The North Bay Battalion headed out on the longest road trip in franchise history Wednesday when it boarded the bus for a swing through the western portions of the Ontario Hockey League.
The Battalion faces the Saginaw Spirit at 7:05 p.m. tonight to open a four-game trek that completes a season-high run of six away games.
The Troops visit the Flint Firebirds on Friday night, the Sarnia Sting on Sunday, and the Soo Greyhounds on Tuesday night in a game rescheduled from Nov. 29 because of a snowstorm.
The Battalion has won its last three games, matching a season high for consecutive victories, having doubled the visiting Brampton Steelheads 4-2 last Thursday night before defeating the host Barrie Colts 5-4 via shootout Saturday night and posting a 3-2 road verdict Monday over the Ottawa 67’s.
North Bay has a won-lost-extended record of 21-27-4 for 46 points, fifth in the Central Division and eighth in the Eastern Conference, two points ahead of Ottawa and holding three games in hand over the East Division club.
The conference’s eighth and final playoff berth cannot be decided mathematically, such considerations deciding only home ice for a tiebreaker playoff game before conference quarterfinals open. The first criterion is regulation and overtime wins, discounting victories via shootout, with the Troops having an 18-16 lead.
“This is a trip where you love to see that Saturday, kind of a recovery day, so to speak,” coach Ryan Oulahen said minutes before the Battalion bus departed Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.
“It’s a tough trip when you go three in three, which we’ve done in the past, so having a Saturday recovery day is massive. Add in the Soo trip at the end of it, after a bit of a recovery day as well, I mean, it is what it is. It’s not perfect, but we had to make up that game somewhere, and this was probably the best place to do it.”
Oulahen suggested his team benefited last week from the first extensive practice schedule - something they haven't been able to do in quite some time.
He believes he can "fix" some issues of concern with that extra time.
“We didn’t make those glaring errors last weekend that we had the previous weekend, and those are just things that you’re able to tinker and get back on track during practice.
“Now this week is completely opposite because we haven’t had time. We’re going to have to jump on the bus here early to head to Saginaw, so you’re hoping that the weekend of games is going to carry over to this weekend.”
That said, Oulahen noted, the Troops look ready for the test.
“You just hear the room, the energy. I think this is exactly how the guys would draw it up. They love life right now.”
Saginaw, 31-21-2 for 64 points, second in the West Division and fourth in the Western Conference, has won its last five games and is 8-1-0 in its last nine. The Spirit’s most recent loss was a 4-2 road setback Feb. 7 to the Brantford Bulldogs.
Saginaw, which has scored a league-high 257 goals, or 4.76 per game, is led offensively by Michael Misa, who has 52 goals and 56 assists for 108 points in 51 games. Goaltender Kaleb Papineau, played for the North Bay U16 AAA Trappers in 2021-22 when he was drafted in the spring of 2022 by the Spirit.