Colts cop weekend opener
BARRIE, Ont. — Evan Vierling scored two goals, including the winner, and added an assist to lead the Barrie Colts to a 6-3 victory over the North Bay Battalion in an Ontario Hockey League game Saturday night.
Jacob Frasca had two goals, the second an empty-netter, and Ethan Cardwell provided one goal and one assist, while Roenick Jodoin also scored. Goaltender Anson Thornton contributed 42 saves before 3,188 at the Sadlon Arena.
In the opener of a weekend home-and-home series, Barrie moved its won-lost-extended record to 15-9-5 for 35 points, second in the Central Division, eight points behind first-place North Bay.
Josh Bloom and Kyle Jackson each had one goal and one assist and Owen Van Steensel the other goal for the Battalion, 21-9-1. Goaltender Dom DiVincentiis allowed five goals on 23 shots.
Pasquale Zito, who debuted with the Battalion on Thursday night in a 7-3 home-ice victory over the Mississauga Steelheads, was scratched with a sore neck.
Vierling, scoring for a fifth straight game, struck first on the power play at 4:11 of the opening period, snapping home the puck from the right hash marks after Connor Punnett worked it from the corner following a battle along the boards.
Frasca, standing in front of the net, tipped a Beau Akey drive from the mid blue line at 19:24 as a Battalion penalty expired. The goal came seconds after penalty killer Nikita Tarasevich, on an odd-man rush with Dalyn Wakely, fired the puck from the right wing and saw it flip over Thornton and off the crossbar.
Cardwell netted his team-leading 15th goal of the season at 12:14 of the middle period after Tai York, in the left circle, intercepted an ill advised clearing attempt from the end boards and fed the puck across the goalmouth for an open-net shot.
Bloom replied at 15:10, taking a diagonal pass from Jackson and converting from the right circle. Paul Christopoulos had the other assist on Bloom’s 18th goal of the campaign, his 11th since a trade from the Saginaw Spirit.
Vierling scored what proved to be the winner at 2:34 of the third period. DiVincentiis made a big stop against York but was prone when Vierling arrived at the crease to put home the rebound for his 14th goal.
Declan McDonnell delivered a nasty head check to Bloom at 3:52, drawing the attention of Justin Ertel, who fought the transgressor. Each received a fighting major, with McDonnell assessed a head-checking major and game misconduct and Ertel an instigating minor and misconduct.
Van Steensel scored his sixth goal in the closing seconds of the resulting three-minute power play, at 8:47, with assists to Bloom and Tarasevich, but Jodoin connected off a rush 25 seconds later to give Barrie a 5-2 lead.
Jackson deflected a screened left-point shot by Alexander Lukin at 15:34 to pull the Troops back within two goals. Christopoulos also assisted on Jackson’s team-leading 19th goal. With DiVincentiis gone for a sixth skater, Frasca deposited his 12th goal into the empty net at 19:42.
There were three fights in the game, including an extended third-period bout which Bloom ended by decking Kashawn Aitcheson and a scrap between Jacob Therrien and Jodoin at the 20-minute mark.
The teams face off again at Memorial Gardens at 2 p.m. Sunday, the last day before the OHL’s Christmas break.
BATTALION BULLETS: The game was preceded by an on-ice wedding in which the entire party was attired in Colts sweaters. The participants marched down a red carpet between the Barrie players, who formed an arch with their raised sticks … It was the teams’ third of six games. The Battalion won the first two, 5-4 on Liam Arnsby’s overtime goal Oct. 23 at Barrie and 7-2 at home Nov. 12 … Jackson has a 11-game points streak during which he has nine goals and 12 assists for 21 points … Bloom has a nine-game points streak in which he has 10 goals and seven assists for 17 points … The Troops’ Matvey Petrov saw the end of a seven-game points streak in which he had two goals and 10 assists for 12 points … The Battalion went 1-for-4 on the power play. Barrie was 1-for-5 … Apart from Zito, the Battalion was without Tnias Mathurin, Avery Winslow, Kyle McDonald and Luc Brzustowski … With Zito sidelined after being acquired Monday in a trade with the Niagara IceDogs, Brett Bouchard saw his first action since a 6-3 road win Nov. 19 over the Owen Sound Attack … Among the missing for Barrie was Ian Lemieux … Vierling has a five-game points streak during which he has six goals and as many assists for 12 points … Frasca has a four-game points streak in which he has three goals and five assists for eight points … Alex Ross and Anthony Tapper were the referees.
