Gold Miners, Thunderbirds and Eskimos Saturday winners

NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE

NOJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE

Release Date: Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012

Gold Miners, Thunderbirds and Eskimos Saturday winners

SUDBURY, Ont. – It was a night for the home teams in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Friday as the North Bay Trappers and Elliot Lake Bobcats posted victories.

KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS 4 SUDBURY NICKEL BARONS 2 – After dropping their first game of the season Wednesday the Nickel Barons lost for a second consecutive outing as they were doubled up by the Gold Miners.

Jordan Briand opened the scoring for Kirkland Lake as he notched the lone goal of the opening period.

The Gold Miners extended their lead to 2-0 after 40 minutes courtesy of a power play marker by Jonathon Dionne in the late stages of the middle stanza.

Bradley Bell cut the deficit in half four minutes in the third period with a man advantage shot that beat Kirkland Lake netminder Chris Komma.

Steven Babin restored the two-goal cushion with a power play goal of his own at 8:44 while Gordie Sinclair buried an unassisted effort with 8:25 to go to make it 4-1.

The NOJHL’s leading point producer in Darcy Haines pulled Sudbury closer with a power play blast in the late going to round out the scoring.

Komma made 25 saves to record the win while Michael Muzyka faced 23 attempts in a losing cause.

SOO THUNDERBIRDS 6 ELLIOT LAKE BOBCATS 4 – The defending NOJHL champion Thunderbirds got two goals and an assist from Josh Brogen to help lead them to the road triumph in Elliot Lake.

The sides combined for five tallies in the opening period with the Soo holding a 3-2 lead after 20 minutes.

Borgen, on the power play, Derek Battigan, at even strength, and Darcy Casola, shorthanded, scored for the T-Birds with Henry Berger and John Follmer countering for the Bobcats.

The teams then entered the second intermission knotted at 4-4 thanks to tallies by Kyle MacDonald and Dustin Cordeiro of Elliot Lake and Sault Ste. Marie’s Tyler Jones.

Joseph Douba notched the eventual game-winner for the visitors in the early stages of the final frame while Borgen capped off his three-point night by adding some insurance in the late going.

Steven Dombrowski made 31 saves in picking up the win for the Soo who improved to 6-1-1-1 on the season.

Cory Simic face 41 shots in a losing cause for the Bobcats who dipped to 2-7 on the campaign.

ABITIBI ESKIMOS 6 BLIND RIVERS BEAVERS 3 – Richard Therrien had a big night for the Eskimos by firing a hat-trick and dishing out a pair of assists to help Abitibi move back into sixth spot in the NOJHL standings with the victory over Blind River.

It was a low-scoring contest for two periods with the Eskimos Zach Innes scoring in the opening period and Therrien, on a second stanza power play, accounting for the tallies.

The final frame saw the teams explode for seven goals in just over a seven-minute span in a flurry of offensive activity.

After Kevin Walker made it 3-0 Eskies at 2:21, Paul Muio put the Beavers on the board 28 seconds later.

Undaunted Abitibi roared back with three markers 3:40 apart with Peter Poulin-Roy setting up all three of them as part of a four-helper evening to put the visitors in command.

Therrien had two of the tallies for the Eskimos with Kevin Walker notching the other.

Tyson MacLeod and Mackauly Melanson capped off the goal-scoring barrage to bring the Beavers closer, but the game would end without any further production.

Shots on goal were 45-45 apiece with Etienne Roy securing the victory and Brandon Currie being saddled with the loss.

League play for the week concludes Sunday on two fronts as Elliot Lake heads to North Bay for a 2 p.m. start while the Soo Thunderbirds are at home to take on Abitibi at 3 p.m.