Series HQ: North Bay vs. Kingston

Game 5: Ertel scores twice, Troops take care of Frontenacs
North Bay 5 vs. Kingston 1 – North Bay wins series 4-1

• Dallas Stars prospect Justin Ertel scored twice as the North Bay Battalion scored three second period goals to take control of the game
• Paul Christopoulos, Ty Nelson and Owen Van Steensel tacked on Battalion goals while Sandis Vilmanis finished with three helpers
• Frontenacs blueliner Jacob Holmes scored with 4:58 remaining, ending Mike McIvor’s shutout bid
• McIvor stopped 22-of-23 in the win
• Kingston overagers Holmes, Roman Schmidt and Jax Dubois played their final OHL contest
• Kingston played to a record of 33-31-4-0 during the regular season; they last saw the second round of the playoffs in 2022
• North Bay remained without injured Anthony Romani and Dom DiVincentiis while captain Liam Arnsby served game one of a six-game suspension

Game Cetnre & Highlights | North Bay Post-Game | Kingston Post-Game

What a battle, @KingstonFronts 🤝 pic.twitter.com/3EVrHGH3Na

— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) April 6, 2024

Game 4: Wakely nets hat-trick, Troops hold on for win
North Bay 5 at Kingston 4 – North Bay leads series 3-1

• Dalyn Wakely scored three times and Owen Van Steensel recorded three assists as the Battalion took a 3-1 series lead on Kingston
• Jacob Therrien joined North Bay’s top line in the absence of top scorer Anthony Romani, who sat out a second straight game due to injury
• Lirim Amidovski and Brice Cooke added Battalion goals
• Frontenacs forward Linus Hemstrom left the game with an injury midway through the second period; North Bay forward Liam Arnsby was assessed a checking to the head major on the play
• Leading 4-0 early in the second, North Bay saw Kingston climb back into the game, eventually pulling to within a goal in the final two minutes of regulation
• Jacob Battaglia, Nathan Poole, Paul Ludwinski and Jax Dubois took care of the Kingston scoring while rookie Tyler Hopkins recorded three assists
• Andrew LeBlanc returned to the Battalion lineup, appearing in his first game of the series
• Kingston was without veteran forward Christopher Thibodeau
• The Battalion outshot the Frontenacs 31-21; rookie Mike McIvor made a second straight start in the absence of injured Dom DiVincentiis

Game Centre & Highlights | North Bay Post-Game | Kingston Post-Game

A first-career #OHLPlayoffs hat trick earns Dalyn Wakely #OHLPerformer of the Night honours 🌟

The veteran sniper powered the Troops past the Fronts to take a 3-1 series lead back to North Bay!@bastardburrito | @OHLBattalion pic.twitter.com/Jjhbi3FklA

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 4, 2024

Game 3: Fronts get cooking early on home ice
Kingston 4 vs. North Bay 1 – North Bay leads series 2-1

• The Frontenacs score three first period goals and wouldn’t look back, giving them their first win of the series on home ice
• Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Roman Schmidt scored the game-winner for the Fronts, unleashing a slap shot that got by Battalion goaltender Mike McIvor
• Ethan Miedema and Matthew Soto would also score in the first, while Paul Ludwinski iced the victory with an empty netter
• Jacob Therrien’s first OHL postseason goal was the lone tally for North Bay
• Kingston’s Jax Dubois went 15-for-22 in the faceoff circle
• Mason Vaccari made 20 saves to earn his first career OHL playoff win
• The Battalion were without goaltender Dom DiVincentiis and top scorer Anthony Romani in the loss

Game Centre & Highlights | Kingston Post-Game | North Bay Post-Game

Following a pivotal victory on home ice that tightened the series, Troy Mann joined Jordan Jackson to discuss his team's impressive performance.#DefendTheFort pic.twitter.com/0ZusTZIzzY

— Kingston Frontenacs (@KingstonFronts) April 2, 2024

Game 2: Troops blitz Frontenacs for seven goals at the Gardens
North Bay 7 vs. Kingston 3 – North Bay leads series 2-0

• The Battalion scored seven goals on 23 shots, going 3-for-7 on the power play while also scoring twice shorthanded
• Dalyn Wakely had two goals and two assists while Florida Panthers prospect Sandis Vilmanis had two goals and a helper
• Ty Nelson, Iggy Pazii, Brice Cooke and Owen Van Steensel chipped in with goals for North Bay while Justin Ertel picked up two assists
• Jacob Battaglia, Gage Heyes and Jacob Holmes scored for Kingston, who managed to outshoot North Bay 10-2 in the final frame
• Dylan Richter made his OHL playoff debut for North Bay
• Mike McIvor made 17 saves to get the win in his OHL playoff debut, replacing injured Dom DiVincentiis midway through the first period
• A Saturday crowd of 3,590 was on hand for Game 2 at the Gardens

Game Centre & Highlights | North Bay Post-Game | Kingston Post-Game

A casual four-point game for Dalyn Wakely tonight ⭐️ #OHLPlayoffs | #NBvsKGN pic.twitter.com/h6tg6crNo7

