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OHL North Bay Battalion

Battalion Preps for Three

October 25, 2023 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


NORTH BAY, Ont. - After a pair of two-game weeks, the North Bay Battalion returns to action in earnest when the Guelph Storm visits Memorial Gardens at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The Battalion completes the week by visiting the Brantford Bulldogs on Friday night and entertaining the Sudbury Wolves on Sunday.

North Bay has a won-lost-extended record of 5-3-2 for 12 points, tied with Sudbury for second place in the Ontario Hockey League's Central Division. Guelph is 6-3-0 for 12 points, third in the Midwest Division.

Overager Braeden Bowman leads the Storm in scoring with three goals and a team-high six assists for nine points, while fellow right winger Charlie Paquette has a team-leading five goals and three assists for eight points, the same number as defenceman Michael Buchinger, who has three goals and five assists. All have played nine games.

"They're a team that's showing that they're very stingy defensively, probably leading in that regard, and they've got some offensive weapons, so it's going to be two teams that kind of want to go about it the same type of way in terms of how they want to play," Battalion coach Ryan Oulahen said Wednesday of Guelph.

Overage defenceman Brayden Hislop, whom the Battalion traded to Guelph on Aug. 3 for three OHL Priority Selection picks, two of them conditional, has two assists for as many points in nine games.

"He made a good impact for us," Oulahen noted of Hislop, who was acquired from the Saginaw Spirit with left winger Josh Bloom last Nov. 16.

"He wasn't here a long time, but it seemed like he was. A lot of people don't see the things that are behind the scenes in terms of the teammate he was, the competitor he was, such a big part of our run last year, so we wish him really good luck in 66 games this year, but the two against us hopefully we do okay."

Guelph goaltender Braedyn Gillespie leads the OHL in goals-against average at 1.88 and ranks second in save percentage at .933. He's in a logjam at five wins with, among others, the Battalion's Dom DiVincentiis.

North Bay split its two games last week, showing offensive flair in a 6-4 home-ice victory Sunday over the Flint Firebirds after losing 7-6 Thursday night to the visiting Mississauga Steelheads.

The scoring eruption saw right winger Anthony Romani net five goals and add one assist in the two games to earn recognition as the OHL Player of the Week, while his centre, Dalyn Wakely, also drew consideration after scoring two goals and earning five assists. Left winger Owen Van Steensel, the other member of what has been the Troops' most productive trio, had one goals and three assists.

"The pace that they've been at the last couple of weeks is good signals for us," said Oulahen. "I think it takes some time. You're dealing with new linemates, different roles, different responsibilities, so that's been a really good sign for us that guys are starting to feel good about themselves with the puck."

That noted, there are discoveries to be made early in the season.

"Quite frankly, every year there are different strengths, different weaknesses. You don't really know what you need to work on. You've got to let it come to you a little bit.

"You guys have heard me the last few weeks here really stressing trying to get our offence going and trying to create more, and all of a sudden we have a weekend where we're extremely happy in that regard. But then what ends up happening is you focus so much in one area, maybe you get a little bit leaky in another area, meaning our defensive breakdowns where we were a little bit higher than we wanted to be, so that goes into our practice. Now the big thing is to mesh it all together and to be a consistent hockey team."

Romani is on the National Hockey League central scouting department's preliminary 'Players to Watch' list released Wednesday, as are teammates Ethan Procyszyn, who has played centre and right wing, defenceman Brayden Turley and goaltenders Mike McIvor and Charlie Robertson. Procyszyn received a B rating as a second- or third-round candidate, while the others were ranked W, as sixth- or seventh-round possibilities.

Procyszyn, Turley and McIvor are first-time eligible for the NHL Draft in 2024, while Romani and Robertson were undrafted this year.

The Guelph game will feature Cascades Casino Night.

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