NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Friday, March 27, 2015
Crunch take series opener vs. Voodoos
COCHRANE – The Cochrane Crunch broke open a tie game with three unanswered goals in the third period to defeat the Powassan Voodoos 7-4 Friday evening in Game 1 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League East Division final at the Tim Horton Event Centre.
Game 2 in this best-of-seven affair goes Saturday back in Cochrane at 8 p.m.
After testing each other out through the first seven minutes of the contest, the two sides showed their offensive upside in the next seven as they combined for four goals.
It was former Cochrane forward Jacob Erwin that got things going for Powassan as he notched the initial tally of the series.
The Crunch came right back 37 seconds later to knot it at 1-1 as Brandon Plourde picked up his first goal of the playoffs at 7:34.
Cochrane then took the lead 2:14 later courtesy of a Josh Racek effort only to see the Voodoos pull even at 13:12 thanks to Michael Silveri.
The second stanza saw the teams tack on two more each to send the squads into the intermission tied at 4-4.
The Crunch went in front early in the session when Jason Berube beat Powassan starter Matt Young, but the visitors’ Erwin picked up his second of the evening with a man advantage marker at 6:58.
Dylan Sakatch gave Cochrane their third lead of the night midway through the frame, however the Voodoos answered that at 15:21 on Powassan affiliate Eric Allair’s initial NOJHL postseason goal.
The Crunch went in front for a fourth time on the evening 95 seconds into the third as Henry Berger redirected a wrist shot near the blueline from ex-Powassan forwardStavros Soilis.
Cochrane’s big line of Cody Gratton, Dustin Cordeiro and Racek put the Crunch up by two with a splendid three-way passing play as Racek stole the puck off a Powassan defender then fired a crisp pass over the Cordeiro who promptly shovelled it over to an open Gratton, who tucked it past Matt Young in the Voodoos net at 9:14.
An opportunistic Cochrane side then put the game away in the latter stages of the stanza as Gratton stole the puck from an unsuspecting Powassan defenceman and quickly beat Young to round out the scoring.
Sakatch, Racek and Cordeiro each had two assists to the Crunch cause as did Kyle Moore and Nicolas Proulx for Powassan.
The Voodoos played the contest without NOJHL most valuable player and rookie of the year Steve Harland, who did not dress in the Game 1 setback.
Brett Young made 25 stops to pick-up the win as he improved to 5-2 in the postseason.
Matt Young faced 42 shots in defeat for Powassan, who now trail a series for the first time in the 2015 playoffs.
SERIES SCHEDULE
NOJHL East Division final
Cochrane Crunch vs. Powassan Voodoos
Crunch leads best-of-seven series 1-0
Game 1: Cochrane 7 Powassan 4
Game 2: Saturday, March 28 @ Cochrane 8 p.m. (Tim Horton Event Centre)
Game 3: Tuesday, March 31 @ Powassan 7:30 p.m. (Powassan Sportsplex)
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
