NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Friday, Sept. 13, 2013
Espanola, Kirkland Lake and Sudbury all win Friday
SUDBURY – A triple taste of Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action Friday evening saw the Espanola Rivermen, Sudbury Nickel Barons and Kirkland Lake Gold Miners all come away with victories.
ESPANOLA RIVERMEN 4 NORTH BAY TRAPPERS 3 – The Espanola trio of Corbin Bean, Duane Wainman, Brandon Janke combined for eight points to help propel the Rivermen over the Trappers at West Ferris Arena as the Espanola franchise came away victorious in their first visit back to North Bay after winning last season’s NOJHL title, before relocating in the off-season.
Bean and Janke had a goal and two assists apiece with Bean notching the game-winner in the latter stages of the third period. Wainman chipped in by scoring twice to account for the rest of the Rivermen’s tally count.
Zach Turner, Ryan Demyen and Alex Dajia were the North Bay marksmen.
Griffin Strain was the winning netminder making 27 stops for Espanola, who improved to 2-1 early on, while Dustin Hummel had 26 saves in a losing cause for the Trappers as they fell to 0-3.
SUDBURY NICKEL BARONS 6 ELLIOT LAKE BOBCATS 5 (OT) – A Josh Moore marker with 1:08 remaining in the first overtime saw Sudbury storm back from an early three-goal deficit as they rallied to slip past the Bobcats at Centennial Arena to pick-up their first triumph of the season in four tries.
Elliot Lake got quick tallies from Dustin Cordeiro, Brett Wagner and Andrew Palushaj to go up 3-0 before the game was eight minutes old.
After a quick a 24-second break on the bench, Sudbury starter Andrew Lefebvre returned to the Nickel Barons’ net and his club responded by getting goals from Kurtis Clouthier and Ryan Chretien to pull within one before the initial stanza came to a close.
Each side scored twice each in the middle session with Moore and Justin Bell connecting for Sudbury while Coredeiro connected twice more for the home side giving him a hat-trick.
The Nickel Barons forced extra time with 9:08 left in regulation as Jimmy Roy converted on the power play to level the proceedings.
That then set the stage for Moore to win it in extra time giving his side the second point in the contest as Elliot Lake settled for one point in the loss.
Lefebvre ended up with 39 stops in picking up the victory in a game that saw Etienne Roy peppered with 47 shots in the Bobcats net as his side slipped to 1-1-0-1.
KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS 3 SOO THUNDERBIRDS 0 – Tanner Lafrance tallied twice while Marc Audet turned aside all 18 shots he faced to pace the Gold Miners past the visiting Thunderbirds at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
With the triumph Kirkland Lake improved to 4-0 and remain they only unbeaten club in the NOJHL. The Thunderbirds fell to 1-1 in the setback as they were shutout for the first time in regular season play since Dec. 14 of last year when then were blanked by the same Gold Miners at “The Joe.”
Lafrance netted the only goal his side would need at 16:04 of the first period beating Soo starter Joel Horodziejczyk.
Two and half minutes later Jeremy Picard-Fiset connected on the power play to make it 2-0 after 20 minutes.
Lafrance added some insurance with a man advantage effort early in the third round to round out the scoring.
Horodziejczyk made 28 saves in a losing cause for the Thunderbirds.
Two more league tilts are on tap Saturday as Blind River hosts Espanola while Abitibi welcomes Sault Ste. Marie to Jus Jordan Arena in Iroquois Falls in a pair of 7:30 p.m. starts.
