Troops escape with win
SUDBURY, Ont. — Ty Nelson and Kyle McDonald scored in a five-round shootout to give the North Bay Battalion a 2-1 victory over the Sudbury Wolves in a sloppy Ontario Hockey League game Wednesday night.
Justin Ertel scored shorthanded for North Bay in the first period, and goaltender Dom DiVincentiis provided 26 saves through overtime as the Battalion moved its won-lost-extended record to 27-10-1 for 55 points atop the Central Division.
The Troops, who have won their last four games, are 12-2-1 in their last 15.
Kocha Delic scored a first-period goal for Sudbury, while goaltender Kevyn Brassard, making a third straight start since joining the Wolves from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, made 27 saves through overtime.
Sudbury is 14-18-4 for 32 points, fourth in the division.
The Wolves were without Quentin Musty, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 OHL Priority Selection, who sat out a 7-2 road loss Sunday to the Mississauga Steelheads with what’s been called an upper-body injury.
With Sudbury going first in the shootout, Delic, David Goyette and Evan Konyen failed to score before Alex Pharand beat DiVincentiis, who then denied Matthew Mania. Brassard foiled Matvey Petrov, Kyle Jackson and Josh Bloom before Nelson matched Pharand’s goal and McDonald snapped home the deciding tally.
The teams split eight shots in a frenetic overtime period, easily the most compelling action in the game, played before a library-quiet crowd of 1,902. Delic put a chance wide right, Brassard stopped Dalyn Wakely on a breakaway, DiVincentiis produced a game-saving stop against Dylan Robinson and, in the final second, Bloom just failed to connect at the crease.
Penalty killer Ertel stole the puck from Robinson and dashed into Sudbury territory to wire the puck past Brassard at 11:18 of the first period. The unassisted goal was Ertel’s 13th of the season and North Bay’s league-leading 10th shorthanded strike.
Delic replied with the man advantage at 16:17, tipping a left-point shot by Mania in the slot. Pharand had the other assist on Delic’s ninth goal.
Referees Aaron Neely and Andrew Willmetts handed the Battalion the first four penalties before a tripping call to Konyen evened the on-ice manpower at 16:35 of the period and a hooking call to Djibril Toure at 17:50 resulted in the Troops holding a two-man advantage for six seconds.
After forging a 12-10 edge in first-period shots, North Bay had an 8-6 advantage in the scoreless second, with Sudbury assessed three of four penalties. The Battalion failed to mount sustained pressure on its power plays.
Delic drew the only third-period penalty for high-sticking Owen Van Steensel at 4:22, but the Troops again didn’t threaten.
The Battalion plays host to the Soo Greyhounds at 7 p.m. Thursday.
BATTALION BULLETS: Halfway through their eight games this season, the Battalion is 3-1-0 against Sudbury. The visiting Troops won 7-4 on Nov. 30 before a 7-3 home-ice decision Dec. 28. The host Wolves won 3-2 on Dec. 30. The next meeting is Jan. 22 at Memorial Gardens … Petrov played his 100th OHL game since being the first overall pick in the 2020 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft. The Russian has 53 goals and 87 assists for 140 points … The Battalion went 0-for-6 on the power play. Sudbury was 1-for-5 … The Battalion, which dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen, scratched Tnias Mathurin, Jacob Therrien, Brayden Turley, Liam Arnsby and Brett Bouchard … Sudbury claimed Brassard on inter-league waivers from the Drummondville Voltigeurs on Saturday. The Wolves released fellow overage goaltender Joe Ranger, who had seen action in 28 games. He has joined the London Nationals of the junior B Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League … Sudbury acquired left winger Nicholas Yearwood on Monday from the London Knights for a 10th-round pick in the 2026 Priority Selection. Yearwood was a 15th-rounder in 2020, the second-last player taken … At the trade deadline Tuesday, Sudbury sent centre Alex Assadourian to the Niagara IceDogs for two picks and got right winger Chase Coughlan from the Guelph Storm for one.
