Troops corral Colts for 5-2 victory
BARRIE, Ont. – Zach Poirier and Jacob Ball scored goals 15 seconds apart in the second period to help the North Bay Battalion to a 5-2 victory Saturday night as the Troops handed the Barrie Colts a sixth straight Ontario Hockey League loss.
The Battalion also got goals from Maurizio Colella, Cam Dineen and Steve Harland, into an empty net, to move its won-lost-extended record to 10-7-2 for 22 points atop the Central Division. Goaltender Brent Moran faced 43 shots before a crowd of 4,197.
Lucas Chiodo and Jason Willms scored for Barrie, 6-12-2 for 14 points and fifth place in the division. Goaltender David Ovsjannikov made 33 saves for the Colts, who haven’t won since a 5-4 victory via shootout over the host Niagara IceDogs on Oct. 28.
Colella opened the scoring at 6:23 of the first period with a delayed penalty pending. Brett McKenzie gathered the puck along the left-wing boards and fed it to Colella, who hammered a drive that beat Ovsjannikov low to the stick side. Eric Allair also assisted on Colella’s fifth goal of the season.
Extended time in the Battalion zone led to Barrie’s first goal at 10:06 as Chiodo converted the rebound of an Adrian Carbonara shot.
Each team recorded 16 shots on goal. The Troops tested Ovsjannikov in the first minute as Harland jumped on the rebound of a McKenzie shot, and the goaltender was tight to the left post as Daniil Vertiy drove to the net in the third minute.
Moran stopped Kirill Nizhnikov’s shot off the right wing in the ninth minute, and the puck trickled into the crease before being cleared. Anthony Stefano hit the right post on the power play in the 17th minute, and Moran got in the way of Chiodo’s attempt at the rebound. Moran parried a Matt Brassard drive from the top of the right circle in the final seconds.
Poirier put North Bay ahead 2-1 on the power play at 10:17 of the second period, chipping a loose puck over a fallen Ovsjannikov after a Mark Shoemaker blast. Zach Shankar also assisted on Poirier’s sixth goal, which pushed a scoring streak to three games.
The Troops broke back into Barrie territory, with Ovsjannikov denying Justin Brazeau off the right wing, but the rebound went to Ball, who converted from the slot at 10:32. Kyle Potts and Riley Bruce ended up being credited with assists on Ball’s second goal.
Barrie pulled within 3-2 at 13:49 when Willms banged home the rebound of a Justin Murray shot from the lip of the crease, but Dineen replied at 16:28. Ovsjannikov stopped Dineen’s initial shot from the left circle but the defenceman collected the rebound, wheeled clockwise behind the net and beat the screened goaltender from the right side. Dineen’s sixth goal was assisted by Brett Hargrave and Brady Lyle.
The Battalion was outshot 20-12 in the period, with Moran called on to make some key stops early.
With Ovsjannikov gone for a sixth skater, Harland finished the scoring from Bruce at 19:19 of the third period. The goal was the ninth for Harland, who has four goals and two assists for six points in the last three games.
The Troops had the best chances in the frame. Stefano swept away a Harland chance at the left post, and Ovsjannikov sprawled to a foil a two-on-one power-play rush by McKenzie and Harland.
The Battalion plays host to the Erie Otters at 7 p.m. Sunday.
BATTALION BULLETS: In 215 career games, McKenzie has 61 goals and 70 assists for 131 points, 22nd in franchise history, one point ahead of Chris Clayton and Matt MacLeod … The Battalion is 7-2-1 on the road. Barrie is 2-5-1 at home … Barrie’s 20 second-period shots were the most the Troops have allowed in a period this season … Opening lines included McKenzie centring left winger Colella and right winger Harland, Hargrave pivoting left winger Brad Chenier and right winger Poirier and Potts centring left winger Ball and right winger Brazeau. Adam McMaster centred left winger Vertiy and Rhys Forhan on right wing … The Battalion scratched Daniel Walker, Max Kislinger and Adam Thilander, who was sick … Allair played his first game since a 2-1 road win Oct. 15 over the Ottawa 67’s. He has two assists in three games … McMaster, who won silver with Canada Black at the World Under-17 Hockey Challenge at Sault Ste. Marie, played his first game since Oct. 22, a 3-2 overtime win over the host Hamilton Bulldogs … Hargrave played his 200th OHL game and his 78th with the Battalion since an Oct. 2, 2015, trade from the Owen Sound Attack. The North Bay native was a first-round pick of the Sarnia Sting in the 2012 OHL Priority Selection … Vertiy marked his 18th birthday … North Bay went 1-for-3 on the power play. Barrie was 0-for-3 … The referees were Scott Ferguson and Josh Schein.
