The clock turned back an hour today and the Brampton Steelheads posted back-to-back victories against the Battalion, winning 5-4 in overtime in front of 2,960 fans at North Bay Memorial Gardens.

The hero today for the Fish was Adam Zidlicky, finding a nice rebound off the pads of a long shot from Spencer Sova 23 seconds into overtime. Putting them in that position was a late tying goal from Carson Rehkopf who was having a 2 goal night of his own.

Before the game started, there was a small presentation in honor of the Military Appreciation Night hosted by the Powassan Voodoos Junior “A” hockey program. The presentation included the singing of the Canadian and American national anthems, as well as a rendition of the Last Post, with the assistance of current and retired military personnel, including members of the 22nd Wing of the Royal Canadian Legion.

The visiting Steelheads started the game in fast fashion when Jack Van Volsen received a crisp pass in the cross zone from Martin Vaculik, and Van Volsen lasered the puck past Carter Nadon to give Brampton a 1-0 lead .

This lead would not last long, as Jacob Therrien would feed the puck to Stepan Chukharev who was calmly dancing in the Steelheads zone, closing in on the visiting goaltender and shooting, with Andrew LeBlanc burying the rebound to knot the game 1-1.

Continually after the troops’ goal, the visiting team increased the pressure and considerably increased the zone time. Brampton eventually found a great chance with veteran Battalion defender Wyatt Kennedy heading into the trash can.

Soon after, Brampton wasted no time, neatly moving the biscuit along the blue line, Finn Harding to Spencer Sova. Sova fired the shot through traffic in front of the net and a perfect deflection from Carson Rehkopf put Brampton back in control.

And if it was Rehkopf who started the car, Porter Martone would be the one to step on the accelerator, because once again on the power play, this time with 0.9 seconds on the clock, Martone would drag the puck with his toe and send a dazzling blow. a wrist shot into the corner from the top blocker past goaltender Carter Nadon to close the period 3-1.

Period 2 started as an offensive attack from the Steelheads with brilliant escape after brilliant escape, Nadon fending off every attempt, including a nice 2-on-1 sequence where he stretched the cross crease to block a lead attempt from the Fish.

North Bay nearly cut the lead thanks to an outstanding individual run from captain Owen Van Steensel. Van Steensel quickly got past the blue line and headed towards the opponent’s net, taking a hit and centering the puck towards Chukharev who beat Jacob Gibbons, but not the goal line as the puck came to rest on, but not beyond, the entrance to the net.

What seemed like a spark that would throw off the rest of the game would be an old-fashioned showdown between Ryder Carey and Steelhead Troy Patton, throwing down the gloves, circling and trading blows before the faceoff.

“Anytime you ask someone to throw it, it shows they’re in the game,” Battalion forward and former Voodoo Reyth Smith noted of Carey’s tilt.

“A big fight from the rookie there.”

And being in the game and showing fight was a recurring theme after the brawl, as Smith showed real grit pushing up the ice, fending off defenders to break through the neutral zone and taking that battle to the corner.

Quickly winning the puck, he distributed it to Nolan Laird, who was forced to send the puck to Finnish import Nathan Teshome alone in the slot, who scored the battalion’s second goal of the game, and his first in the OHL.

Winning battles on the board would continue to be an effective strategy for both White and Green, as by the end of the period Shamar Moses would win his in the same corner. This time the puck was heading towards Ethan Procyszyn, one point from the top of the faceoff circle, beating Gibbons to once again tie the game, now at 3 apiece.

Battalion head coach Ryan Oulahen was pleased with how the team played to their strengths and how exploiting them brought them back into a close game.

“It wasn’t something magical, nor a system tweak, it was pure competition,” Oulahen noted.

“We were starting to win more battles and that’s how we tipped the ice.”

The third period would start like the previous one without end, as a few seconds Procyszyn would force a turnover and burn the ice with the captain, a quick pass to draw Gibbons in, then recover the puck, Procyszyn would get his second of the fight. , and gives the troops their first lead of the match, 4-3.

Throughout the period there would be a battle of rushes, which paid off late in the game for Brampton. Carson Rehkopf roamed the ice, picked his spot and sent a missile high and far to beat Nadon, and that would be what would send the game into overtime.

Just 23 seconds into the overtime period, the Steelheads earned a draw at center ice. Spencer Sova found space below the blue line and fired a low shot toward Nadon, bouncing off the pad and finding an unguarded Adam Zidlicky, who quickly sent the puck into the net, ending the game 5-4 for the visiting Brampton team.

With this victory, the battalion extends its losing streak to 4, while collecting a single point for reaching overtime. Brampton now begins a 2 game winning streak.

The Battalion’s next match will take place in Windsor, against a hot Spitfires team, on Thursday, November 7 at 7:05 p.m.