NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013
Thunderbirds and Rivermen skate to Wednesday wins
SUDBURY – Two games on the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League docket Wednesday night saw the Soo Thunderbirds drop the Sudbury Nickel Barons 5-1 while the Espanola Rivermen dumped the Elliot Lake Bobcats 6-1.
SOO THUNDERBIRDS 5 SUDBURY NICKEL BARONS 1 – The Thunderbirds got a pair of goals and an assist from Gavin Burbach to defeat the Nickel Barons at McClelland Arena.
Following a scoreless first period Sault Ste. Marie went up 2-1 after the second session getting markers from Anthony Miller and Eric Hillock sandwiched around one by Sudbury’s Nathan Shane.
Burbach added some insurance for Sault Ste. Marie in the final frame to put the game away as he tallied twice with Shane snow picking up helpers on both markers.
Riley Bordin notched another for good measure to put the outcome no longer in doubt.
Darcy Haines chipped in with two assists for the T-Birds as he faced his former club for the first time while extending a consecutive game point streak to seven.
Briant Kment turned aside 21 shots to pick up the win with Andrew Lefebvre suffering the setback allowing five against on 42 attempts.
With the victory the Thunderbirds improved to 24-4-0-2 while the Nickel Barons fell to 7-17-0-4.
ESPANOLA RIVERMEN 6 ELLIOT LAKE BOBCATS 1 – The visiting Rivermen stormed out to a four-goal lead and coasted from there as the skated past the Bobcats at Centennial Arena.
Ryan Theriault, Duane Wainman, Nathan Campbell and Brad Edwards all connected for Espanola in the opening frame chasing Elliot Lake starter Alex Bitsakis by the 18-minute mark of the first.
Newcomer Christian Lea struck on the power play at 18:58 of the first to give the home side a lift heading into the middle stanza.
The Rivermen answered back however netting the only two markers of the middle stanza to go up five after 40 minutes with Robert Smythe and Brandon Janke both beating Etienne Roy, who had come in to replace Bitsakis.
Neither side would score in the third to conclude the contest as the Rivermen improved to 18-10 on the campaign while the Bobcats slipped13-11-0-3.
Marc Terriault finished with 38 saves on the night in securing the win.
Bitsakis suffered the loss allowing four against on 14 shots while Roy saved 19 of 21 in relief.
