Despite a shot differential of +13 in favour of the North Bay Battalion, the Barrie Colts were victorious 5-2 on Saturday in Barrie.
For the first time since Dalyn Wakely and Shamar Moses traded addresses on October 10, North Bay and Barrie Colts met on the ice.
The Colts struck first as Parker Vaughan (4) tapped a loose puck past a sprawling Mike McIvor 8:45 into the game. Vaughan, Barrie’s first round pick, fifth overall in the 2024 OHL Priority Selection has been the subject of recent trade rumours, with the Battalion and Ottawa 67’s seemingly the front runners.
Moments after, the Colts threatened again. This time however, McIvor made a highlight reel sprawling save on a point blank tip to keep the score within one.
Eight minutes after the Vaughan goal, the Troops struck back to tie it as Nolan Laird fed Nick Wellenreiter (3) with a cross ice feed, and he beat Ben Hrebik with a clean shot.
The score was 1-1 between the two clubs after the first.
Early in the second the Colts galloped ahead. McIvor, usually a sure hand when playing the puck, went to stop the puck behind his net. The puck took a strange bounce past his stick and found Michael Derbidge (2) with a wide open net, putting Barrie up 2-1 46 seconds in.
Just under four minutes into the frame, Brad Gardiner (11) finished off a tic-tac-toe passing play from Beau Jelsma and Derbidge, beating McIvor just over his out stretched glove.
Midway through the second, Moses (8) haunted his former team. On a five-on-three, and ironically with Wakely in the box, Moses one timed a blast past Hrebik. Jacob LeBlanc picked up an assist on the play.
Continuing an action packed second, the Colts scored again. This time Barrie had the five-on-three, and Dallas Stars prospect Tristan Bertucci (4) beat McIvor from the slot. As soon as the goal went in, it looked like Bronson Ride punched Riley Patterson after a net front battle. Both players dropped the gloves for a wrestling match, and both were assessed double minor penalties for roughing.
The onslaught continued as this time Carter Lowe (9) was fed a pass in the slot, and he one timed it past McIvor.
After the dust settled on the second period, the score had ballooned to 5-2 for Barrie. That was enough for McIvor as Charlie Laroque replaced him in the Battalion net for the start of the third. McIvor had allowed five goals on 21 shots.
Early in the third, North Bay struck back. On a powerplay, Hrebik was knocked down, while Owen Van Steensel wrapped around the net. Hrebik nearly made the stop lying down, but after a lengthy review, a goal was called. However, Colts head coach Marty Williamson challenged the call for goaltender interference as Ethan Procyszyn got his stick up in the goaltender's helmet. Another lengthy review took place, and the goal was called off.
After the review, the score held to make the final 5-2 Barrie. The shots on goal were 41-28 in favour of the Battalion.
The two teams will renew acquaintances on Sunday in North Bay as the Troops will welcome Wakely back for the first time since the trade to Barrie. Puck drop from Memorial Gardens is at 2 p.m.