Series HQ: North Bay vs. Sudbury
Game 4: McIvor flawless as Troops topple Wolves
North Bay 5 at Sudbury 0 – North Bay wins series 4-0
- Florida Panthers prospect Sandis Vilmanis scored 28 seconds into the first period en route to a hat-trick along with an assist
- Dalyn Wakely scored his 10th and 11th goals of the postseason to sit atop the league lead
- Dallas Stars prospect Justin Ertel finished the night with three assists
- Mike McIvor stopped all 36 shots he faced for his first career OHL playoff shutout
- The Battalion won despite being outshot 36-21
- Quentin Musty was out of the Sudbury lineup
- Nolan Jackson made his OHL playoff debut for Sudbury
- Sudbury overagers Landon McCallum, Andre Anania and Zacharie Giroux played in their final OHL contest
- The Wolves exit the OHL Playoffs in the second round following a 38-23-4-3 regular season
- North Bay advances to the Eastern Conference Championship Series for a third straight year
Game Centre & Highlights | North Bay Post-Game | Sudbury Post-Game
🤝 @Sudbury_Wolves pic.twitter.com/NaqPOaUpRF
— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) April 19, 2024
Game 3: Battalion dig deep in comeback win
North Bay 6 at Sudbury 5 (OT) – North Bay leads series 3-0
- Trailing 5-2, the Battalion responded with three consecutive third period goals before Dalyn Wakely’s second of the game was the winner in overtime
- Owen Van Steensel finished with a goal and two assists, setting up Wakely for the deciding goal
- Ihnat Pazii, Justin Ertel and Ethan Procyszyn also scored for the Troops, who went 2-for-2 on the power play to Sudbury’s 1-for-7
- Mike McIvor stopped 41-of-46 for third star honours, backstopping the Battalion to victory despite being outshot 46-34
- 2024 NHL Draft prospect Nathan Villeneuve scored twice for the Wolves while other goals came from Dalibor Dvorsky, Chase Coughlan and Zacharie Giroux
- Sudbury outshot North Bay 22-7 through 40 minutes; the Battalion didn’t record a single shot in the second frame
- Jakub Vondras returned to the Sudbury crease for the first time since Apr. 3rd
- A Tuesday crowd of 4,621 took in Game 3 at the Sudbury Arena
Game Centre & Highlights | North Bay Post-Game
DALYN WAKELY THE OT HERO pic.twitter.com/8O64hpHnCN
— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) April 17, 2024
Game 2: McIvor excellent again in front of sold-out Gardens
North Bay 5 vs. Sudbury 1 – North Bay leads series 2-0
- Mike McIvor stopped 35-of-36 shots to lead the Troops to a 2-0 series lead as the series shifts to Sudbury
- Sandis Vilmanis and Jacob Therrien kicked off the scoring in the first period, each scoring their second of the post season
- Justin Ertel and Ihnat Pazii scored 79 seconds apart to give the Battalion a commanding 4-0 lead
- Owen Van Steensel added an exclamation point with an empty net from the other end with just over six minutes remaining
- Detroit Red Wings prospect Tnias Mathurin tallied two assists for North Bay
- Kocha Delic ended McIvor’s bid for a shutout with 4:03 remaining in the game
- Sudbury outshot North Bay 36-to-30
- A Saturday night crowd of 4,226 packed the Gardens
Them boys got the Gardens GOING pic.twitter.com/hLDHb2Auwz
— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) April 14, 2024
Game 1: LeBlanc, McIvor lead Troops over Wolves
North Bay 5 vs. Sudbury 2 – North Bay leads series 1-0
- Andrew LeBlanc scored twice and added an assist; he netted the game-winning goal with 3:55 left in the second period, the first of three unanswered from North Bay
- Rookie goaltender Mike McIvor made 27 saves, several of the highlight reel variety in the win
- 2024 NHL Draft prospect Ethan Procyszyn recorded a goal and an assist
- Justin Ertel and Dalyn Wakely provided other North Bay goals, while Ihnat Pazii picked up two assists
- Quentin Musty had a goal and an assist for Sudbury, joining David Goyette in the goal-scoring department
- Jakub Vondras remained out of the Sudbury lineup as Marcus Vandenberg made 22 saves in the loss
- A crowd of 3,792 took in Game 1 at the Gardens
Game Centre & Highlights | North Bay Post-Game
ONE DOWN NB
See you Saturday Night 🫡 pic.twitter.com/F5YjL6puce
— North Bay Battalion (@OHLBattalion) April 12, 2024
(2) North Bay Battalion (39-20-7-2) vs. (5) Sudbury Wolves (38-23-4-3)
A long-anticipated playoff series in Northern Ontario sees North Bay and Sudbury meet in the OHL Playoffs for the first time since 1992. Interesting fact: Ken MacKenzie was the head coach of the Sudbury Wolves for that second round series, one North Bay went on to sweep in four games. The Centennials, who featured current Wolves defence consultant Drake Berehowsky on the blueline, would lose to the Soo Greyhounds in Game 7 of the OHL Championship Final that spring.
