The North Bay Battalion was back at home after a grueling 6 games on the road, splitting their journey with a 3-3 record.
With that said, there is nothing quite like the pop of a home crowd as the returning team took down the Owen Sound Attack 4-2 giving the 3,199 North Bay fans in attendance something to be thankful for.
Both teams have had significant roster shakeups since their last meeting. Most notably the Attack closing a blockbuster deal that saw Winnipeg Jets prospect Colby Barlow on his way to the Oshawa Generals in exchange for Tristian Delisle, David Bedkowski and a handful of picks.
On the flip side, the Battalion brought in 2023 19 th overall pick Shamar Moses and 2 picks from Barrie for overage Edmonton Oilers prospect, and 3rd in league scoring last season, Dalyn Wakely. Moses has had a significant start so far, with 1 goal and 3 assists in his first 2 games, not including the dagger in a shootout against Erie, his first appearance in the green.
To add on to all the excitement this is the first time that former assistant coach of 6 years with the Battalion, now head coach of the Attack, Scott Wray, faced off against his former club.
“Its fun.” head coach Ryan Oulahen said on playing against Wray.
“When best friends go at it the competitiveness is there for sure, and we know each other so well.”
The first period quite literally kicked off in dramatic fashion. Exactly 2 minutes in, a play to wrap the puck behind the net by a Battalion defender, was sent into a linesman’s skate, deflecting directly to Attack forward Rafik Varosyan who made short work of centring to Ben Cormier, who wired it high above Mike McIvor’s glove to put Owen Sound up 1-0.
The guys in white and green didn’t waste their first big opportunity to even up the score though, as Landen Hookey was called for Interference, sending the Battalion to their first power play. Just seconds into the man advantage a nice passing play across the blue line started by Shamar Moses to Jacob LeBlanc, then down to Jacob Therrien for the one timer, gave the Troops their first of the game and Therrien’s second goal of the season.
“It felt good, the power play was clicking tonight, it was a difference maker,” Therrien said post-game.
The second, a scoreless stanza saw the Troops and Attack effectively kill off penalty after penalty. To begin, the Battalion killed off the remainder of a penalty taken late in the first by Jacob LeBlanc.
Owen Sound would then snuff out the Battalion man advantage twice. First at 2:11 with a high stick charged to Rafik Varosyan, then just over 6 minutes later with a hold against James Petrovski.
It was now the Battalion’s turn to take back-to-back infractions, with calls against Brayden Turley and Andrew Leblanc. Again, not a goal in sight.
To close out a second period of duelling disadvantage would be Attack captain Konnor Smith, as he found himself in the sin bin for a high stick that would carry out to the third. And on this penalty the scoring dam would break wide open.
Therrien sent a pass to Jacob LeBlanc who blasted a low point shot off the pads of netminder Carter George, with Ethan Procyszyn in prime position to flip in the
backhand shot. 2-1 Battalion.
Just minutes later, on almost a mirror play Aaron Enright passed the puck up to the point, to Wyatt Kennedy this time with the low point shot, and Shamar Moses putting the puck behind George. Also, now Moses’s third multi-point game in a row. 3-1.
“A really good start to the third period,” Oulahen noted after the home win.
“Obviously some big-time goals by some big-time players.”
Owen Sound would not go quietly on the powerplay, getting their next and final goal of the game due to an odd man rush that saw Carter George give the puck to James Petrovski and slinging the puck over to Ben Cormier for his second of the game, to get the Attack to within a goal.
It’s as close as Owen Sound would get though, with Ryder Carey in on a breakaway and with a quick, decisive shot brought the game to a 4-2 final.
With this win the Battalion improves to a 5-3-0-0 record and the Attack falling to 3-4-1-0.
Their next Battalion game takes place at Memorial Gardens Thursday, October 17 against the Sarnia Sting.
