For 40 minutes, the Battalion played the way you want to play on the road, in the final game of the weekend. They twice had a lead, they controlled a majority of the play, and they found themselves tied as the third period began.
But the 67s came out as the more aggressive team in the final 20 and they managed to pull away with a 6-3 win at home, handing the Battalion their second straight loss, dropping the Troops to 28-18-6-2. Coupled with the Sudbury Wolves win over the Guelph Storm, the Battalion are now six points behind the Central Division and Eastern Conference lead.
The Battalion haven’t lost back-to-back games in regulation since December 13th and 15th in losses at home to Sault Ste. Marie and on the road in Erie.
After the Battalion scored early on in the first and second period, it was the Ottawa 67’s scoring an early goal in the third period to get their first lead of the game.
Henry Mews (10) finished off a wild sequence that saw Battalion goaltender Mike McIvor make two huge saves, but the last sent a rebound to his glove side that Mews found and put into an almost empty net, after McIvor came outside the crease to make the initial saves. The goal at 1:40 put the Battalion into a one goal deficit – which quickly jumped up to a two goal deficit less than a minute later.
Brady Stonehouse (15) snuck in a wrap around that just squeaked under the pads of McIvor at 2:37 and the 67s suddenly led 4-2 in the third.
The Battalion where trying to play comeback for the second straight night and it was Andrew LeBlanc, after a video, who was able to cut the lead to 4-3 with his 13th goal of the season. LeBlanc attempted a wrap around of his own and the puck not only went under the pads of 67’s goaltender Ian Michelone, but it actually went under the net and game out on the opposite side. It happened so fast that play continued momentarily until the officiating staff looked at the play again, and after the review, deemed it was a good goal.
The Troops received a late power play opportunity at 17:13, but couldn’t convert on the man advantage, and with the goaltender pulled, the 67’s scored twice into an empty net.
The Battalion got the jump on the 67s to begin the game.
One day after earning high praise from Head Coach Ryan Oulahen, Ihnat Pazii came through for the team to give them an early lead. Pazii blocked a shot at the blue line and followed the ricochet down the ice. He picked it up in the neutral zone and kept rushing in on a breakaway shooting the puck stick side to get the games opening tally at 2:26.
Following Sunday’s loss to Saginaw, Oulahen said he’s been happy with the work of Pazii and Brice Cooke in depth roles after the pair combined for a goal in the third against the Spirit.
Late in the first, Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Luca Pinelli (39) slapped a bouncing puck towards the net off the face-off and it handcuffed the Battalion net-minder McIvor, tying the game 1-1 at 15:31.
The Battalion came out of the gates quickly again in the second period and promptly peppered 67’s goaltender Michelone with several shots. Michelone made a couple of big stops, but his team couldn’t get control of the puck in front of him before Dalyn Wakely banged in one of the rebounds for his 28th goal of the season and a 2-1 North Bay lead at 1:26. That’s the 160th point of Wakely’s career and he’s nearing an 80-point season for the first time in his OHL career.
The 67s responded again when Pinelli got a pass in the slot and he dropped down to one knee to send a blast towards McIvor that the North Bay netminder could not stop. Pinelli’s 40th of the season tied the game 2-2 at 14:16. Pinelli has been a thorn in the side of the Troops in their head-to-head matchups this season. Monday afternoon was the third this year he’s had a two-goal game against North Bay. He’s put in 10 points in six games against the Troops.
McIvor was making his first career start against the 67s, while Michelone took the loss in the start for Ottawa during North Bay’s 3-2 win on February 16th.
The 67s outshot North Bay 39-26. The Battalion got the only power plays of the game but went 0/2 on those chances. The game was played in front of 5117 fans at TD Place in Ottawa. The Battalion remain on the road for their next three games, with visits to Saginaw, Flint and Sarnia this weekend. Their next home game is February 29th when they host Sarnia.
