Photos: Justin Cairns
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Striking four times in the first period, including twice while shorthanded, sent the Soo Eagles on their way to a 7-1 triumph over the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners Friday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play at Pullar Stadium.
Scoring for a third time in two games, Samuel Gold put the Eagles in front nearly eight minutes into the matchup as he darted down the right wing with speed and fired a rising shot that Gold Miners’ goalkeeper Glen McInnes could not quite control before it rolled in.
Adding another while down a skater, Lucas Caulfield lifted the puck out of his own zone that found Alex Povorozniouk, who had got behind the Kirkland Lake defence, and went in alone on McInnes and neatly tucked in a backhand between his legs.
The Soo kept coming and went up 3-0 later in the session thanks to Carter Huskson as he stuffed in a rebound off an Ilian Danilov attempt from the slot.
Another man-down effort in the final minute saw Logan Stawizynski chase one down deep and fire a pass over to an open Anden Marceau who pumped a shot that leaked through McInnes and in.
In the second period, the Eagles added another at 10:59 when Stawizynski chipped one in from along the goal line that got by Kirkland Lake’s Brian Rathwell, who had entered the contest to begin the session.
They then saw Marceau connect once more by finishing off the leftovers off a Gold in-close opportunity.
Caulfield then put the Soo up by seven when he whipped in a shot from between the hash marks.
The Gold Miners eventually solved Eagles’ netminder Jace Knoerle in the final minute of the period as Mavrick Boucher notched his first NOJHL marker after taking a feed from the end boards by Tysen Anderson into the left circle that he quickly snapped in.
A scoreless final frame saw the Soo and Kirkland Lake shore things up defensively, with the Eagles having plenty to secure the victory.
The win sends the Eagles to a third win in four games as they improved to 7-13-0-1 overall.
With the loss, the Gold Miners have now dropped six in a row in falling to 5-11-0-2.
