With just nine games remaining on the schedule the push is on for the Battalion to pick up as many points as they can to not only secure home ice in at least the first round of the post-season, but they also have their eyes on the prize of a third straight Central Division title. Every game takes on so much meaning at this time of the year, even when they are against opponents from the opposite conference who are at the opposite end of the standings. North Bay welcomed in the Windsor Spitfires to Memorial Gardens on Thursday evening, a team who is dead last in the West and has the second least amount of points in the entire Ontario Hockey League. Despite the discrepancies in the two teams win columns heading into the game Battalion Head Coach Ryan Oulahen said they felt they were in for a tough match up.
“They are a good, dangerous hockey team over there. Exactly what I was expecting. They have a lot of talent and we gave up some grade A chances along the way and (Goaltender) Dom (DiVincentiis) had to be really good tonight.”
The kudos was well warranted for a Spitfires team that did not let up – but were behind the eightball almost from the get-go as the Battalion blasted the Spitfires 7-2, mostly on the strength of four goals in the first 20 minutes.
“I think the biggest thing was that we finished our chances. To be honest, I didn’t love our first half. But we really got to it as the game went on,” says Oulahen.
The Battalion (32-19-6-2) opened the scoring just under five minutes into the first period after a terrific effort by Sandis Vilmanis to set himself up for his 30th off the season. Captain Liam Arnsby chipped the puck out of the Battalion zone up to the stick of Vilmanis who rushed through the neutral zone and had Justin Ertel skating with him for a 2-on-1 toward the Spitfires net. Vilmanis fed it across the line to Ertel who took it to the net before dishing it back to Vilmanis for the redirection past the Spitfire goaltender.
It wouldn’t take long for the Troops to add to their lead. The top line for the Troops continued to roll as they have been all season long. Dalyn Wakely walked out from behind the net into the slot untouched and rifled a backhanded shot over the glove side of the goaltender Costanzo and gave North Bay a 2-0 lead on Wakely’s 35th goal of the season. That gives Wakely eight goals in his last seven games, while linemate Owen Van Steensel picked up his 41st assist on the year and defender Wyatt Kennedy had a secondary assist on the play at 8:02.
The true highlight of the period and perhaps the entire game came just over a minute later at 9:34 when defenceman Tnias Mathurin, back in the lineup after missing the last two games, scored a highlight reel goal that will easily get consideration for as a candidate for goal of the week. With the Battalion on the penalty kill Ertel got the puck out of the zone and up ahead to Mathurin who went in on a breakaway, dragged the puck to his right side and then put the puck between his own legs and lifted the shot over the sprawling goaltender.
The goal gave the Battalion a 3-0 lead and brought the Memorial Gardens crowd to their feet in recognition of the brilliant innovative move that was reminiscent of New York Rangers defender Marek Malik’s goal in 2005 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpjOuVxsRxo )
“That was impressive,” says Oulahen. “I didn’t realize he actually went through his legs until I saw the replay. He is such a talented athlete. Beautiful goal.”
The Windsor Spitfires were doing what they could to respond and created some chances including an opportunity off a turnover where they ended up with a three-on-none in the slot but they shot quickly and it rang high off the glove side post behind Battalion goaltender DiVincentiis (22-9-3-1-1). The shots were just 13-12 in favour of the Battalion after 20 minutes, but four of their goals went in, including Van Steensel’s 34th of the year at 17:18. The Troops were on the power play and Van Steensel was set up in the far-side circle waiting for the pass. The puck was flipped to him by Andrew LeBlanc and Van Steensel blasted a shot that Costanza had no chance on stopping to make it 4-0 North Bay.
It was Anthony Romani’s turn to get on the scoresheet in the second. Taking a pass from DiVincentiis down the right wing side, Romani went into faceoff circle and shot across his body, high blocker side to put the Battalion ahead 5-0 on his 48th goal of the season at 12:43. It’s also the second assist of the season for the goaltender DiVincentiis.
Windsor got on the board near the end of the second period. The teams leading scorer Liam Greentree sent the puck to the front of the net where a wide-open AJ Spellacy (17) deflected it under the pads of DiVincentiis at 17:00.
After Ty Nelson (14) scored on the power play at 1:33 in the third, Romani was back on the board at 11:18 with his 49th of the season and he is approaching a hallowed mark in Battalion goal scoring history. With his next goal he joins Mike Amadio (50 in 2015/16) and Justin Brazeau (61 in 2018/19) as the only Battalion players to score 50 in a season including the North Bay and Brampton iterations of the franchise.
Oulahen was an assistant coach during Amadio’s time with the team and says, “They are a little bit similar in the way they handle the puck and the way they shoot it. Romani is also a year younger than when Amadio did it and the sky is the limit for him. He’s so talented and so smart and just loves the game and we love coaching him.”
Windsor added a goal at 14:08 when Ryan Struthers (1), the brother of former Battalion Matthew Struthers, roofed a shot over the shoulder of DiVincentiis, making the score 7-2 in favour of the Battalion.
The Battalion went 3/3 on the Power Play and 4/4 on the Penalty Kill in front of 3252 at Memorial Gardens.
With big divisional games on the horizon this week, the Battalion had to make sure they weren’t going to look past the Spitfires, something Oulahen preached throughout the game planning leading up to Thursday nights matchup.
“We watched a lot of video on these guys believe it or not, just to make sure that we were aware of how dangerous they are. We had to be sharpe and our mentality is one day at a time.”
Now the Battalion can look to that next game, a Saturday night meeting in Barrie against the Colts. The Battalion are 2-2-0-0 against Barrie this season splitting the home and road games evenly.
