NORTH BAY, Ontario (Interstat) — The Ottawa 67’s capitalized on a steady stream of North Bay Battalion penalties and a balanced scoring attack to secure a 3-1 victory in Ontario Hockey League action Friday night at Boart Longyear Memorial Gardens.

In a game defined by special teams play and physicality, the 67’s (2-0-0) methodically built a lead, scoring once in each period before a crowd of 2,560. The Battalion (2-1-0), coming off an overtime win to start their season, struggled to generate consistent offense and spent much of the night short-handed.

Ottawa set the tone early, taking advantage of the first of North Bay’s many infractions. Just over five minutes into the first period, with the Battalion’s Arseny Pronin serving a tripping penalty, Finnish center Jasper Kuhta opened the scoring. Kuhta, who finished the night with a goal and an assist, was set up by Nathan Amidovski to give the visitors a lead they would not relinquish.

The middle frame was a parade to the penalty box, featuring 10 infractions between the two teams. A fight just 29 seconds into the period between Ottawa’s Frank Marrelli and North Bay’s Lirim Amidovski signaled the escalating tension. Despite the chippy play, the 67’s extended their lead late in the period. Defenseman Ondrej Ruml of Boskovice, Czechia, found the back of the net with an assist from Jack Dever to make it 2-0 heading into the second intermission.

North Bay showed a brief spark early in the third period to get on the board. Pronin, the Minsk, Belarus native who took the game’s first penalty, redeemed himself by scoring his second goal of the season just 3:38 into the frame, cutting the deficit to one.

The Battalion’s momentum was short-lived, however. Ottawa responded decisively just 35 seconds later when hometown product Shaan Kingwell restored the two-goal cushion, with an assist from Connor Bewick of Gurnee, Illinois. The 67’s defense and goaltending locked down from there, stifling North Bay’s attempts to mount a comeback.

The game was a statistical upset, as Interstat’s pregame projections had favored the Battalion, giving them a 54.9 percent probability to win and simulating a final score of 4-3 for the home side.

Ottawa’s penalty kill was a key factor, successfully navigating a physical contest that saw the Battalion assessed nine penalties for 21 minutes. North Bay’s Lirim Amidovski had a particularly difficult night, accumulating nine penalty minutes on three separate infractions, including a five-minute fighting major.

The victory extends Ottawa’s perfect start to the young season, following a 6-2 road win against Kingston on Sept. 19. North Bay, which had opened its campaign with wins over Oshawa and Sudbury, suffered its first loss.

Both teams return to action on Sunday. The 67’s will host the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, while the Battalion will remain at home to face the Kingston Frontenacs. Ottawa then embarks on a lengthy five-game road trip beginning Oct. 4, while North Bay will hit the road for a matchup in Sudbury on Oct. 3.