Battalion schedule released
NORTH BAY, Ont. — The North Bay Battalion will open the 2023-24 season on Thursday, Sept. 28, with a 7 p.m. visit to the Barrie Colts, the Ontario Hockey League club announced Tuesday.
It’s one of two games on the OHL’s opening night, the other seeing the Kingston Frontenacs visit the Peterborough Petes. The Battalion opens its home schedule the next night against Barrie, completing the first of five home-and-home sets in the 68-game season.
The Battalion plays 34 home games, comprising 17 Thursdays, 12 Sundays, two Wednesdays, two Fridays and one Monday, which is a Thanksgiving Day date against the Owen Sound Attack. The traditional game has been restored after being missed for the first time in franchise history last season, when a curling event took over Memorial Gardens.
Within the Eastern Conference’s Central Division, North Bay faces the Sudbury Wolves eight times and Barrie, the Mississauga Steelheads and Niagara IceDogs six times apiece. In a new formula resulting from the Hamilton Bulldogs’ move to become the Brantford Bulldogs, the Battalion plays the East Division’s Ottawa 67’s six times, the Oshawa Generals twice and the other three clubs four times each.
The Troops face Western Conference opponents twice each, except for the Soo Greyhounds, who provide the opposition in four games.
Home games on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday start at 7 p.m., while Sunday home games begin at 2 p.m., with exceptions on New Year’s Eve against Oshawa, which is a 1 p.m. start, and on Feb. 11, when Kingston visits at 3 p.m. The Thanksgiving Monday game starts at 2 p.m.
BATTALION BULLETS: The Battalion’s busiest month is February, which features 12 games. The Troops, who play 11 games in each of October, November, December and January, have 10 in March, in addition to two in September … The Battalion plays a season-high five consecutive road games from Nov. 24 to Dec. 3 … The longest run of home games is four, from Feb. 8-18 … After the opening brace with Barrie, the Battalion’s home-and-home sets are Oct. 29-Nov. 1 with Sudbury, opening at home, Jan. 25-26 with Sudbury, starting at home, Feb. 4-8 against Niagara, culminating at home, and Feb. 25-29 with the Sarnia Sting, starting on the road … For the first time, the Battalion will be the visitors for YourTV Hockey Day in the OHL when it meets Niagara on Feb. 4 … North Bay visits Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 19, the Family Day holiday … The Battalion has three sets of three games in as many days, scheduled Nov. 23-25, Dec. 1-3 and Feb. 23-25 … The schedule ends Sunday, March 24, against visiting Peterborough … The preseason schedule consists of four games, numbering two against each of Ottawa and Owen Sound.
Following is the complete schedule of exhibition and regular-season games, with home games capitalized:
Exhibition
Wednesday, Sept. 6 vs. OTTAWA 7:00
Saturday, Sept. 9 @ Ottawa 3:00
Sunday, Sept. 10 vs. OWEN SOUND 4:00
Saturday, Sept. 23 @ Owen Sound 2:00
Regular Season
Thursday, Sept. 28 @ Barrie 7:00
Friday, Sept. 29 vs. BARRIE 7:00
Sunday, Oct. 1 @ Sudbury 2:05
Thursday, Oct. 5 @ Windsor 7:05
Friday, Oct. 6 @ London 7:00
Monday, Oct. 9 vs. OWEN SOUND 2:00
Thursday, Oct. 12 vs. OTTAWA 7:00
Sunday, Oct. 15 @ Oshawa 6:05
Thursday, Oct. 19 vs. MISSISSAUGA 7:00
Sunday, Oct. 22 vs. FLINT 2:00
Thursday, Oct. 26 vs GUELPH 7:00
Friday, Oct. 27 @ Brantford 7:00
Sunday, Oct. 29 vs. SUDBURY 2:00
Wednesday, Nov. 1 @ Sudbury 7:05
Friday, Nov. 3 @ Kitchener 7:00
Saturday, Nov. 4 @ Niagara 7:00
Thursday, Nov. 9 vs. SOO 7:00
Saturday, Nov. 11 @ Barrie 7:30
Thursday, Nov. 16 vs. PETERBOROUGH 7:00
Friday, Nov. 17 @ Soo 7:07
Sunday, Nov. 19 vs. SUDBURY 2:00
Thursday, Nov. 23 vs. LONDON 7:00
Friday, Nov. 24 @ Guelph 7:30
Saturday, Nov. 25 @ Owen Sound 7:00
Friday, Dec. 1 @ Kingston 7:00
Saturday, Dec. 2 @ Peterborough 7:05
Sunday, Dec. 3 @ Ottawa 2:00
Thursday, Dec. 7 vs. KINGSTON 7:00
Friday, Dec. 8 @ Mississauga 7:00
Wednesday, Dec. 13 vs. SOO 7:00
Friday, Dec. 15 @ Erie 7:00
Saturday, Dec. 16 @ Niagara 7:00
Thursday, Dec. 28 vs. OTTAWA 7:00
Friday, Dec. 29 @ Sudbury 7:05
Sunday, Dec. 31 vs. OSHAWA 1:00
Thursday, Jan. 4 vs. BRANTFORD 7:00
Friday, Jan. 5 @ Ottawa 7:00
Sunday, Jan. 7 vs. KITCHENER 2:00
Thursday, Jan. 11 vs. MISSISSAUGA 7:00
Saturday, Jan. 13 @ Soo 7:07
Thursday, Jan. 18 vs. ERIE 7:00
Friday, Jan. 19 @ Mississauga 7:00
Sunday, Jan. 21 vs. NIAGARA 2:00
Thursday, Jan. 25 vs. SUDBURY 7:00
Friday, Jan. 26 @ Sudbury 7:05
Sunday, Jan. 28 vs. BARRIE 2:00
Thursday, Feb. 1 vs. MISSISSAUGA 7:00
Saturday, Feb. 3 @ Brantford 4:00
Sunday, Feb. 4 @ Niagara 4:00
Thursday, Feb. 8 vs. NIAGARA 7:00
Sunday, Feb. 11 vs. KINGSTON 3:00
Friday, Feb. 16 vs. OTTAWA 7:00
Sunday, Feb. 18 vs. SAGINAW 2:00
Monday, Feb. 19 @ Ottawa 2:00
Friday, Feb. 23 @ Saginaw 7:05
Saturday, Feb. 24 @ Flint 7:00
Sunday, Feb. 25 @ Sarnia 2:05
Thursday, Feb. 29 vs. SARNIA 7:00
Sunday, March 3 vs. NIAGARA 2:00
Thursday, March 7 vs. WINDSOR 7:00
Saturday, March 9 @ Barrie 7:30
Sunday, March 10 vs. SUDBURY 2:00
Thursday, March 14 vs. BRANTFORD 7:00
Saturday, March 16 @ Peterborough 7:05
Sunday, March 17 @ Kingston 2:00
Wednesday, March 20 vs. BARRIE 7:00
Friday, March 22 @ Mississauga 7:00
Sunday, March 24 vs. PETERBOROUGH 2:00
