Troops’ win ends preseason
NORTH BAY, Ont. — Jonathan Kapageridis scored two goals and added an assist, pacing the North Bay Battalion to an 8-5 victory Saturday over the Owen Sound Attack in the final Ontario Hockey League preseason game for both teams.
Shamar Moses had two goals, while Ryder Carey contributed an empty-netter and two assists. Nolan Laird, Lincoln Edwards and Aaron Enright also scored for North Bay before 2,177 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.
With Mike McIvor and Owen Loftus sidelined by injuries suffered in practice, goaltender Gavin Zepp made his OHL debut, providing 19 saves. Zepp, chosen in the 12th round of the 2025 OHL Priority Selection, served as a backup in four games last season.
The Troops, who dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen, posted a won-lost-extended record of 2-2-0 in exhibition play. The Battalion opens the 2026-27 season when the Barrie Colts visit at 7 p.m. Friday.
Cole Zurawski scored one goal and earned two assists for Owen Sound, which got its other goals from Innis Robinson, Alexander Lisi, Max Delisle and Dillon Atkinson. Goaltender Ryerson Leenders gave up seven goals on 37 shots.
The Attack, which dressed 17 skaters, one below the limit, went 2-2-2, including a 6-3 home-ice decision Sept. 2 over the Battalion.
“We want to get our game going,” said Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen. “That was really evident with our message after last weekend, and we had a really good week. We’ve had tons of evidence now with the video teaching, and I just really like the week that we had.
“We got better each day, and then to be able to come out right from the start, we were executing at a much better level, making plays, making passes, and then a little bit more connected.”
After the teams deadlocked 4-4 through 40 minutes, Atkinson gave Owen Sound its only lead at 2:17 of the third period, but Moses tied it again on the power play at 3:11, scoring on a screened shot from above the left circle. Alexander Dubrovtsev and Kapageridis assisted.
Enright struck for the winner with the man advantage at 5:28, advancing into the high slot and firing a shot that deflected off defender Max Fransen. Max Crete and Arseny Pronin assisted on defenceman Enright’s first preseason tally.
Rearguard Kapageridis drove into the open left side to beat Leenders at 9:05, with Austin Brekelmans and Carey assisting, before Carey sent the puck into the empty net from his own zone at 17:54.
The Battalion jumped to a 2-0 first-period lead, sparked by Laird at 3:15 when he tapped the puck home after a misplay by Leenders behind the net. Rene Van Bommel and Adrian Manzo were credited with assists on Laird’s second goal of the preseason.
The onrushing Kapageridis connected at 15:29, taking a centring pass from Pronin on the left side and ripping the puck past Leenders from between the circles. Van Bommel had the other assist.
BATTALION BULLETS: Fan Fest preceded the game, featuring the red carpet walk, vendors, prizing and more … The Battalion went 2-for-3 on the power play. Owen Sound was 2-for-6 … Opening lines had Dubrovtsev centring left winger Moses and right winger Carey, Laird pivoting left winger Van Bommel and right winger Pronin and Edwards centring left winger Crete and right winger Kam Hodgson. Centre Alexandre Saulnier and left winger Brekelmans had rotating linemates … Defence pairings were Enright with Manzo, Kapageridis with Easton Poe and Oskar Konobelj with Carter Kunopaski. Devran Brown was recalled from the junior A Powassan Voodoos as the seventh blueliner … Apart from McIvor and Loftus, the Battalion was without Cole Vreugdenhil, Kent Greer, Alexander Karmanov, Declan Gallivan, Hayden Barch, Cam Warren, Parker Vaughan, Jax Pereira and Nikolas Rossetto … Powassan’s Declan McNamara backed up Zepp … Saulnier made his OHL debut … Karmanov, at the rookie camp of the National Hockey League’s San Jose Sharks, saw a crosschecking major in the previous exhibition game changed to a match penalty carrying a three-game regular-season suspension … Laird and Van Bommel were listed as alternate captains … Attack absentees included Pierce Mbuyi and Harry Nansi.
