Attack downs Troops 4-1
OWEN SOUND, Ont. — Landen Hookey had one goal and one assist as the Owen Sound Attack skated to a 4-1 victory Saturday over the North Bay Battalion in the final Ontario Hockey League preseason game for both teams.
Sam Ethier, Jake Crawford and Martin Matejicek also scored for Owen Sound at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre, while goaltender Carter George provided 31 saves in earning a split of two exhibition meetings.
Anthony Romani scored for North Bay. Starting goaltender Charlie Robertson gave up all four goals on 25 shots through two periods before Mike McIvor played the final frame, making 10 saves.
Ihnat Pazii made his OHL debut after recovering from offseason knee surgery. The Ukrainian was the Troops’ first-round selection in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft in July, having played last season for the Chicago-based Windy City Storm U16s.
The Battalion, which defeated Owen Sound 2-1 via shootout Sept. 10 at home, finished the preseason with a won-lost-extended record of 2-2-0.
The Troops open the regular season at 7 p.m. Thursday with a visit to the Barrie Colts. It’s the first game in a home-and-home series, as the Colts invade Memorial Gardens at 7 p.m. Friday.
Owen Sound, which dressed 18, two below the limit, jumped to a 3-0 first-period lead, scoring the first two goals by the 3:29 mark. Ethier struck first at 2:51 after a left-point shot hit the right post. Ethier put the puck home from a scrum, with Braedyn Rogers and Hookey drawing assists.
Crawford, at the left-wing faceoff dot, followed with the quick conversion of a pass from the left corner as Harry Nansi and Ethan Burroughs received assists, and Hookey scored from an extreme angle to Robertson’s left, sending the puck along the goal line and seeing it end up in the net at 17:17.
Matejicek connected at 1:32 of the second period with a shot from the left circle on assists by Burroughs and Madden Steen.
The Battalion answered when, shortly after a tripping penalty to Ethan Procyszyn expired, Romani and Dalyn Wakely staged a give-and-go routine on a two-man breakaway, with Romani taking a return pass at the left side of the crease for the goal at 19:39.
Brice Cooke hit the right post behind George in the sixth minute of the third period, and the Battalion killed a two-man disadvantage lasting 42 seconds that resulted from tripping penalties to Tyson Rismond and Brayden Turley midway in the frame.
BATTALION BULLETS: Romani led the Battalion in preseason scoring with three goals and one assist for four points, while Wakely and Wyatt Kennedy each had three assists for as many points. All played three games … The Battalion went 0-for-2 on the power play. Owen Sound was 0-for-4 … Opening line combinations included Wakely centring left winger Cooke and right winger Romani, Procyszyn centring left winger Pazii and right winger Jacob Therrien and Dylan Richter pivoting left winger Carter Kostuch and right winger Lirim Amidovski. Brett Bouchard centred left winger Nolan Laird and right winger Stef Forgione … Defence pairings had Turley with Paul Christopoulos, Alex Cajkovic with Kennedy and Rismond with Zach Wilson … The Battalion was without Dom DiVincentis, Tnias Mathurin, Justin Ertel, Liam Arnsby, Owen Van Steensel, Ty Nelson and Pasquale Zito … Wilson returned to action after suffering a shoulder injury Sept. 6 in the first preseason game … The Battalion’s Chase MacQueen-Spence cleared waivers earlier in the week and has joined the junior B St. Marys Lincolns … In the absence of Arnsby, Christopoulos wore the captain’s ‘C’ while Wakely, Romani and Procyszyn served as alternates … Among the missing for Owen Sound were Cedric Guindon and Colby Barlow.
