, seven seconds after an Erie power play expired. He collected the puck off the end boards, circled the net from left to right and tucked home a wraparound.
Cam Gauvreau, who already had a blindsiding penalty coming, and Erie’s Cameron Morton went off for fighting at 11:32, and Brett Bouchard and the Otters’ Alex Messier fought at 14:48. All received majors.
The Battalion returns to action at 7 p.m. Thursday when it plays host to the Guelph Storm and marks Remembrance Day.
BATTALION BULLETS: It was the Battalion’s first game against Erie since Feb. 29, 2020, when Shane Bulitka scored the eventual winner in the second period and the Troops survived two third-period goals by the hosts for a 5-4 victory. Goaltender Cameron Lamour made 36 saves as the Battalion was outshot 40-15, largely because the Otters had eight power plays to North Bay’s two. Each team scored one power-play goal. The 2020-21 season was lost to covid, and the 2021-22 schedule all but eliminated inter-conference play … In the renewal, the Battalion went 0-for-4 on the power play, while Erie was 1-for-8 … Petrov has an 11-game points streak in which he has six goals and nine assists for 15 points … Wakely has a four-game points streak, with three goals and five assists for eight points in the run … The Battalion was without Tnias Mathurin, Michael Podolioukh, Nikita Tarasevich and Ethan Procyszyn … The Troops overnighted at Hamilton after the game there … Among Erie’s scratches was Malcolm Spence, the second overall pick in the OHL Priority Selection in April from the Mississauga Senators U16s … The Otters’ Christian Kyrou, who drew two assists, has a four-game points streak in which he has four goals and five assists for nine points … Erie hosted a night honouring the military, with specialty warmup sweaters auctioned off, the proceeds going to DAV, a free transportation service for veterans in need.
You must be logged in to post a comment.