OHL North Bay Battalion

Sudbury Stymies Troops

Published on October 31, 2021 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
North Bay Battalion News Release


SUDBURY, Ont. - Jack Thompson scored what proved to be the winning goal midway in the second period as the Sudbury Wolves defeated the North Bay Battalion 3-1 in the only Ontario Hockey League game Sunday.

Kosta Manikis and Nick DeGrazia also scored for Sudbury, while David Goyette provided two assists and goaltender Mitchell Weeks contributed 34 saves before a Sudbury Community Arena crowd recorded as 1,851.

The Wolves moved their won-lost-extended record to 4-6-1 for nine points, tied with the Barrie Colts, who hold a game in hand, for second place in the Central Division.

Dalyn Wakely scored for North Bay as goaltender Dom DiVincentiis faced 35 shots.

The Battalion, which played the second of six consecutive road games after an 8-3 victory Saturday night over Barrie, is 6-5-0 for 12 points atop the division.

"I thought we had a chance to make this a hockey game with a real good push in the third period and just weren't able to score at the right time," said coach Ryan Oulahen. "It's funny how it goes. It's almost like we wasted them all on one night this weekend."

Oulahen noted the "frustrating" nature of the way penalties were issued.

"You wish you could get some calls going the other way and, for whatever reason, those didn't seem to happen, but we've got to find a way to kill them off, right? One bounce here or there and that dictates that was the winning goal."

Manikis opened the scoring at 9:20 of the second period after seizing a turnover in the right-wing circle, and rookie Wakely tied it at 12:05 after his initial shot bounced back from a scrum in the Sudbury crease. Wakely backhanded home his fifth goal of the season and his fourth in the last three games.

Thompson struck on the power play at 14:39, one-timing a Quentin Musty pass from the left circle, with Goyette drawing the other assist. It was the fourth goal for defenceman Thompson, who leads Sudbury in points production with 15 in 11 games.

DiVincentiis went to his knees to smother a clear Musty drive from the high slot at 4:27, and Simon Rose rode off Manikis after he took a breakaway pass up the middle in the eighth minute.

DeGrazia struck at 2:01 of the third period, firing the puck from high in the left circle for his second goal. Goyette had the sole assist.

The teams staged a scoreless first period in which the Wolves outshot the visitors 11-5. DiVincentiis got his left pad on a shot from an open Alex Assadourian in the 12th minute and denied two Sudbury power plays.

The second followed a slashing call to Brandon Coe at 17:07 that saw Ethan Larmand try to get into the North Bay bench at Coe without a penalty being called. The man advantage was negated when Larmand slashed Mitchell Russell, was called for that and the two were assessed roughing minors.

The Battalion visits the Peterborough Petes at 7:05 p.m. Thursday. The game can be seen live in North Bay on YourTV Channels 12 and 700.

BATTALION BULLETS: The game was the second of 12 between the teams, after the Battalion won the first 3-2 at home Oct. 11. The Troops end their run of six road dates in the clubs' next meeting, scheduled for Nov. 12 ... The Battalion went 0-for-2 on the power play. Sudbury was 1-for-4 ... Joe Vrbetic backed up DiVincentiis, who left for a sixth attacker with 2:06 to play in the third period ... The Battalion, which had the only third-period power play after Evan Konyen went off for slashing at 14:30, forged a 19-9 edge in shots in the frame ... The North Bay scratches were Cam Gauvreau and Anthony Romani ... Dylan Robinson and Chase Stillman were among the missing for Sudbury ... Captain Thompson, a 19-year-old resident of Courtice, Ont., was Sudbury's second-round pick in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection from the Clarington Toros minor midgets ... The Wolves have received a commitment from defenceman Matthew Mania, recently of the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League. Mania, 16, was a fourth-round pick in the Priority Selection in June after playing last season with the North Jersey Avalanche U16 squad and Musty, Sudbury's first-overall selection. Mania's debut with the Wolves was yet to be determined, as Hockey Canada and USA Hockey are reported to be reviewing paperwork related to his transfer ... Aaron Neely and Andrew Willmetts were the referees.

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Ontario Hockey League Stories from October 31, 2021


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