The Barrie Colts and North Bay Battalion needed overtime for the third time in four games, but this time it was the Troops who came out on top in Ontario Hockey League playoff action Thursday night at Sadlon Arena.
North Bay forward Anthony Romani scored the game-winning goal just 2:43 into double overtime on a give-and-go passing play with Dalyn Wakely.
The best-of-seven, second-round series is now tied 2-2 heading back to North Bay on Saturday.
The Colts held the lead for most of the game before the Battalion made a strong push in the third period with a pair of goals in less than three minutes. Barrie goalie Anson Thornton was forced to make a quick kick save with 46 seconds left to send the game to extra time.
Thornton also made a huge sprawling save on a partial breakaway from Romani just a few minutes into the first overtime.
Barrie's Tyler Savard was one of the most noticeable players on the ice the whole night and found himself in the mix at almost every turn. He finished the game with a goal and an assist.
The Colts opened the scoring just 2:45 into the game with an odd power-play goal. Captain Brandt Clarke gained the offensive zone and dished off to Savard who made a pass to Jacob Frasca, who quickly found a trailing Beau Akey.
Akey fired a quick shot from the right-side dot. North Bay goalie Dom DiVincentiis made the initial save, but the rebound bounced off a defenceman's head in front of the net and past the netminder. It was Akey's second goal of the playoffs.
Just past the midway mark of the first period, Barrie's Cooper Matthews staked the Colts to a 2-0 lead when he sniped one past DiVincentiis from the left-side face-off dot on his off wing. Cole Beaudoin assisted on the Belleville native's first goal of the post-season.
In the waning moments of the opening period, the Battalion scrummed around the front of the Barrie net where Liam Arnsby was able to slide the puck past Thornton to cut the lead to 2-1.
With 53 seconds left in the frame, Clarke almost got the goal right back, but the puck was pulled off the line by a North Bay defender.
Nearing the halfway point of the second, Savard finished off a nifty three-way passing play to put Barrie up 3-1. Forward Ethan Cardwell carried the puck over the blue-line into the North Bay zone, made a backhand pass to rookie Carter Lowe who then fed Savard with a quick cross-crease pass. It was Lowe's first point of the playoffs and Savard's second goal of the post-season.
With Clarke in the penalty box for Barrie, North Bay's Kyle McDonald scored on the power play to cut the Colts' lead to 3-2 with 13 minutes left in the third period.
Three minutes later, Battalion winger Matvey Petrov tied the game 3-3 with a quick shot right off the face-off. It was the first goal of the playoffs for the Edmonton Oilers draft pick.
The first overtime period didn't solve anything, and then it was Romani's time to shine early in the fifth period.
The shots on goal in Game 4 were 56 for North Bay and 30 for Barrie.
The announced attendance was 3,752.
Game 5 of the series is set for Saturday night at North Bay Memorial Gardens at 7 p.m., followed by Game 6 on Monday back in Barrie at 7:30 p.m.
Should the series go the distance, Game 7 will be played the next night on Tuesday at North Bay Memorial Gardens starting at 7 p.m.
Elsewhere around the OHL on Thursday night, the Peterborough Petes now have a 3-1 series lead on the the top-seeded Ottawa 67's following a 3-1 win. Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon in Ottawa.
Over in the Western Conference, the London Knights blanked Kitchener, 4-0, to eliminate the Rangers. In the other match-up, the Sarnia Sting downed the Saginaw Spirit, 4-0, to sweep that series and set up a Sarnia-London conference final.
SERIES AT A GLANCE
Game 1 – Friday, April 14 at North Bay – Colts 3, Battalion 2 (OT)
Game 2 – Sunday, April 16 at North Bay – Battalion 5, Colts 2
Game 3 – Tuesday, April 18 at Barrie – Colts 2, Battalion 1 (OT)
Game 4 – Thursday, April 20 at Barrie – Battalion 4, Colts 3 (OT)
Game 5 – Saturday, April 22 at North Bay, 7 p.m.
Game 6 – Monday, April 24 at Barrie, 7:30 p.m.
Game 7 – Tuesday, April 25 at North Bay, 7 p.m. *
(* if necessary)
