Troops clinch division title
NORTH BAY, Ont. — Anthony Romani scored two goals, the winner and an empty-netter, to pace the North Bay Battalion to a 4-0 Ontario Hockey League victory Thursday night over the Hamilton Bulldogs, clinching the Troops’ second straight Central Division championship.
Goaltender Dom DiVincentiis made 15 saves for his fifth shutout of the season as the Battalion improved its won-lost-extended record to 46-17-3 for 95 points, second in the Eastern Conference behind the Ottawa 67’s and relegating the Barrie Colts to second place in the division.
Luc Brzustowski and Ty Nelson had a goal apiece for North Bay, which pushed a season-high winning streak to nine games before a crowd of 3,558. Paul Christopoulos and Matvey Petrov each provided two assists.
“I know this is important to the guys, the organization, our city — the list goes on and on,” said Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen. “What I really liked was our approach today. We took care of business, and that’s kind of been the growth of our team from one year to the next.”
The 95 points are a club record since relocation to North Bay from Brampton in 2013, eclipsing the 93 of last season. The franchise mark is 96 points, set in 2008-09.
The black-clad Battalion also established a club record in the North Bay era with 26 home-ice wins, surpassing the mark set last season. The Troops are 26-5-2 at home. The franchise record for home wins is 29, in 2008-09.
The 46 wins extended the club record in the North Bay era and are one short of the franchise-record 47 amassed in 2008-09.
With DiVincentiis’s partner, Charlie Robertson, having posted three shutouts, the Battalion has eight this season, tying the franchise record set in 2008-09.
Goaltender Tristan Malboeuf allowed three goals on 43 shots for Hamilton, which dressed 15 skaters, three below the limit. The Bulldogs, who have lost four straight games, are 33-30-4 for 70 points, third in the East Division and fifth in the conference.
The Troops led 2-0 at both intermissions before Nelson hammered home a power-play shot from high on the right wing at 2:35 of the third period, setting a franchise record for single-season points by a defenceman with 73, one more than Michael Vernace totaled in 2005-06.
Petrov and Kyle Jackson assisted as Nelson’s numbers went to 23 goals, extending his franchise record for the North Bay era, and 50 assists in 66 games.
Hamilton coach Jay McKee pulled Malboeuf with 6:23 to play, and Romani took a back pass from Petrov to score into the empty net at 14:38. Christopoulos also assisted on Romani’s 22nd goal of the season.
Romani struck first at 9:34 of the opening period on a dash to the left lip of the crease, deftly stickhandling the puck around the sliding Malboeuf and tucking it home. Ethan Procyszyn and Christopoulos assisted.
Brzustowski connected at 13:47 from the mid blue line, with Avery Winslow and Josh Bloom credited with the assists. It was defenceman Brzustowski’s second goal of the campaign and his first since joining the Troops in a Dec. 7 trade from the Soo Greyhounds.
The teams skated through a scoreless second period in which the Battalion forged a 13-6 edge in shots. DiVincentiis was tested several times in scrums at his net, but Bloom, hampered by Lucas Moore, couldn’t capitalize on a breakaway before penalty killer Liam Arnsby staged a last-minute break-in and Malboeuf deflected the puck out of harm’s way.
The Battalion visits the Niagara IceDogs at 7 p.m. Saturday. The game can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.
BATTALION BULLETS: Canadore College Community Appreciation Night saw one student win a $2,000 tuition credit in an airplane toss, inspired by the aviation program … The teams’ season series saw North Bay go 2-1-1. The visiting Battalion won 5-1 on Nov. 4 and lost 4-1 on Nov. 25 before Hamilton won 4-3 in overtime Jan. 19 at Memorial Gardens … DiVincentiis, with a career record of 50-17-3, has a goals-against average of 2.33, a save percentage of .919 and 36 wins, all league-leading totals. His five shutouts are tied for the OHL lead … In 127 career games, Petrov has 67 goals and 115 assists for 182 points, tied with Jay McClement for 11th place in franchise history. Petrov’s 115 assists are tied with Luke Lynes for sixth all-time, and his 49 power-play assists are eighth, one ahead of Lynes … North Bay’s Kyle McDonald saw the end of an eight-game points streak of eight goals and three assists for 11 points … Nikita Tarasevich played his 100th game since a trade from the Sarnia Sting and has 19 goals and 37 assists for 56 points with the Troops … Bloom has a five-game points streak in which he has three goals and five assists for eight points … The Battalion went 1-for-5 on the power play. Hamilton was 0-for-4 … The Battalion scratched Wyatt Kennedy, Tnias Mathurin, Jacob Therrien, Brayden Turley and Brett Bouchard … Among the missing for Hamilton was Jorian Donovan.
