TIMMINS, Ont. – A fortunate bounce deep in regulation left Cameron Kosurko with a tap in with two and a half minutes remaining and proved to be the game-winner as the Timmins Rock went on to top the Cochrane Crunch 4-2 in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action Saturday at McIntyre Arena in front of 1,089 fans.
The first period saw Timmins hold a big edge in shots, but it was the visiting Crunch who opened the scoring eight and a half minutes into the match-up on an Owen Perala effort.
Countering, the Rock came back with the equalizer at 9:23 when Stewart Parnell notched his 19th of the season to knot the affair at 1-1 after one.
In the second stanza, Cochrane regained the lead early on as Tyson Moore connected at 1:43 to put the guests back in front as they carried that narrow lead into the second intermission.
Timmins came back to tie it once more with another one from Parnell, who reached the 20-goal plateau for the first time in a single season, at 7:37.
Then with overtime looming, the Rock dumped it into Crunch territory from the neutral zone, but when Cochrane netminder Zach Wickson left his crease to play the puck, it took a crazy hop right over his stick right to an open Kosurko, who tapped in the difference maker from two feet.
The visitors then pulled Wickson in the final minute for the equalizer, but the Rock’s Josh Dickson iced it with an empty netter just before time expired the secure the home ice victory.
The Rock out shot the Crunch 33-11 with Vance Meyer picking up the win while Wickson suffered the setback.
Game Photos courtesy of Thomas Perry, The Daily Press (Timmins)