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) March 31, 2024

Game 1: Battalion execute game-plan to take early series lead
North Bay 4 vs. Kingston 2 – North Bay leads series 1-0

• Seattle Kraken prospect Ty Nelson was the game’s first star with a goal and an assist
• Anthony Romani opened the scoring before Dalyn Wakely and Justin Ertel would later join Nelson on the scoresheet
• Jacob Battaglia and Quinton Burns scored Kingston goals
• Dom DiVincentiis stopped 25-of-27 in the win opposite Mason Vaccari, who made 23 saves
• North Bay won 30 of the game’s 43 faceoffs, with Wakely going 10-for-14 and Liam Arnsby finishing 15-for-23
• A Thursday night crowd of 3,042 took in Game 1 at the Gardens

Game Centre & Highlights | North Bay Post-Game | Kingston Post-Game

Romani gets the @OHLBattalion going! 🔥

The regular season's leading goalscorer, @anthonyromani15, collects his own rebound and scores from a tight angle!#OHLPlayoffs | #NBvsKGN pic.twitter.com/Yam2EORUNC

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) March 28, 2024

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(2) North Bay Battalion (39-20-7-2) vs. (7) Kingston Frontenacs (33-31-4-0)

North Bay Series Preview | Kingston Series Preview

The North Bay Battalion are hoping the third time’s a charm.

Thwarted in the Eastern Conference Championship Series two years in a row, one of the league’s most consistently competitive franchises looks to accomplish its ultimate goal this spring with a battle-hardened group ready to embrace the challenge.

The Troops feature two of the league’s top three scorers. Anthony Romani, who no doubt has the attention of NHL clubs after leading the OHL wtih 58 goals, is joined by centreman Dalyn Wakely, who also crossed the 100-point threshold, giving the Battalion two 100-point scorers in the same lineup for the first time in franchise history. Rounding out the trio, Owen Van Steensel serves as one of the league’s top penalty killers and has shown offensive giftedness as well, finishing the season with 86 points (41-45–86).

North Bay has options beyond their lethal top line as well, one being Florida Panthers prospect Sandis Vilmanis. The Latvian winger turned out to be one of the biggest additions at the OHL trade deadline, joining the Troops to score 28 goals in his 30 games in green.

It’s time for another run.

Series Preview: https://t.co/wNN7ybRdpv pic.twitter.com/kb0qhljj9z

— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) March 27, 2024

The Battalion are backstopped by last year’s OHL Goaltender of the Year in Domenic DiVincentiis, who after a tough first half, emerged as one of the League’s top netminders in the latter, going 13-1-0-1 with a 2.52 goals-against average and .914 save percentage since February 1st.

Across the ice, the Kingston Frontenacs have forged a new identity under head coach Troy Mann, who took over at the helm in late October. The addition of veterans in key roles makes Kingston an intriguing first round matchup against North Bay.

Overage centreman Jax Dubois provides Kingston with arguably the league’s top face-off man down the middle. Hulking Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Roman Schmidt has stepped into a prominent place on the back end, wrapping up Kingston’s regular season with an overtime winner to give the Fronts their third consecutive victory in extra time.

Led by Chicago Blackhawks prospect Paul Ludwinski up front, the Frontenacs have the depth offensively to make this an interesting series. Draft eligible winger Jacob Battaglia burst onto the scene with a club-leading 31 goals this season while wingers Matthew Soto (25-31–55) and Christopher Thibodeau (21-39–60) have the speed to keep the Battalion blue line on its toes.

Mason Vaccari will need to be good in goal if this series is going to go Kingston’s way.

The puck drops on Game 1 on Thursday night at the North Bay Memorial Gardens.

"We just need to take it one step at a time, game in and game out." – Nathan Poole#DefendTheFort | @OHLHockey pic.twitter.com/xs7370UYZm

— Kingston Frontenacs (@KingstonFronts) March 27, 2024

Series Schedule:
Game 1: Thurs., March 28 – Kingston at North Bay, 7:00pm
Game 2: Sat., March 30 – Kingston at North Bay, 7:00pm
Game 3: Mon., April 1 – North Bay at Kingston, 7:00pm
Game 4: Wed., April 3 – North Bay at Kingston, 7:00pm
Game 5: Fri., April 5 – Kingston at North Bay, 7:00pm*
Game 6: Sun., April 7 – North Bay at Kingston, 2:00pm*
Game 7: Tues., April 9 – Kingston at North Bay, 7:00pm*

Season Series:
Series tied 2-2
Dec. 1 – NB 8 at KGN 6
Dec. 7 – KGN 4 at NB 3
Feb. 11 – KGN 0 at NB 9
Mar. 17 – NB 3 at KGN 4 (OT)

Playoff History:
This marks the fifth time that the Battalion and Frontenacs have met in the OHL Playoffs
– 2022 NB def. KGN 4-1 – 2nd Round / 2018 KGN def. NB 4-1 – 1st Round / 2015 NB def. KGN 4-0 – 1st Round / 2010 BRAM def. KGN 4-3 – 1st Round