NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Saturday, Dec. 7, 2013
Eskimos win on the road while Thunderbirds stay hot at home
SUDBURY – Saturday night in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League saw the Abitibi Eskimos picked up a solid road victory doubling up the Blind River Beavers 4-2 while the Soo Thunderbirds maintained their dominance on home ice as they bested the Sudbury Nickel Barons 6-1.
ABITIBI ESKIMOS 4 BLIND RIVER BEAVERS 2 – At the Blind River Community Centre, Abitibi got a pair of goals courtesy of Landon Hiebert to help secure the road triumph for the Eskimos over the Beavers.
Jacob Kenney got the visitors on the board late in the opening stanza as he notched his fourth tally of the season at 17:13.
Hiebert extended the Abitibi lead to two with 5:27 to go in middle session only to see Tyson MacLeod counter for Blind River with 62 seconds remaining in the frame.
Hiebert then potted the eventual game-winner at 14:30 of the third to put the Eskimos back up a pair.
Nick Trecroce made it interesting with his first in the Beavers’ uniform with 3:07 left in regulation, but Ryan Tront iced it with an insurance effort in the final minute.
Sylvain Miron made 36 stops to earn the win between the pipes for Abitibi with Jessie Morin seeing 30 shots fired his way in defeat.
SOO THUNDERBIRDS 6 SUDBURY NICKEL BARONS 1 – Sault Ste. Marie remained dominant and unbeaten on home ice so far this season as they rolled over visiting Sudbury at Essar Centre.
Darcy Haines tallied twice, including the game-winner, and added an assist to pace the Thunderbirds offensively who held intermission leads of 1-0 and 4-1.
Also scoring for the Sault were Eric Hillock, David Radke, Grant Syrette and Owen Headrick.
Anthony Miller also contributed two assists for the winning side.
Josh Moore had the lone Sudbury marker late in the second period.
Brian Kment only had to make eight saves to pick-up the win in net for the T-Birds while Michael Muzyka was peppered with 46 shots in a losing cause for the Nickel Barons.