The streaking North Bay Battalion are up to five in a row, and 14 wins in their last 16 games after a 7-2 thrashing of the Sudbury Wolves Sunday in Sudbury.
After the two games in the Nickel City this weekend, the Troops out scored the Wolves 14-3.
The scoring got underway midway through the first period. Sudbury had just seen a four-minute power play expire when the Pack's Landon McCallum (8) beat North Bay goalie Joe Vrbetic. Three minutes later, on a power play of their own, North Bay answered as Mitchell Russell (34) netted one in from the slot off of a pass from behind the net by Kyle Jackson.
With just over a minute to play in the first, the Wolves took another penalty. Five seconds later, Jackson (24) tipped in a Brandon Coe shot to put the Troops up 2-1 heading into the first intermission.
The second period was all North Bay as just under five minutes in Nikita Tarasevich (4) put one past Sudbury netminder Mitchell Weeks. Shortly after, the 2021 11th overall draft pick by the Troops, Owen Outwater sniped his third of the year over Weeks’ blocker. The puck went in and out of the net so quickly, the officials had to gather to make sure it was indeed a good goal. Just before time expired in the frame, Ty Nelson hit a Wolves player, stripping the puck and rushing end to end for his eighth goal, receiving boos from the Sudbury faithful for his efforts.
It was 5-1 North Bay after 40 minutes of play.
Halfway through the third, the Battalion added on another tally off the stick of Kyle McDonald (33). Five minutes later, McDonald would attempt a slap shot from the point, but his stick broke in two. As the puck slide slowly towards the net, Owen Van Steensel (10) was able to redirect it past Weeks. Sudbury added one in the final two minutes from Andre Anania (4) to make the final 4-2.
North Bay went four for six on their power play chances, while Sudbury went zero for seven on theirs. The penalties could have been attributed to this being the 11th meeting between these two rivals this year.
With the victory, the Battalion have leapfrogged the Mississauga Steelheads for first in the Central Division.
The loss drops the Wolves record to 19-32-3-2, good enough for fourth place in the Central Division, ninth in the Eastern Conference and 18th overall, just ahead of the Saginaw Spirit and just behind the Peterborough Petes.
