Greyhounds struggle to finish in loss to Battalion (video)

A five-minute stretch late in a tight hockey game showed just how crucial a complete effort can be in the Ontario Hockey League.

The North Bay Battalion got a late bounce to tie the game en route to a 5-2 win over the Soo Greyhounds Thursday night at the North Bay Memorial Gardens.

The Battalion scored four times, including a pair of empty net goals, late in the game to pick up the victory.

“That’s why hockey games are 60 minutes,” said veteran forward Rory Kerins. “That was an unacceptable five minutes from our team tonight and something we’re going to have to learn from.”

“In this league, (playing well) for the most part is not going to get it done,” Kerins also said.

Rookie forward Bryce McConnell-Barker called the game “our game to win.”

“We played a good 50 minutes and in the last 10, we let off a little bit and let them get two goals (to take the lead),” McConnell-Barker added. “It was definitely tough. I felt like we should have won this game.”

Greyhounds coach John Dean said he “really liked our game.”

“Our guys played a very committed game,” Dean added. “We managed the puck very well, got above the puck very well and generated enough scoring chances to win a hockey game.”

“I felt pretty confident in our group heading into the last four or five minutes,” Dean also said. “They get a good bounce off of one of our defencemen’s skate on the game-tying goal and then a missed assignment two minutes later. It’s a tough way to lose.”

Dean said the game-tying goal “clearly deflated us a bit.”

“Whenever you put it all on the line and something negative like that happens, sometimes it’s a frustrating moment and you need to regroup right away and obviously we didn’t,” Dean added.

North Bay coach Ryan Oulahen said both teams had stretches in the game where they were carrying the play.

“It was a really tight game,” Oulahen said in an interview with BayToday. “Both teams at times took over the game and both teams were really competitive in terms of battles and competes.”

Ryan O’Rourke opened the scoring with the Greyhounds on the power play at 6:16 of the opening period.

Off to the left of the North Bay goal, Kalvyn Watson took a pass from Kerins and fed O’Rourke in the right faceoff circle who then scored on a wide-open Battalion net to give the Greyhounds the early lead.

Just 1:42 later, North Bay tied the game as Mitchell Russell took a turnover on the right-side boards, moved into the faceoff circle and beat Tucker Tynan at 7:58.

Kerins gave the Greyhounds a 2-1 lead when he took a pass in the left faceoff circle and beat Vrbetic at 17:23.

The play started as Tye Kartye forced a turnover by Grayson Ladd in the left corner.

North Bay tied the game late as Matvey Petrov took a pass in the left faceoff circle and had a centering pass deflect off a player and past Tynan to even the score at two with 4:47 to go in regulation time.

The Battalion then took the lead as Petrov scored his second of the night when he redirected a pass from Mitchell Russell in the left corner.

Empty net goals by Kyle McDonald at 18:18 and Russell at 18:43 sealed the win.

Petrov and Russell each finished the night with two goals and an assist for the Battalion.

Brandon Coe assisted on a pair of goals for North Bay while Vrbetic made 26 saves.

Tynan made 29 saves for the Greyhounds.

The Greyhounds will take a 23-13-3-1 record into Friday’s meeting between the two clubs, also in North Bay. The Greyhounds remain atop the OHL’s West Division with 50 points, two points ahead of the Flint Firebirds, who were off on Thursday night and return to action on Friday night in Kitchener.

The Windsor Spitfires, who sit third in the division, pulled to within four points of the Greyhounds thanks to a 5-2 win over the Guelph Storm on Thursday.

Battling for positioning atop the Eastern Conference, North Bay’s record improves to 21-15-3-3. The team sits four points ahead of the Barrie Colts for second in the Central Division. The Colts dropped a 5-2 decision at home on Thursday to the Kingston Frontenacs. Kingston remains one point ahead of North Bay in the Eastern Conference standings thanks to the win.

For the Greyhounds, Thursday’s contest was the first game for the club without Tanner Dickinson in the lineup after the veteran forward suffered a broken femur following a hit by Barrie Colts forward Ethan Cardwell over the weekend.

On Thursday, the OHL announced Cardwell was suspended for 15 games as a result.

Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis said Thursday that Dickinson returned home to Perrysburg, Ohio. The plan is for the 19-year-old to head to St. Louis to begin rehab under the guidance of the St. Louis Blues, who hold Dickinson’s NHL rights.

Cole MacKay also missed Thursday’s game due to injury.

The overage forward blocked a shot late in a game against the Flint Firebirds last Friday.

Overage defenceman Robert Calisti also missed Thursday’s game due to injury.

Dean said both MacKay and Calisti could return to the lineup this weekend.

Rookie goaltender Charlie Schenkel has joined the Central Canada Hockey League’s Rockland Nationals for the remainder of the season.

Raftis said Thursday that the move will allow the 17-year-old netminder to get some regular playing time.

While it was a move that normally would have come closer to the trade deadline, the pausing of play for Jr. A leagues in Ontario led to the Greyhounds choosing to have Schenkel remain in Sault Ste. Marie for the time being to practice with the team before joining his new team.