Photos: Northern Exposures Photography
ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. – Picking up a pair of goals from Michael Gallagher helped the Blind River Beavers go on to defeat the Elliot Lake Red Wings 5-1 in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action Friday at Centennial Arena.
Blind River started strong as a strong early forecheck helped Zane Burleigh put a shot on net that was knocked, but Gallagher was right there to sweep in his 10th tally of the season, in beating Elliot Lake starter Cameron Smith just 72 seconds into the proceedings.
Adding another before the first frame was eight minutes old, the Beavers used the cycle in the left corner that allowed Josh Tomasi to skate out and snap a shot from a sharp angle that flew into the upper portion of the top right hand corner to make it 2-0.
Snagging a turnover behind the goal line helped the visitors score once again when Jesse Dupuis fed Caleb Minns for a close-range strike at 15:49.
Picking up a fourth on the night, Blind River’s Evan Fraccaro wheeled out from the end boards, up to the blueline and back in before firing a shot that was neatly deflected in by Joshua Thompson parked in front.
Elliot Lake did answer with one of their own at 15:46 off a nice rush by Adam Matar that allowed him to put a pass in front that was steered in Nicholas Jermolenko past Beavers’ goaltender Gavin Disano.
Helping put the game away midway through the third, Gallagher took advantage of sprawling Smith and buried a rising wrist shot from the middle of the left circle for his second marker of the evening.
The win for Disano was his 10th of the season while his efforts helped Blind River improve to 21-7-2-2 overall.
With the loss, the Red Wings dipped to 12-17-1-1.
