Troops win, knot series
PETERBOROUGH, Ont. — Owen Van Steensel scored two goals and added an assist to pace the North Bay Battalion to a 5-2 Ontario Hockey League victory Wednesday night over the Peterborough Petes, tying their best-of-seven Eastern Conference Championship Series at two games apiece.
Ty Nelson had one goal and two assists and Liam Arnsby one goal and one assist, with Kyle Jackson providing the other goal for second-place North Bay. Goaltender Dom DiVincentiis contributed 37 saves in another stellar showing before 3,915 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre.
Tommy Purdeller had one goal and one assist and J.R. Avon the other goal for fourth-place Peterborough, which lost for the first time in seven home playoff games after a 3-2 victory Tuesday night. Goaltender Michael Simpson stopped 21 of 25 shots, with Arnsby scoring into an empty net.
The teams meet at 7 p.m. Friday at North Bay, where they split the first two games, before Game 6 at Peterborough on Sunday night.
The Battalion, which had a 4-2 lead through 40 minutes, fended off a Peterborough surge in the third period that saw the hosts forge an 18-7 edge in shots before, with Simpson gone for an extra skater, Arnsby put the puck into the empty net at 19:24 for his fifth goal of the playoffs.
DiVincentiis made a big stop against Brennan Othmann off the left wing in the third minute and knocked down a drive from the mid slot by Donovan McCoy in the 16th.
The Battalion, which led 2-1 after 20 minutes, enlarged its lead when Nelson fired the puck home from the top of the right circle at 7:44 of the second period for what proved to be the winner. Van Steensel and Arnsby assisted on defenceman Nelson’s fifth goal.
Avon replied at 14:29, wiring the puck past DiVincentiis after Purdeller fed him the rubber on a rush. Shawn Spearing drew the second assist on Avon’s fourth goal.
Van Steensel struck shorthanded at 19:00 to give the Troops a 4-2 lead at the second intermission, racing down the left wing and rifling a shot that beat Simpson from a sharp angle. Nelson had the assist on Van Steensel’s fifth goal.
The goal came just more than a minute after Van Steensel staged a shorthanded breakaway, getting off a shot that Simpson stopped before tripping the Battalion attacker without a call.
The Troops’ Alexander Lukin blocked a power-play shot at 13:03 of the period and was helped off the ice favouring his left leg. He didn’t return to the game.
Van Steensel opened the scoring at 1:23 of the first period, converting a close-range pass from Nikita Tarasevich after Nelson kept the puck in the zone at the blue line and fed it in front.
Jackson connected at 7:37, putting the puck past Simpson off a rush up the middle as Spearing screened his goaltender. Josh Bloom had the lone assist on Jackson’s seventh goal.
Purdeller responded on a dash across the goalmouth at 10:33 for his second goal, with assists going to Tucker Robertson and Othmann.
BATTALION BULLETS: The Battalion has an all-time won-lost record of 16-23 in the fourth game of a playoff series, including 8-9 since relocation from Brampton and 6-3 on the road as North Bay … In 30 playoff games, Nelson has five goals and 27 assists for 32 points, eighth in franchise history … In 29 games, Jackson has 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points, tied with Luch Aquino and Matvey Petrov for ninth place … Jackson’s 16 goals are seventh all-time, while Nelson’s 27 assists are fourth … Van Steensel has two shorthanded goals, tied with Ryan Kujawinski, Kamil Kreps and Cody Hodgson for third in franchise annals … The Battalion went 0-for-2 on the power play. Peterborough was 0-for-5 … The Battalion, which again dressed 11 forwards and seven defencemen, scratched Wyatt Kennedy, Jacob Therrien, Brayden Turley, Ethan Procyszyn and Brett Bouchard … Tarasevich and Avery Winslow returned from one-game absences … Among Peterborough’s scratches was Jonathan Melee, who was injured in Game 3, while Chase Stillman started serving an automatic two-game suspension after being assessed a match penalty for a slew-foot … Peterborough’s Braydon McCallum celebrated his 17th birthday … Othmann has an 11-game points streak in which he has five goals and nine assists for 14 points, tied with Nelson and Brandt Clarke of the Barrie Colts for the longest in the postseason.
