Photos: Hélène Rancourt
BLIND RIVER, Ont. – Ryder Hill’s second goal of the game, coming 4:16 into the third period, proved to be the game-winner as the Blind River Beavers got past the road-weary Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 5-3 in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Sunday matinee at the Blind River Community Centre.
The Beavers began the scoring three and a half minutes into the matchup as Alex Ivanov darted out of his own zone with speed and opted to shoot while darting down the left wing on a two-on-one and ripped a shot upstairs on Gold Miners’ goalkeeper Morgan Hyndman.
Coming back to tie it on the afternoon’s initial man advantage opportunity, Kirkland Lake’s Yosef Pievsky jammed in a loose puck laying in the crease off a Thomas Hudon attempt from the top of the right circle that eluded netminder Édouard Blais.
Going up a skater themselves, Blind River went back in front at 7:01, thanks to Hill, as he snapped one in through a crowd while situated to the right of a screened Hyndman.
That is now part of a five-game point streak for Hill.
The visitors came back to pull even once more, 12:21 into the second stanza, when Hudon kept a clearing attempt in the Beavers zone that led to Gannon Neill sending a shot to the target that was credited to Matthew Neuman on a tip-in.
A late extra-man effort gave the home side their third lead of the day when a Julian Young chance from the point was tipped wide, but the puck came right out on the other side where a waiting Ivanov slammed it in.
Heading to the third, another equalizer saw the guests knot the score once more as Mavrik Boucher worked a give-and-go up high with Magnus Veldman before firing a shot that few past the blocker of Blais during a power play.
Continuing to go back and forth, Blind River got their fourth lead at 4:16, compliments of Hill, who banged in a pass from Bond.
Getting their goaltender out for an additional skater with a minute and a half to go, the Gold Miners pushed to tie it and force overtime.
However, the Beavers’ Camden Cowan helped secure the victory as he pressured a turnover at the Kirkland Lake blueline then went in and with one hand on his stick, put one into the empty net to finish it off.
The result raises Blind River’s record to 6-6-0-0 and after playing their fifth contest in six days, the Gold Miners see a five-game winning streak come to an end, dropping to 8-2-1-0 overall.
