NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Friday, Sept. 4, 2015
Nixon’s 44 saves helps Rock hold off Crunch
TIMMINS – Matthew Nixon stopped 44 of the 46 shots he faced to help the Timmins Rock hold off the Cochrane Crunch 3-2 Friday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League preseason action at McIntyre Arena.
Special teams allowed Timmins to open the scoring eight minutes into the contest as Jordan Rendle scored on the power play with Andrew Castagna and Kealey Cummings picking up assists.
The Rock then went up a pair midway through the first as Devin Panzeca added an unassisted effort.
Cochrane fired 17 pucks at Nixon in the opening session, but only managed to get one by him, which came courtesy of Kyle smith at 16:57.
The Crunch would knot the affair with 7:12 to go in the middle stanza as Hunter Atchison finished off the work of Seamus Maguire and Jeran Knorr.
It stayed tied at 2-2 until the 9:12 mark of the final frame when Tristan Salesse buried the game-winner during a man advantage opportunity.
Nixon kicked out all 13 attempts he saw in the third to help the Rock pick up the win.
Brett Young, was equally as solid in the Cochrane net as he turned aside 37 of 40 shots in defeat.
A trio of NOJHL exhibition games are on tap Saturday as the Elliot Lake Wildcats will be in Sault Ste. Marie to play a doubleheader when they take on the Soo Eagles at 1 p.m. followed by an 8 p.m. encounter with the Soo Thunderbirds.
Both of those match-ups will be held at John Rhodes Community Centre.
Also Saturday the Blind River Community Centre will be the site as the Beavers entertain the Espanola Express at 7:30 p.m.
