NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE
Release Date: Friday, Nov. 9, 2012
Thunderbirds and Gold Miners Friday winners
SUDBURY – Friday evening in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League saw the Soo Thunderbirds and Kirkland Lake Gold Miners continue their torrid play with wins over Blind River and Elliot Lake respectively.
KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS 3 ELLIOT LAKE BOBCATS 2 (2OT) – Jean-Michel Naud’s goal 1:39 into the second overtime lifted the Gold Miners to the narrow victory over the visiting Bobcats.
Elliot Lake grabbed the lead with the lone tally of the opening period as Brad Hollman scored in the latter stages of the session.
A pair of quick markers by Frances Desforges and a shorthanded effort by Royce King saw Kirkland Lake take a 2-1 lead before the four-minute mark of the middle stanza.
It stayed that way until late in regulation when Henry Berger notched the equalizer with 23 seconds remaining in regulation.
Following a scoreless first five-minute OT period Naud ended it in the second extra time period slamming home the game-winner with the two teams going three skaters aside.
Marc Audet made 28 saves to register the victory for the Gold Miners who fired 30 shots on Cory Simic in the Bobcats net.
The victory raised Kirkland Lake’s record to 12-6-0-1 with first-year Elliot Lake falling to 3-12-0-1.
SOO THUNDERBIRDS 5 BLIND RIVER BEAVERS 2 – Dallas McLaughlin tallied twice and set-up another to help lead the league-leading Thunderbirds to their seventh consecutive triumph.
An offensive outburst by both squads in the opening frame saw each team find the back of the net twice with McLaughlin and Anthony Butorac scoring for the T-Birds and Tyler Brown and Scott Marshall countering for the Beavers.
Darcy Casola then fired the eventual game-winner 4:14 into the second period before McLaughlin added another marker five minutes later.
Derek Battagin round out the scoring with an empty-net goal with 33 seconds remaining in the contest.
Steven Dombrowski kicked out 27 pucks to secure the win for the Soo who had 28 attempts on Aaron Cormier in the Blind River net.
The Thunderbirds improved to 14-1-1-2 overall as they finished off a nine game home stand with an impressive 8-0-1 records while the Beavers dropped to 4-10-1-3 with the setback.
