Kitchener celebrates win
NORTH BAY, Ont. — Jack Pridham scored the winning goal and added an assist, pacing the Kitchener Rangers to a 4-2 Ontario Hockey League victory Wednesday over the North Bay Battalion in the Troops’ traditional New Year’s Eve matinee.
Avry Anstis, Haeden Ellis and Dylan Edwards, into an empty net, each had a goal for the Rangers, while goaltender Jason Schaubel contributed 28 saves before a crowd of 3,130 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.
Kitchener, which saw a four-game winning streak ended in a 4-3 setback to the host Sudbury Wolves on Tuesday night, has a won-lost-extended record of 23-11-3 for 49 points, first in the Midwest Division.
Ethan Procyszyn had one goal and one assist and Brandt Harper the other goal for the Battalion. Goaltender Jack Lisson allowed three goals on 27 shots.
North Bay, which dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen, is 18-15-2 for 38 points, second in the Central Division.
“We struggled a little bit just reacting to a fast team over there,” said Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen. “We made an adjustment in between the first and the second that I think helped, especially in the neutral zone, and then allowed us to play in the offensive zone a little bit more.
“We had some looks. We just weren’t able to, again, find that key goal. A four-minute opportunity on a power play was probably the turning point there.”
After trailing 3-1 through 40 minutes, the Battalion pulled within a goal when Procyszyn converted a Nolan Laird rebound at 14:49 of the third period. Lirim Amidovski had the second assist on Procyszyn’s 10th goal of the season, tied with Amidovski for the team lead.
Lisson was on the bench for a sixth attacker when Edwards escorted the puck to the vacant net at 19:07 for his 19th goal of the campaign and his third in five games since a Dec. 16 trade from the Erie Otters. Christian Humphreys and Pridham assisted.
Harper struck first at 9:42 of the opening period after Procyszyn was denied in front. The rebound went to Nick Wellenreiter, who fed the puck across the goalmouth to the right side, where defenceman Harper cashed his fourth goal.
Anstis replied at 12:46, taking a pass from Carson Campbell at the Kitchener blue line and skating around two Troops in the neutral zone before wiring his sixth goal from the mid slot through a partial screen. Campbell has one goal and six assists for seven points in the last six games.
Ellis knocked home his sixth goal at 15:34, assisted by Weston Cameron and Cameron Arquette, for a 2-1 lead.
Schaubel got his right pad on a shot by Procyszyn in alone in the fifth minute, and Lisson denied Arquette from close range at 11:04.
Pridham scored what proved to be the winner on the power play at 13:13 of the middle period, snapping the disc from high at the right circle. Luca Romano and Alexander Bilecki assisted on Pridham’s team-leading 23rd goal.
Schaubel used his glove to knock down a Procyszyn threat in the fourth minute, and North Bay’s Arseny Pronin hit iron in the 11th. The Troops failed to capitalize on a double minor for high-sticking issued to Pridham at 16:04.
The Battalion visits Sudbury at 7:05 p.m. Friday to open a home-and-home set that ends Sunday. The game can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.
BATTALION BULLETS: The Battalion has a won-lost-tied record of 19-7-1 on New Year’s Eve, including a won-lost-extended log of 6-4-2 at North Bay. The Brampton Steelheads franchise, including its days as the Toronto and Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors and Steelheads, has been the opposition nine times. The Mississauga IceDogs made six appearances. Sudbury has four, the Oshawa Generals three, the Ottawa 67’s and Kitchener two apiece and the Kingston Frontenacs one … The game was sponsored by Delta Hotels by Marriott … Kitchener won the teams’ only other meeting, 3-1 at home Oct. 26 … The Battalion went 4-4-1 in December … North Bay was 0-for-3 on the power play. Kitchener went 1-for-3 … Opening lines featured Procyszyn centring left winger Ryder Cali and right winger Wellenreiter, Cam Warren pivoting left winger Shamar Moses and right winger Parker Vaughan and Evgeny Dubrovtsev centring left winger Pronin and right winger Ryder Carey. Centre Laird and right winger Amidovski had various linemates … Defence pairs had Bronson Ride with Harper, Jonathan Kapageridis with Kent Greer and Alexander Karmanov with Adrian Manzo. Carter Kunopaski also saw action … The Battalion was without Aaron Enright, Declan Gallivan, Kaden Pitre and Jax Pereira … Manzo played his 100th OHL game, his 63rd with the Troops … Kitchener was missing Cameron Reid and Christian Kirsch, with Canada and Switzerland respectively at the World Junior Championship in Minnesota.
