NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
MEDIA RELEASE
Release Date: Monday, Aug. 26, 2013
NOJHL preseason weekend wrap
SUDBURY – Preseason play in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League kicked off over the weekend with four games being contested.
Here is brief run-down on how each of those matches end up.
Saturday, Aug. 24
KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS 5 ABITIBI ESKIMOS 2 – Exhibition action began with the Gold Miners skating past the hometown Eskimos at Jus Jordan Arena in Iroquois Falls.
The visitors from Kirkland Lake jumped out to an early three-goal lead and held on from there to take the preseason opener for both clubs.
Newcomer Austin Rust paced the Gold Miners with a pair of tallies and an assist in the triumph.
Andrew Bertrand and Alex McEwen notched the other markers in the victory while Alex Hulford dished out two assists.
Jesse Morin played the first 40 minutes for Kirkland Lake and picked up the win stopping 11 of 13 shots he faced before Devon Desbastos came in and turned aside all 12 attempts he saw in a period of relief.
Zach Innes and Cameron Etherington accounted for the Abitibi goal scoring.
Sylvain Morin was peppered with 45 pucks in a losing cause for the Eskimos as he went the distance.
Sunday, Aug. 25
PEMBROKE LUMBER KINGS (CCHL) 11 NORTH BAY TRAPPERS 3 – (Recap courtesy Chris Dawson, North Bay Trappers) The North Bay Jr. Trappers allowed five unanswered third period goals as the host Pembroke Lumber Kings defeated the visitors 11-3 in the Jr. Trappers first preseason game of the new campaign.
Rookies Chase Donaghy, Christian Sgroi and Eric Champagne scored for the Trappers who were tied 2-2 after one period and down 6-3 after 40 minutes.
Lumber Kings’ veteran Patrice Wren led the Pembroke attack with a hat-trick.
North Bay Battalion draft pick Evan Cormier took the loss in goal allowing five goals on 32 shots.
Sturgeon Falls product Ben Auger split the goaltending duties and allowed six goals on 33 shots as the Lumber Kings outshot the Trappers 65-20.
The Trappers played the game without forwards Henry Yawit and Jake Staples and on the blue line were without defenceman Alex Dajia. Jr. Trappers starting goalie Dustin Hummel also did not dress.
Meantime, the Lumber Kings dressed 10 regulars including eight 20-year-olds in the interleague exhibition contest.
It was also the first game back against NOJHL competition for Darcy Haines. The NOJHL’s leading scorer last year was traded from the Sudbury Nickel Barons to the Lumber Kings in the off-season.
SUDBURY NICKEL BARONS 4 ELLIOT LAKE BOBCATS 3 – A Patrick Lepage goal with 4:52 remaining was the difference as Sudbury slipped past Elliot Lake Sunday evening in Elliot Lake.
Bradley Bell and Sheldon Lalonde put the Nickel Barons up a pair via the power play after one only to see the Bobcats bounce back with two of their own in the middle frame courtesy of Brett Wagner and Dustin Cordeiro to level the proceedings after 40 minutes.
After a Yanic Hebert unassisted effort early in the third put Sudbury back on top, but Andrew Plushej struck shorthanded to tie things up again at 14:15.
However just 53 seconds later Lepage’s marker stood up as the game-winner.
Michael Muzyka started for Sudbury seeing 28 minutes of game time and making 17 saves on 18 shots.
Andrew Lefebrve picked up the win in relief seeing 28 pucks fired on net.
Brandon Currie took to the net for the first half of the game for the Bobcats turning aside 18 of 20 shots fired his way whileEtienne Roy was saddled with the loss finishing with 17 saves.
KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS 3 ABITIBI ESKIMOS 2 (2OT) – The first exhibition game to require overtime saw Kirkland Lake’s Andrew Bertand notch the winner 1:33 into double OT giving the Miners the sweep of the home-and-home with the Eskimos.
Kyle Bishop had the lone goal of the opening stanza to put Gold Miners up 1-0 only to see Abitibi strike back with tallies from Ben Miller and Shayne Borden to go up 2-1 after two periods of play.
Kirkland Lake then forced extra time with 2:05 remaining in regulation to send it to OT.
Following a scoreless five-minute first OT session Bertand ended it beating Abitibi netminder Julien Deschenes at 3:27 in the second OT.
Devon Debastos played the third and overtimes in net for the Gold Miners and picked up the victory finishing with 16 saves.
Jesse Morin saw action the first two periods and ended up with 10 stops on 12 attempts.
Deschesnes turned aside 36 of 39 in a losing cause for Abitibi.
Preseason competition resumes tonight in Copper Cliff as the Nickel Barons and Bobcats finish up a home-and-home with a 7 p.m. start at McClelland Arena.
NOJHL exhibition play then wraps up this weekend in Elliot Lake with the first-ever Cottage Cup tournament featuring Blind River, North Bay, Sault Ste. Marie and the host Bobcats.
