The Ontario Hockey League had four games on the schedule Thursday night, Feb. 27. Two of those games required overtime to solve them. And a couple of top NHL draft-eligible prospects rose to the occasion for their squads. 

Projected top five pick, Porter Martone, and his Brampton Steelheads travelled up to North Bay to take on the eighth placed Battalion in a divisional showdown. 

The story for this game: draft eligible prospects impress scouts in attendance. 

Fellow 2025 draft-eligible forwards Gabriel Chiarot and Lirim Amidovski scored in the game. However, this contest was highlighted by the play in between the pipes by both netminders. 

Jack Ivankovic, one of the top ranked goaltenders for the upcoming draft, finished as the game's first star with 38 saves on 39 shots. Outside of a few games, Ivankovic has looked strong in net for Brampton since returning from the World Juniors. 

North Bay's goaltender, Charlie Larocque, was the game's second star, making 33 saves on 35 shots. This was Larocque's first game since New Year's Eve, and it was one of his best performances in the OHL. 

Unfortunately for Larocque, in overtime, Brampton's captain Porter Martone buried the backdoor pass from Lucas Karmiris — another draft-eligible prospect and finished with two helpers — scoring his 30th of the season and gave his Steelheads a very important two points for the overall standings. 

The Steelheads now have points in their last six games. They are catching fire at the perfect time, with the playoffs approaching. 

London Knights Forward Commits To NCAA University Of Maine

These Three Defensemen Have Already Scored 20 Goals

Blackhawks Prospect Nick Lardis Is Unstoppable And Continues To Etch His name In The History Books

Over in Barrie at the Sadlon Arena, the night's marquee matchup was between the Barrie Colts and Saginaw Spirit. 

The game went as everyone expected. It was a high-scoring, exciting hockey match with plenty of action. The players were very physical, creating a strong playoff atmosphere.

There were three lead changes in the game. Saginaw's 2024 first-rounder Dimian Zhilkin scored his second of the game and the game-tying goal with 1:24 left on the clock in the third period. 

Barrie defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson continues to make a name for himself. He had a two-goal performance last Saturday against the Peterborough Petes, which brought him up to the 20-goal mark on the season. 

Aitcheson led all CHL draft-eligible defensemen in goals entering Thursday night's game and three goals off of matching a Colts franchise record for most goals in a single season by a blueliner. 

Leave it to the man who already had three overtime-winners this year to seal another victory for Barrie. 

Aitcheson with a beautiful chip over a sprawling Zayne Parekh, knocks the puck down to control it, and then corrals his own rebound to tuck the puck in on his backhand before taking a bow to the Colts faithful. 

Both top prospects Martone and Aitcheson showcased their clutch-gene Thursday night, and both won't have to wait too long to hear their names called at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. 

Bookmark The Hockey News OHL site to never miss news, interviews, and any updates around the league.