NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Cochrane crunches Powassan to take 3-0 series lead
POWASSAN – The Cochrane Crunch were firing on all offensive cylinders Tuesday evening scoring four times in each of the first two periods enroute to a 10-3 triumph over the Powassan Voodoos Tuesday evening in Game 3 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League East Division final at the Powassan Sportsplex.
With the win, Cochrane now leads the best-of-seven series 3-0 and will have a chance to close out the series and advance to their first-ever NOJHL final in Game 4, which goes back in Powassan Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
It was all Crunch on the opening 20 minutes as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead on markers by Cody Gratton, Dustin Cordeiro, Max Glashauser and Aviv Milner.
Gratton extended the visitors lead early in the second before Powassan got on the board at 6:15 of the middle frame on a Michael Silveri effort.
Milner’s second of the evening 63 seconds later put Cochrane back up by five while Gratton finished off a hat trick and Henry Berger added to the Crunch cushion with tallies less than a minute apart midway through the contest.
Powassan got one back at 12:20 of the session as Jake Staples connected on the power play for his team-leading 10th of the playoffs.
The Voodoos’ Nathaniel McLeod made it 8-3 five and half minutes into the third, but the Crunch put the game away in the latter stages on goals by Stavros Soilis and Ryan Fletcher to round out the scoring.
Cordeiro added three assists for Cochrane for a four-point night and the veteran forward leads all NOJHL skaters in postseason offensive production with 18 points on seven goals and 11 assists in nine games.
Josh Racek, Alex Dajia and Berger each chipped in with two helpers for the Crunch.
Brett Young started for Cochrane and picked up the win playing the first two periods making 19 saves while Ben Auger stopped nine of 10 in relief.
Jack Ondrovic started for Powassan and suffered the loss. Colton Point also saw action in the Voodoos net as the duo saw a combined 31 shots fired their way in defeat.
SERIES SCHEDULE
NOJHL East Division final
Cochrane Crunch vs. Powassan Voodoos
Crunch leads best-of-seven series 3-0
Game 1: Cochrane 7 Powassan 4
Game 2: Cochrane 6 Powassan 2
Game 3: Cochrane 10 Powassan 3
Game 4: Wednesday, April 1 @ Powassan 7:30 p.m. (Powassan Sportsplex)
Game 5*: Friday, April 3 @ Cochrane 7:30 p.m. (Tim Horton Event Centre)
Game 6*: Sunday, April 5 @ Powassan 7:30 p.m. (Powassan Sportsplex)
Game 7*: Tuesday, April 7 @ Cochrane 7:30 p.m. (Tim Horton Event Centre)
*-if necessary