Barber Poles make long trip to North Bay for preseason clash

For the second time this preseason, the Ottawa 67’s are back in game action, this time on the road at the North Bay Memorial Gardens, where they’ll face off against the North Bay Battalion at 7 p.m. on Friday night.

The Barber Poles are coming off a 5-1 loss at the hands of the Kingston Frontenacs in their preseason opener, getting a goal from overage defenceman, Matthew Mayich. During the week of practice separating games, Ottawa welcomed Swedish import forward Filip Ekberg to the program, adding what General Manager James Boyd describes as a “proven point producer” at the professional level in Sweden.

North Bay, on the other hand, is yet to launch its preseason campaign. In three consecutive seasons, the Battalion finished second in the Eastern Conference, before eventually falling in the Eastern Conference Final. While they face big departures like Ty Nelson, they return the likes of Dalyn Wakely, Anthony Romani, and Jacob LeBlanc.

There will be no telecast, or radio broadcast of the game, but fans can follow along with the action on social media, and on the OHL website.

What they’re saying

Filip Ekberg, forward, on playing his first OHL preseason game: “I’m really excited, that’s what you dream about. It’ll be really cool to get that chance.”

Norm Milley, Assistant Coach, on the expectations of the team: “I expect a little more urgency. For the older guys [who will attend NHL camps], it’s their last game before they go, and for the young guys, it’s a chance to compete.”

Thomas Sirman, defence, on why this game is important: “We have a chance to get to know the routine of getting to TD Place in the morning, getting on the bus for a few hours, and getting ready to play a game. We have to get used to that, because it’ll happen a bunch in the season.”

By the numbers

*Stats include only returning players