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OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion Must Bear Down

December 12, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - The North Bay Battalion plays its last home game before the Ontario Hockey League's Christmas break when the Soo Greyhounds visit at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

It's the annual The Brick Teddy Bear Toss Night, when fans are invited to flood the ice with plush toys after the first Battalion goal.

North Bay, with a won-lost-extended record of 14-10-5 for 33 points, is tied for second place in the Central Division with the Sudbury Wolves, who hold a game in hand. Both are three points behind the Mississauga Steelheads, who have played the same number of games as Sudbury.

Soo is 20-8-2 for 42 points atop the West Division. The Battalion has won both previous meetings this season, 5-3 at home Nov. 9 and 5-4 in overtime Nov. 17 at Sault Ste. Marie.

The Battalion will be without Ty Nelson and goaltender Dom DiVincentiis, who are at the Canadian national team's selection camp at Oakville, Ont., in advance of the World Junior Championship scheduled Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 at Gothenburg, Sweden.

"There should be some excitement in our room, that's kind of the way I would view it, where other guys are going to get an opportunity here now, and other guys should relish those moments and hopefully what you see is an excited group, a group that's going to compete, a group that's going to do it by committee," Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen said Tuesday.

"That's what you're going to need playing the Soo Greyhounds. They're in a similar situation. They've got a couple of guys missing for the world juniors as well.

"Obviously, they're one of the top teams in the league and a really, really strong team as of late and, I was just looking, a very impressive team on the road. I think they're the No. 1 team right now in terms of points percentage on the road, so that means we're going to have to be ready and we're going to have to bring our best here."

The Greyhounds, who have won their last four games, are 8-1-2 in their last 11 outings and 11-4-1 for 23 points on the road. The 11 wins and 23 points lead the league, while the road points percentage of .719 actually is third, behind the Owen Sound Attack at .733 and the Peterborough Petes at .731.

The Battalion's Anthony Romani is fourth in the OHL scoring race behind three Kitchener Rangers. Romani has a team-high 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points in 29 games, putting him in a tie for second in the league in goals with Nick Lardis of the Brantford Bulldogs. Kitchener's Carson Rehkopf leads with 31.

Romani is on a six-game points streak during which he has five goals and nine assists for 14 points.

Dalyn Wakely has 12 goals and a team-high 27 assists for 39 points, while Owen Van Steensel has scored 15 goals and earned 20 assists for 35 points, both in 29 games.

Nelson has 12 goals and 19 assists for 31 points in 28 games, and Justin Ertel has scored 11 goals and added 17 assists for 28 points in as many games.

Jack Beck paces the Greyhounds with 11 goals and a team-leading 25 assists for 36 points in 30 games.

Arttu Karki, who's with Finland's entry for the world juniors, has a team-best 16 goals and 14 assists for 30 points in 30 games, tied with Owen Allard, who has 14 goals and 16 assists in 29 games. Allard joined Nelson and DiVincentiis at the Canadian selection camp.

Also at 30 points are Bryce McConnell-Barker, from 12 goals and 18 assists, and Marco Mignosa, from 11 goals and 19 assists, both in 30 games.

The Troops, who won 5-3 last Friday night at Mississauga in their most recent game, complete their pre-holiday schedule with visits to the Erie Otters on Friday night and the Niagara IceDogs on Saturday night.

Brickley Bears, destined for charities in need, will be sold at the Soo game for $20, with proceeds donated to the Children's Miracle Network. In addition, for every bear sold, The Brick North Bay will donate $10 to the North Bay Santa Fund.

Fans may bring bears acquired elsewhere if they're wrapped in cellophane or placed in a plastic bag.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from December 12, 2023


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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