On a Thursday night, North Bay Battalion goaltender Domenic DiVincentiis set the record for most goaltender wins in franchise history in a single season for the Ontario Hockey League’s North Bay/Brampton Battalion.
The franchise was founded as the Brampton Battalion on December 3, 1996, and began to play in 1998. The team relocated to North Bay before the 2013-14 season.
In a 5-2 victory against the Sudbury Wolves, DiVincentiis stopped 17 of 19 shots he faced en route to his 31st win of the 2022-23 season.
With the win, DiVincentiis passed Jake Smith on the all-time Battalion franchise goaltender wins list. Smith held the record since his 30-win campaign in the 2014-15 season.
In his second season with North Bay in 2022-23, DiVincentiis has a 31-9-2 record in 43 appearances for the Battalion with a 2.51 GAA and .911 SV%. He leads to OHL in wins.
As a rookie with the Battalion in 2021-22 DiVincentiis had a 14-8-1 in 27 appearances with a .907 SV% and 2.59 GAA and was named the OHL’s 2022 Second All-Rookie Team.
After his rookie season, the native of Bolton, Ontario, DiVincentiis, was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, 207th overall in the seventh round. If DiVincentiis can continue to improve throughout his OHL career, the Jets, a franchise lacking organizational depth in the net, could have landed themselves a late-round steal.
As of March 3, 2023, the North Bay Battalion sits atop the OHL’s Central Division standings and is second in the Eastern Conference, only behind the Ottawa 67’s.
