It may have been a pre-season game, but there’s certainly been no love lost between these two teams who have battled each other at the top of the Eastern Conference over the past few seasons. The Battalion beat Ottawa in four straight games in the first round of the 2022 post-season. They didn’t meet in the playoffs in 2023, but they battled for that top spot in the Eastern Conference all season, which Ottawa claimed when it was all said and done. They also had some great battles throughout the year in 2023-2024, and now with the 2024-2025 season on the horizon, the Battalion paid a visit to the nations capital to take on the Ottawa 67’s on Friday evening, for the second time in this preseason schedule.
Earlier this month on September 6, the 67’s downed the Troops 5-0 at Memorial Gardens in their first pre-season game, and it was North Bay’s turn to exact some pay back with a 4-0 win in Ottawa.
If the Battalion are going to stay at the top of the conference and battle for the Central Division crown again, they are going to need performances like this all season long from players who mostly played secondary roles the last two years, but have an opening to become more prominent figures this season.
“We have a lot of guys leaving the team, but we also have a lot of younger guys stepping up. Guys who have been here for a couple of years that have been under the radar, and who are looking to have big years, and I think we’re going to have good results this year,” says Jacob Therrien, a third-year forward who hasn’t looked out of place at all so far in the preseason while getting big time minutes. He stepped up once again for the Battalion in this one, finishing with a goal and an assist.
Therrien’s goal came in the second period, in timely fashion. With the Troops up 2-0 after the first twenty minutes, the 67’s jumped all over the Troops out of the gate in the second period, and after a long stance inside the defensive zone, the Troops wound up taking a penalty, with Therrien sent to the box for cross-checking. The 67’s got a couple of really good chances on the man advantage but Goaltender Charlie Laroque was up for the challenge, turning those chances aside, and clearing away the rebounds with efficiency.
Despite spending the majority of the remaining time in the period in their own end, it was the Battalion coming through at 16:28, when Ottawa couldn’t hold the puck in the neutral zone and Wyatt Kennedy sent it up to Therrien at the blue line. He raced in on the far side and wired a shot that got by Jaeden Nelson (who came into the game half-way through the second period). Therrien’s first of the preseason was just part of the process that made him so effective in this game against Ottawa. After a 20-goal campaign a year ago, Therrien told Rogers TV that this season he’s looking to contribute more on the scoreboard. Therrien said, “I’m looking forward to playing a bigger role offensively and just take those opportunities to put the puck in the net.”
Ihnat Pazii (1) opening the scoring with a great individual effort near the end of the first period. At 18:02 he carried the puck down the far side boards, then cut past a defender, and moved into the slot. With some traffic in front of the net, Pazii flipped a backhanded shot towards the net and it sailed over the shoulder of the goaltender to make it 1-0 for the visiting side. Nolan Laid and Brayden Turley picked up assists on the play.
Less than a minute later the Battalion pounced on a turnover, started by Jacob Therrien in the neutral zone, who snuck the puck by a couple Ottawa players, then broke in on the net from the near side. He got to the top of the crease, but 67’s goaltender Ian Michelone made a poke check that knocked the puck off Therrien’s stick.
However, Michelone poked it off Therrien’s stick and onto the stick of Owen Van Steensel who ripped a shot at Michelone, who made an athletic block, but the rebound went to his right and standing there waiting was Stepan Chukharev who redirected the puck over Michelone and put the Battalion ahead 2-0. It’s the first goal of the preseason for Chukharev who is being looked at, as a legit scoring depth option for the team this season. The 17-year-old was a fifth-round pick in the 2023 priority selection out of the Vaughn Kings U16s program, which got to the OHL Cup Championship final that same season. He played last season with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens U18s, scoring 15 goals and adding 11 assists for 26 points in 37 games. Van Steensel and Therrien recorded assists on the play.
Therrien was interviewed after the period by Rogers TV and he said, “I think that was a good opening twenty minutes for us, we really got our feet under us. It was a long road trip today so it was good to get those two goals.”
Between Therrien, Chukharev, and Pazii, those are some names that will make the Battalion brass happy to see on the scoresheet more often than not. But those weren’t the only contributors as Reyth Smith, who spent most of last season being incredibly productive with the Powassan Voodoos (27G-26A-53PTS), also picked up a goal, scoring at 10:19 of the third period to effectively seal the victory.
Another big factor that will hinge on the success of this season is the tandem in net. While Mike McIvor will look to replicate his post-season success over the course of a full year (an extended stay with the Anaheim Ducks will certainly do wonders for his confidence) the guy who will back him up will also need to be relied upon, and so far, Larocque has been solid. Through 80 minutes of play this preseason, Larocque has turned aside 28 of 29 pucks that have come his way, including all19 against Ottawa.
“I made the saves when I had to, but I credit the team in front of me, they got sticks on pucks and got their bodies in front of a lot of shots, so I give a lot of credit to them,” Larocque told Rogers TV after the game.
The Kanata, Ontario native who played with the Carleton Place Jr. Canadians last year posted a 2.27 GAA and .929 save percentage in 23 games. He said, “It’s always nice to come home and play well. I had a really fun year last year; I give my coaches and my teammates a lot of credit for helping me get ready for this level.”
The Battalion have one more preseason game before the season begins. They will head to Owen Sound on Sunday to play the Attack at 2 p.m. The regular season opens at home on Friday, September 27th when the Battalion hosts Peterborough.
