The North Bay Battalion beefed up their goaltending depth by signing 2006 birth year goaltender Jack Lisson.
The Oakville, Ontario product was playing for the West Kelowna Warriors of the independent BCHL this season posting a 2.98 goals-against average, a .907 save percentage, one shutout, and a record of 2-3-3.
Lisson has familiarity with the organization as he was a Battalion 15th-round pick in the 2022 OHL Priority Selection from the Oakville Rangers.
“Jack is someone we felt was ready to play in our league a few years ago,” said Adam Dennis, president and director of hockey operations in a release.
“We’ve continued to monitor his progress and feel he’ll solidify the goaltending and help support the great work Mike has done thus far."
Lisson, who signed a scholarship and development agreement on New Year's Day, will be backing up Mike McIvor as the Troops host the Petes at Memorial Gardens tonight.
Charlie Larocque, who played in a 5-2 loss Tuesday to the visiting Kitchener Rangers, will practice with the Troops and play a number of games with the junior B Carleton Place Jr. Canadians of the Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
“What this also does is give us a chance to hone in on a few things with Charlie in practice and allow him to continue getting starts on a conditioning basis with his former team in Carleton Place," said Dennis about Larocque who has lost his last five starts.
"Goaltending has been a strength of this organization for some time, and with these three young men we expect that trend will continue.”
Hockey Canada has approved Lisson’s return to sanctioned play, and the Battalion has secured his rights from the junior A Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League for a development fee. He played 43 games with Wellington over two seasons before joining West Kelowna on Oct. 23.
Lisson is the second former BCHL performer to join the Battalion, after Nick Wellenreiter, who played early this season for the Coquitlam Express. The BCHL withdrew from Hockey Canada effective June 1, 2023, to be able to recruit across the country.
The move will also take the heavy load off the shoulders of young Battalion star netminder Mike McIvor.
In 22 games, McIvor has a 3.11 GAA, a .906 save percentage, one shutout, and a record of 10-8-2. In 15 games, Larocque has a GAA of 4.72 and a save percentage of .842 while going 3-10-0. Carter Nadon, in one appearance, has a 4.97 GAA, a .865 save percentage, and a record of 0-0-1.
Taking on the Petes
The North Bay Battalion continues a heavy slate of games as the Peterborough Petes visit the Troops.
The Thursday home contest will be the Troop's fourth of five Ontario Hockey League contests in a seven-day span.
At the halfway mark of its schedule, North Bay has a won-lost-extended record of 13-18-3 for 29 points, ninth in the Eastern Conference, while Peterborough, 7-22-6 for 20 points, is 10th and last. Each team is fifth in its division, the Central and East respectively.
With the Troops riding a season-high six-game losing streak, Battalion Head Coach Ryan Oulahen says they cannot take the Petes lightly.
“If you look at their last 15 or 20 games, they’re right there with every team,” Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen said Wednesday of the Petes. “The games that they’re losing are kind of one-goal games. It’s tough; it’s a grind.
“They’re one of those teams that are very structurally sound, and you’ve got to go out and earn things because they’re not going to give things up for free. It’s going to be a tough opponent here tomorrow, and hopefully, we can get things going in the right direction.”
The Battalion completes play this week with a Friday night visit to the Sudbury Wolves.