Fast forward 32 years, and Ken MacKenzie is the head coach of the Sudbury Wolves, a squad that, like its 1992 predecessor who featured the likes of eventual NHLers in Glen Murray, Derek Armstrong and Brandon Convery, has some guys that can put the puck in the net.
Sudbury comes off a five-game series triumph over a higher-seeded Mississauga Steelheads squad. The Wolves did what they do best in the first round: score goals. Sudbury scored five or more in three of their four victories against the Steelheads, with OHL regular season scoring champion David Goyette leading the way offensively with nine points (4-5–9).
Sporting a lineup loaded with big names in San Jose Sharks first round pick Quentin Musty and St. Louis Blues first round sharpshooter Dalibor Dvorsky, the Wolves are hungry for a shot at North Bay starting Thursday night at the Gardens.
The Central Division champion Battalion knocked-off the Kingston Frontenacs in five games, but came out of the first round series with some significant losses as starting goaltender Dom DiVincentiis and leading goal-scorer Anthony Romani both went down with injuries. Captain Liam Arnsby was assessed a six-game suspension in Game 4 of the opening round as he enters this series against Sudbury with five games yet to serve.
“I don’t know if it’s, say, pressure on you but, when you know you don’t have certain players in the lineup as a coach, you have to move players around,” Battalion head coach Ryan Oulahen told North Bay media on Wednesday.
“There are a lot of different things that I’m kind of going into the game with a plan, but also ad-libbing in terms of who’s bringing it on that particular night. So looking forward to the challenge.”
Rookie netminder Mike McIvor has stepped-in and played well or the Battalion, winning three of his four first round starts. Third-year centreman Dalyn Wakely sits tied for the OHL playoff lead in goals with six, piling up 10 points over five games.
The series presents a big opportunity for this Battalion group that sports a few veteran names that have made two prior trips to the Eastern Conference Championship Series in veterans like Wakely, blueliners Ty Nelson and Tnias Mathurin and winger Owen Van Steensel.
North Bay and Sudbury’s season series was closely matched, with some high scoring outcomes along the way. Goyette led the way for Sudbury against the Battalion, recording 11 points (6-5–11) in eight games while Dallas Stars prospect Justin Ertel was among North Bay’s most productive players against Sudbury, registering 12 points (4-8–12) in eight regular season encounters.
The Wolves and the Battalion haven’t met in the OHL Playoffs since Sudbury ended the Battalion’s tenure in Brampton on March 29, 2013, winning Game 5 of their first round series by a score of 1-0 in overtime on a deciding goal by Evan de Haan.
Tickets for this series will likely move fast! If you can’t make it to the rink, you can always catch the series streaming on OHL Live.
For the first time since 1992, we’ve got a Highway 17 playoff battle between North Bay and Sudbury!#OHLPlayoffs | #NBvsSBY pic.twitter.com/OeKX8963Rt
— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 8, 2024
Series Schedule:
Game 1 – Thursday, April 11th at North Bay, 7:00pm
Game 2 – Saturday, April 13th at North Bay, 7:00pm
Game 3 – Tuesday, April 16th at Sudbury, 7:05pm
Game 4 – Thursday, April 18th at Sudbury, 7:05pm
Game 5 – Saturday, April 20th at North Bay, 7:00pm*
Game 6 – Monday, April 22nd at Sudbury, 7:05pm*
Game 7 – Tuesday, April 23rd at North Bay, 7:00pm*
*- if necessary
Season Series:
Each team won four games
Oct. 1 – NB 2 at SBY 1
Oct. 29 – SBY 4 at NB 5
Nov. 1 – NB 4 at SBY 5 (OT)
Nov. 19 – SBY 6 at NB 7
Dec. 29 – NB 4 at SBY 8
Jan. 25 – SBY 5 at NB 4 (SO)
Jan. 26 – NB 4 at SBY 5 (OT)
Mar. 10 – SBY 2 at NB 4
Playoff History:
This marks the fourth time the Wolves and Battalion have met in the OHL Playoffs. The Wolves and North Bay Centennials met in the second round of the 1992 playoffs, with North Bay prevailing in four games
– 2013 SBY def. BRAM 4-1 – 1st Round / 2012 BRAM def. SBY 4-0 – 1st Round / 2005 SBY def. BRAM 4-2 – 1st Round
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