(2) North Bay Battalion (48-17-2-1) vs. (3) Barrie Colts (42-17-6-3)
The North Bay Battalion and Barrie Colts battle it out in the second round of the OHL Playoffs.
The Battalion come off a six-game series triumph over the Mississauga Steelheads who made things interesting, at one point evening the first round matchup at two games apiece.
The Battalion eventually overcame the Steelheads as Edmonton Oilers prospect Matvey Petrov led the club with 10 assists in first round play while big overage winger and Dallas Stars prospect Kyle McDonald scored seven times (7-2–9). Winnipeg Jets prospect Domenic DiVincentiis was kept busy in the crease as the Troops were outshot by Mississauga, resulting in the 19-year-old making a total of 210 saves for a save percentage of .938 over six games.
“We’re lucky to have him,” noted Battalion head coach Ryan Oulahen of DiVincentiis’ first round play. “We know how dialed in he is and how good he is for us each and every night. It allows us to play the way we’re capable of playing and then sometimes, the peaks and the valleys within games, he’s there to help us.”
The Troops will be tasked with facing the Colts, who they bested in four of their five meetings this season. Two of those four wins came prior to star blueliner and captain Brandt Clarke joining the Colts for the second half. Both Battalion victories over Barrie in February were by a score of 4-2.
“There’s always been a bit of a rivalry, even to the Brampton days, with the Battalion and the Colts,” noted Oulahen. “I don’t think it’s going to take long to feel that in this series, and it should be a lot of fun.”
North Bay featured four different 30+ goal scorers this season in McDonald, Vancouver Canucks prospect Josh Bloom, Seattle Kraken draft pick Kyle Jackson and sophomore centreman Dalyn Wakely. Ty Nelson controlled things from the blue line, putting up a Battalion club record 76 points (24-52–76)
North Bay’s top-ranked penalty kill will have to contend with Clarke, who helped Barrie play to a 23-7-2-1 mark, on par with the Sarnia Sting for the best record in the league during the second half. The LA Kings first round pick has been nothing short of outstanding in the playoffs, recording 17 points (5-12–17) over five games during Barrie’s six-game series victory over the Hamilton Bulldogs.
“North Bay is going to be a huge test for us, so we’re just going to do what we can to regroup and get our energy back and build towards them,” freshly-signed San Jose Sharks prospect Ethan Cardwell told Barrie 360’s Gene Pereira. “They’re an amazing team, and we believe we are too, and we think it’s going to be a great series, and we’re ready for it.”
Cardwell ended the first round series with his hat trick in Game 6 on Monday night, setting up a highly-anticipated matchup that will see Arizona Coyotes prospect Anson Thornton in the crease for the Colts against the aforementioned DiVincentiis, who put together record-setting numbers for a Battalion goaltender this past season. For his part, Thornton became the 10th goaltender in OHL history to score a goal on April 6th as the 6-foot-4 goaltender hit the empty net in the dying moments of the third period.
Barrie’s production has extended beyond just Clarke. Former second overall OHL Priority Selection choice Evan Vierling racked up 10 points (1-9–10) in five first round contests while Florida Panthers prospect Braden Haché, known best for his physical shutdown style on the blue line, put up eight points (2-6–8).
With 51 wins and 99 points, it’s been the best season in Battalion franchise history. Can they find a way to stop Clarke? If they do, can the Colts rally around some of their other veterans? This is a series you won’t want to miss.
Season Series:
North Bay won 4-1-0-0
Oct. 23 – BAR 4 at NB 5 OT
Nov. 12 – NB 7 at BAR 2
Dec. 17 – NB 3 at BAR 6
Dec. 18 – BAR 2 at NB 3
Feb. 12 – BAR 2 at NB 4
Playoff History:
This will be North Bay/Brampton and Barrie’s ninth meeting in the OHL Playoffs.
2016 BAR def NB 4-0– 2nd round / 2015 NB def. BAR 4-1 – 2nd round / 2014 NB def. BAR 4-2 – 2nd round / 2010 BAR def. BRA 4-0 – 2nd round / 2008 BAR def BRA 4-1– 1st round / 2007 BAR def. BRA 4-0 – 1st round / 2006 BAR def. BRA 4-1 – 2nd round / 2003 BRA def. BAR 4-2 – 1st round
Schedule:
Game 1 — April 14 — BAR @ NB — 7pm
Game 2 — April 16 — BAR @ NB — 2pm
Game 3 — April 18 — NB @ BAR — 7:30pm
Game 4 — April 20 — NB @ BAR — 7:30pm
Game 5* — April 22 — BAR @ NB — 7pm
Game 6* — April 24 — NB @ BAR — 7:30pm
Game 7* — April 25 — BAR @ NB — 7pm
*if necessary
