Return to North Bay a winning one for Wakely and the Colts

Dalyn Wakely received a hero’s welcome upon his return to North Bay and then went out and led the Barrie Colts to a big win on the road.

Greeted at the team bus upon their arrival by a large group of fans and cheered throughout the game, the former Battalion overager scored twice to help the Colts sweep their Central Division rivals in a home-and-home weekend set with a 3-1 victory, Sunday afternoon, at the North Bay Memorial Gardens.

It marked the first time the Edmonton Oilers prospect returned to the rink where he played his first three OHL seasons since the early October trade that brought him to Barrie.

The reception by fans and the tribute by the team during the game meant the world to Wakely who loved his time there.

“I just tried to reciprocate everything they gave me,” said Wakely, who was acquired for Sharmar Moses and draft picks back on Oct. 10. “What a special three years for myself and all the teammates I had alongside me in North Bay to be part of. It was definitely emotional.

“Some of the intermission interview, it was tough to hold the tears back with some of those questions. I love my three years in North Bay, and I was happy to pull out a win today with Barrie. It was important to get the win and continue forward.”

While he loved his time in North Bay, the Battalion are in a rebuilding mode and a move to a contending team was what was best for Wakely and the Troops.

“I think it was a big part of the decision-making to becoming a Barrie Colt,” said Wakely, who says he fully commits to a team and its community. “It definitely wasn’t an easy decision. Any time you’re going to leave a spot you put so much into it’s tough, but I think, with this move, I wanted to bring the same things I brought to North Bay.

“A lot of that is off the ice and away from things that happened on the ice, so it’s kind of who I am as a person and the leadership I can bring away from that.”

Being an overager, it was his last kick at the can to win an OHL championship and earn a shot to play for the Memorial Cup.  

“As much as I love North Bay, I really want to win,” added Wakely. “I believe in this team. I did when we made the trade a few months ago and I do more and more each day.

“It’s super fun to be part of this group and I couldn’t be more excited for another few months that I have here.”

Wakely now leads the Colts in scoring with 16 goals and 30 points in 26 games and his pair of goals helped Barrie (23-9-1-1) move back to the top of both the Central Division and Eastern Conference Standings.

“I was gripping my stick a little bit last night playing them for the first time,” said the 20-year-old, who went pointless in Barrie’s 5-2 win at home Saturday over the Battalion. “Today, I was just a little bit better. Playing free, playing my game. I’m fortunate to get two goals there, but I think the more important thing was two points for us.

“It was a tough one on the road and now we got to refocus for Tuesday.”

Marty Williamson was happy to see his forward get the reception he did.

“Honestly, credit to him because I don’t think I’ve ever heard a cheer on the road like when he scored,” said the Colts’ general manager and head coach. “He’s got a lot of fans here. I know they met the bus when we arrived and there were people there waiting for him.

“He meant a lot to (North Bay) and he went through a lot of playoff games, a lot of success. They did a nice tribute for him. We’re really happy to have him, but it’s nice to see the respect that he earned here.”

After a scoreless first where the Colts ran into penalty trouble and were outshot 18-4, they bounced back to outshoot the Battalion (13-17-3-0) 15-5 in the second and take a 1-0 lead.

Wakely scored the lone goal of the period on the power play when he took a feed from Kashawn Aitcheson in the slot and wired a low drive past Mike McIvor in goal.

“The penalties got us off our kilter,” said Williamson. “You start on the road and then you take three penalties and with the spacing of the penalties we never really got a flow going at all in the first period. Then I thought we were a much better hockey team from then on.

“I thought we had our legs early. I wasn’t too worried. It was just if our penalty kill didn’t go and (goalie Ben Hrebik) had a tough one in there where you’re behind the eight-ball with the penalties that early, but for us the penalty kill was very good. Hrebik was solid and it allowed us to get out of the period and regroup a little bit and get back to our game.”

Wakely made it 2-0 just 1:42 into the third period when he pounced on a Bode Stewart rebound in front and backhanded it home. Brior Long would cut the lead to one just 20 seconds later on a shot from just inside the blueline that hit off the backboards and off Hrebik and in.

Things would get a little “hairy” with the Colts walking into some late penalty trouble, including a two-man Battalion advantage, but Hrebik and the Colts would hang on until Zach Wigle iced the contest on a shorthanded empty-netter with 1:27 remaining.

“We get the 2-0 lead, and it looks pretty solid, and they come right back and get that one, so nothing’s been easy,” said Williamson. “A couple of penalties at the end make it a little hairy, but I thought overall the guys gave me a good effort.”

Wakely and the Colts will face the Battalion three more times this season.

“Today was a tough one,” said the Port Hope native. “Emotionally, just trying to control that, but once I got focused, kind of into the second period, it was just playing my game. Hopefully, next time we’re up here, it’ll be the same thing. Just focus and treat it like any other game and try to get a win.”

The Colts face the Oshawa Generals at home on New Year’s Eve.

“It’s a talented team,” said Williamson. “We have to keep Beckett Sennecke in check and have to keep Colby Barlow in check and stay out of the penalty box and do all the things we have to do. And be able to generate offence against that great blueline, so it will be a good test for us.

“That’s what you want to see. It’s New Year’s Eve, so it will be an exciting game.”

Game time at Sadlon Arena is 7:30 p.m.

ICE CHIPS: Barrie’s top-rated OHL penalty kill was very good again holding the Troops scoreless on six chances, including a late two-man advantage. “They did a good job getting to spots and not allowing them to set up,” said Wakely. “Definitely big with two minutes left giving up a five-on-three to kill that thing and get out of here.”. . . The home-and-home sweep is no easy feat. “Beating teams twice in a row, and I don’t care who it is in the league, is really difficult,” said Williamson. . . Hrebik stopped 29 of 30 shots to improve to 11-2-1-0 and just missed his second career shutout. “Unfortunate because he had the shot at the shutout and the backboard one kind of got him,” said Williamson. “He’s moving well in there. He’s seeing things and we like how he is playing, that’s for sure.”