Hamilton handled North Bay 6-3 in regulation, and the margin was built on a front-foot start and a middle period the Bulldogs won on the scoreboard 3-2. There was no late drama to it: Hamilton led after every period and never surrendered the lead.
The Bulldogs scored twice in the first for a 2-0 lead, then pushed it to 5-2 through 40 minutes with a three-goal second that North Bay could only partially answer. The Battalion traded one for one in the third, which left the score at 6-3 and closed the door on any comeback math.
Six goals on the night across all three periods tells the story — Hamilton scored in every frame, including the only unanswered period of the game, the first. North Bay's three goals all came after Hamilton had already established the lead, and the visitors never cut the deficit below two.