Troops look back, forward
NORTH BAY, Ont. — With players’ exit interviews under way, Friday was a day not only for reflection but also looking forward for the North Bay Battalion.
The Battalion was eliminated from the Ontario Hockey League playoffs Wednesday night in a 5-3 loss to the visiting Brantford Bulldogs, the OHL regular-season champions who completed a sweep of the teams’ best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series.
That followed a first round in which fifth-place North Bay defeated the fourth-place Peterborough Petes 4-2 in games while Brantford swept the eighth-place Sudbury Wolves.
“I think any time as a coach and a staff we come into it, we try to maximize the group,” said coach Ryan Oulahen. “Did I think that we could maybe give Brantford a better run? I did. I thought we had a chance.
“Maybe things needed to align a little bit better in that we lost (Kaden) Pitre, which is a big injury, for that series, and Peterborough took a lot out of us, and they were able to get through Sudbury real fast. I think if things were evened out that way, we probably would have had a better chance in Game 1 for sure, and you never know what can happen.”
The Bulldogs put their stamp on the series with an 8-1 romp in the opener, followed by a 4-1 victory in the second game, both at Brantford, before a 3-2 win in double overtime in Game 3 at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.
The Battalion, outscored 31-24 in its 10 postseason games, received exceptional goaltending from Jack Lisson and Mike McIvor. Lisson played in eight games, starting seven, in which he posted a 4-4 won-lost record, a 2.64 goals-against average, a .924 save percentage and two shutouts. Two of his losses came in overtime.
McIvor played in four games, starting three, with a record of 0-2, a 2.46 GAA and a .931 save percentage. One loss was an overtime decision.
McIvor, who turned 20 on March 22, indicated an openness to playing as an overager in 2026-27.
“I love my billets. I love the coaches. I love my teammates. I really want to be here. My rookie year we made it pretty far, and if I can come back next year I feel like I want to go out not losing to the Brantford Bulldogs in the second round. If I come back, I want to win something.
“I don’t know what the plan is yet for next year, but I do love this city and I do enjoy my time here.”
Oulahen said it “would be a luxury to have” McIvor back, while Adam Dennis, director of hockey operations, noted: “Not only is he a great goalie, he’s a great leader, so to have a player like that returning next year is very promising.”
Dennis confirmed that the Battalion’s imports, Evgeny Dubrovtsev, Arseny Pronin and Alexander Karmanov, will be back.
Dubrovtsev was a first-round choice in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft last July, while the Troops have five players taken in the first round of the OHL Priority Selection, including Shamar Moses from the 2023 process and Cam Warren from 2025.
Others, all selected in 2024, are Parker Vaughan, Ryder Cali and Ryder Carey, the only Battalion first-rounder in the trio. Vaughan was selected by the Barrie Colts and Cali by the Soo Greyhounds.
Vaughan led North Bay in playoff scoring with a team-high five goals and two assists for seven points, while Warren had four goals and two assists for six points. Captain Ethan Procyszyn, who’s expected to play professionally next season in the system of the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks, scored four goals and added one assist for five points.
Cali and Kent Greer each contributed one goal and three assists for four points, and Dubrovtsev produced a team-leading four assists.
