Wolves nip Troops in Central showdown
SUDBURY, Ont. — Ryan Valentini scored two goals to power the Sudbury Wolves to a 3-2 Ontario Hockey League victory Friday night over the North Bay Battalion, allowing the Wolves to keep pace with the Mississauga Steelheads in the Central Division.
Kyle Capobianco had the other goal for second-place Sudbury, which has a won-lost-extended record of 18-19-5 for 41 points, one behind Mississauga, which defeated the host Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 6-2.
Goaltender Jake McGrath, in a sixth straight start, made 29 saves before 3,508 at the Sudbury Community Arena.
Justin Brazeau and Steve Harland scored for North Bay, 16-22-3 for 35 points, tied for third place in the division with the Niagara IceDogs, who downed the visiting Flint Firebirds 5-2. Goaltender Brent Moran faced 30 shots.
The Battalion, which ended a losing streak at nine games with a 2-1 road win Sunday over the Ottawa 67’s, is 1-10-1 in its last 12 games.
North Bay, which dressed 17 skaters, one below the limit, was without defencemen Brady Lyle and Jesse Saban. Lyle suffered a cut to his right leg in a 2-1 home-ice loss Thursday night to Mississauga, and Saban was scratched with an upper-body injury. Daniel Walker, a left winger, took shifts on the blue line as the fifth rearguard.
The Troops trailed 3-1 after 40 minutes, but Harland pulled them within a goal 23 seconds into the third period with the teams skating four a side, driving to the crease and chipping home a shot-pass from Zach Shankar from high on the left-wing boards. Brett McKenzie also assisted on Harland’s team-leading 19th goal of the season.
Moran knocked away a Dmitry Sokolov breakaway wrister after he slipped past Walker in the ninth minute, but the Battalion couldn’t get the equalizer. McKenzie was foiled in front at 14:15 on a nifty setup by Harland, and Zach Poirier put the puck over the net on a solid chance with Moran on the bench for a sixth attacker in the 19th minute.
Sudbury took a 2-0 lead in the first period, but North Bay responded when Brazeau collected his 11th goal on the power play at 1:39 of the second frame. Mark Shoemaker fired the puck from the blue line through a heavy screen, with Brazeau deflecting it low to rookie McGrath’s stick side. Adam Thilander had the other assist.
Valentini struck with the man advantage at 14:21, lofting the puck over a diving Moran from the left side of the crease. Valentini’s 14th goal was assisted by Sokolov and David Levin.
Valentini opened the scoring at 11:46 of the first period when he got loose in front of the net and beat the helpless Moran on a pass from Levin deep on the right wing.
Capobianco scored at 18:30, just 18 seconds after Sudbury finished killing an interference penalty to Michael Pezzetta. Defenceman Capobianco hammered the puck high over Moran’s glove from the left point on assists by Macauley Carson and Pezzetta.
Pezzetta had gone to the box after he took offence to McKenzie leveling Levin with a clean check in the Sudbury zone. Pezzetta drilled Thilander into the boards in the North Bay zone and, at the other end, challenged McKenzie before getting the gate.
Levin downed McKenzie on the boards behind the Sudbury net midway in the third period without a call.
The Battalion plays host to the Barrie Colts at 2 p.m. Sunday before entertaining Sudbury next Thursday night.
BATTALION BULLETS: In 237 games, McKenzie has 68 goals and 82 assists for 150 points, tied with John Hughes and Kamil Kreps for 14th place in franchise history … The Battalion went 1-for-3 on the power play. Sudbury was 1-for-2 … Opening lines included McKenzie centring Adam McMaster on left wing and right winger Poirier, Brett Hargrave pivoting left winger Brad Chenier and right winger Harland and Kyle Potts centring left winger Daniil Vertiy and right winger Brazeau. Jacob Ball centred left winger Max Kislinger and Rhys Forhan on right wing … Apart from Lyle and Saban, who turns 20 on Saturday, North Bay was without Eric Allair, Cam Dineen and Mat Woroniuk … Hargrave played his 100th game with the Troops after 72 with the Sarnia Sting and 50 with the Owen Sound Attack … Potts played his 100th OHL game … Sudbury sent centre Ben Garagan to the Hamilton Bulldogs before the OHL trade deadline Tuesday. A North Bay resident, Garagan was a fifth-round pick in 2015 from the North York Rangers minor midgets … Sokolov had scored two goals in each of the previous five games. He leads team scoring with 32 goals and 13 assists for 45 points in 38 games … The Wolves signed goaltender MacKenzie Savard to back up McGrath in light of Zack Bowman having suffered a high ankle sprain … Sudbury released defenceman Cole Mayo last week … All 20 teams were in action simultaneously for the only time this season.
