A two goal effort by Marek Vanacker proved to be the difference Thursday as the North Bay Battalion fell 3-2 to the visiting Brantford Bulldogs.
“Just a poor third period,” stated a frustrated head coach Ryan Oulahen. “I didn’t like it. Costly. This is a big game, and I thought, especially going into the third with the lead and doing a pretty decent job in the second to set ourselves up, just can’t make those mistakes.
“At this time of year, we have to all be pulling in the same direction and know our assignments, and it ended up costing us. I thought we had trouble sustaining the really good moments in the hockey game. Maybe a different feel coming from an emotional one in our last game against Sudbury. I felt there wasn’t that same kind of emotion to sustain the play and I think we let them off the hook time, and time again. Mike (McIvor) can only make so many saves, and they end up cashing in.”
While the Battalion had the first real good scoring chance (a misplay by Bulldogs netminder Ryerson Leenders nearly leading to a wide open goal for the Troops), Brantford put a dent on the scoreboard first. Seconds after the Battalion chance, Nick Lardis tapped the puck past Mike McIvor after a cross ice pass from Patrick Thomas just over four minutes in. For Lardis, the former Peterborough Pete has 42 goals in just 45 games played this season.
The Troops got it back just under eight minutes later. Briir Long (3) had one of his best shifts in green yet, as the former Bulldog carried the puck into Brantford territory, losing it momentarily, before winning it back and fired it past Leenders. The shot was the text book definition of “bardown” and a video clip of it should be placed in a dictionary beside the term, as the puck hit the crossbar before crossing the goal line.
The score after the first period was knotted at 1-1.
Just over a minute into the second, one of the most exciting and young members of the Battalion struck. Parker Vaughan (6) received a pass from Andrew LeBlanc in the slot, and his shot was wired past Leenders for the lead.
Just over the halfway point in the second, McIvor made arguably one of the best saves a Battalion netminder has made. On a break down defensively for North Bay, a Bulldog player found himself in alone. With a deke being made, McIvor went down, but slid to follow the puck to his glove side, eventually making the catch with his glove while down on the ice to keep it a one goal game for North Bay.
Thanks in part to that save a few others, North Bay led 2-1 after 40 minutes of play.
To start the third, McIvor made another herculean save, but it wasn’t enough. Seconds later Luca Testa found Vanacker (9) on the doorstep, and while “Cash Money” McIvor gave it everything, there was nothing he could do as Brantford tied the game 2-2.
Later in the period Vanacker added his 10th of the year to make the final 3-2.
Leenders finished with 32 saves in the victory, while McIvor made some 10 bell saves and finished with 25 in the loss.
“He played great,” Oulahen said on McIvor. “He gives us a chance every single night. Never quits on plays. We know the type of offence they like to create are backdoor plays and that’s when he’s at his best and on his toes, and he made some really nice saves tonight.”
The Troops are back in action tomorrow night for a rematch against the Sudbury Wolves in the Nickel City. The Wolves have been dormant since Sunday’s game in North Bay in which the Battalion won 3-2.
For Oulahen, the plan is to move on quick and get ready for the rivalry tomorrow.
“Flush this one real quick. Sudbury’s been waiting for us all week now, so they’re going to be ready. We’re going to have to go in and play a really good game on the road.”
Puck drop from Sudbury is at 7 p.m.