Game Photos: Chelsea Solomon
ESPANOLA, Ont. – Soo Eagles forward Seth Ferguson tallied twice and dished out an assist to help his side skate past the Espanola Express 6-3 in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League contest Friday at the Regional Recreation Complex.
A couple of first period power play markers accounted for each side scoring once in the opening 20 minutes.
Ben Couvier got the Express on track at 13:26 as he finished off a Nicholas Toffoli chance while parked to the right of Sault Ste. Marie netminder Ryan Gilmore.
Going to the man advantage themselves moments later, the Eagles tied it when Chris Van Tighem made a crisp cross-ice pass over to a waiting Trevor Davis who promptly buried his first NOJHL goal.
Heading to the second stanza, Espanola had a bouncing puck just skip past the Soo net and allowed the visitors come right down the ice and see Ferguson roof a shot from the left wing on goalkeeper Patrick Boivin.
However, the hosts did get the equalizer early into a power play that saw Caleb Resch convert from the point as he moved to mid-ice and snapped in a long-range attempt that was partially screened.
Regaining the lead early in the third while up a skater, Ferguson bagged his second if the night as he went upstairs from a sharp angle on Boivin.
The Soo then added their third extra-man goal with Zachary Briskey winning a battle in front and jamming in a chance to pick up his second of the season with 12 minutes to go.
Making it 4-3, Yan Bessette of the Express eventually put in a Hunter Berry previous attempt at 10:55.
However, a fourth power play marker helped the Soo go back up by two as Marc LaFrance went top shelf from the high slot four minutes later.
The Eagles’ Tanner Balsitis then put the game away a couple of shifts later as he got a piece of a Nicholas Castillo shot from the right side that changed direction enough to elude Boivin.
Gilmore finished with 33 stops to record the win for the Soo.
Espanola’s Boivin made 37 saves in a losing cause while back-up Vaughan LeDrew played the final 12 minutes and handled seven of the nine chances he faced in relief.
