Van Steensel powers win
OSHAWA, Ont. —Owen Van Steensel scored three goals, including the winner on the power play at 1:25 of the third period, to pace the North Bay Battalion to a 5-2 victory over the Oshawa Generals in an Ontario Hockey League game Sunday night.
Jacob Therrien and Ty Nelson, into an empty net, also scored for North Bay, while Dalyn Wakely and Anthony Romani each provided three assists. Goaltender Dom DiVincentiis made 21 saves before 3,772 at the Tribute Communities Centre.
The Battalion, which dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen, improved its won-lost-extended record to 4-2-2 for 10 points and second place in the Central Division.
Rasmus Kumpulainen and Matthew Buckley scored for Oshawa as goaltender Jacob Oster gave up four goals on 40 shots. The Generals, who played a third game in three nights, are 3-4-0 for six points, tied for third in the East Division. It was their first loss in four home games.
Van Steensel netted the winner at the left lip of the crease on assists by Romani and Justin Ertel, who fired the disc to the left-wing corner for Romani’s backhanded relay to the net.
Van Steensel completed a three-way passing play with Wakely and Romani at 17:49 to give the Troops breathing room. It was Van Steensel’s team-leading fifth goal of the season.
With Oster gone for a sixth attacker, Nelson knocked the puck into the empty net at the right post at 19:01 for his 130th career point, setting a franchise record for defencemen.
After the teams tied 1-1 through 20 minutes, Oshawa regained the lead at 3:26 of the second period when Buckley, alone in front, converted a wide left-point shot attempt by Luca Marrelli that glanced off the Troops’ Carter Kostuch. Stuart Rolofs also assisted on Buckley’s third goal, tied for the team lead.
North Bay applied sustained pressure during a two-man advantage lasting 1:27 after an Oshawa bench penalty for too many men at 7:12 and a hooking call against Thomas Stewart at 7:45. The Generals failed to clear the puck from their zone during the entire time and the rest of Stewart’s penalty, but the Battalion, forcing chances tight to the net, couldn’t capitalize.
With the teams skating four a side, Van Steensel scored at 11:22 from tight to the right of the net after Alex Cajkovic swept the puck across the goalmouth. Wakely also assisted.
The Battalion experienced problems right out of the gate in the first period, with DiVincentiis required to make a left-pad stop on Rolofs in alone in the opening seconds.
Kumpulainen struck at 1:40, getting to the left side past a diving Tnias Mathurin and tucking the puck inside the left post behind the sprawling DiVincentiis on an assist by Beckett Sennecke.
Therrien replied at 7:00, wiring the puck home high to Oster’s glove side on a left-wing rush. Cajkovic had the lone assist on Therrien’s third goal.
The Battalion plays host to the Mississauga Steelheads at 7 p.m. Thursday.
BATTALION BULLETS: It was the first of two meetings, down from four, between the teams this season after a schedule adjustment resulting from the Brantford Bulldogs moving from Hamilton. Oshawa visits North Bay on New Year’s Eve … In 140 games, Nelson has 35 goals and 95 assists for 130 points, while Brenden Miller, in 248 games, produced 37 goals and 92 assists for 129 points. In 128 games after relocation from Brampton in 2013, he had 27 goals and 60 assists for 87 points, culminating in 2014-15 … The Troops killed a two-man disadvantage lasting 31 seconds while leading 3-2 … Opening lines saw Wakely centring left winger Van Steensel and right winger Romani, Ethan Procyszyn centring left winger Ertel and right winger Therrien and Ihnat Pazii pivoting left winger Kostuch and right winger Lirim Amidovski. Centre Dylan Richter and left winger Nolan Laird had various linemates … Defence pairs had Cajkovic with Nelson, Mathurin with Paul Christopoulos and Brayden Turley with Wyatt Kennedy, while Tyson Rismond also saw action … The Battalion was without Mike McIvor, Brice Cooke, Liam Arnsby, Zach Wilson, Pasquale Zito and Stef Forgione … The Battalion went 1-for-3 on the power play. Oshawa was 0-for-4 … The Generals acquired Nikita Tarasevich from North Bay on Aug. 4 for an eighth-round pick in the 2027 OHL Priority Selection … Among the missing for Oshawa was Calum Ritchie … Dave Lewis and Matt Scott were the referees.
