Gold Miners’ Babin, Trappers’ Orser pivotal in Saturday victories

NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE

NOJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE

Release Date: Saturday, Feb. 16, 2013

Gold Miners’ Babin, Trappers’ Orser pivotal in Saturday victories

SUDBURY – It was a pair of contrasting results in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Saturday with the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners requiring overtime to edge the Blind River Beavers 2-1 in a tightly contest game while the other match-up saw the North Bay Trappers’ Beau Orser dish out seven assists in a season-high 11-3 romp over the Abitibi Eskimos.

KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS 2 BLIND RIVER BEAVERS 1 (OT) – Steven Babin’s second goal of the night, 4:19 into the first overtime was the decider as the Gold Miners pulled out the win at Blind River.

After a scoreless opening stanza, the Beaver’s Corey McEwen connected on the power play early in the second period as he notched his team-leading 19th marker of the season at 2:44.

His effort allowed him to extend a modest point streak to four games in the process.

McEwen has also registered at least one point in 17 of his past 19 outings.

Babin would level the proceedings before the session was out as he too tallied during a man advantage, beating Brock Crossthwaite with1:13 to go.

After the final frame solved nothing allowing each club to secure a point in the standings, it was Babin who was the OT hero to give his side the extra point in the contest helping his club improve to 22-16-2-3 overall.

Jean-Francoise Sylvestre dished out a pair of assists to help aid the Miners’ offensive cause.

Chris Komma made 32 stops in picking up the win.

Crossthwaite faced 29 shots in a losing cause as the Beavers record went to 11-23-2-5.

Kirkland Lake wraps up a three-game weekend road swing Sunday with a 2 p.m. matinee at Elliot Lake’s Centennial Arena.

NORTH BAY TRAPPERS 11 ABITIBI ESKIMOS 3 – It was a monster night for North Bay’s Beau Orser who was credited with seven assists as the Trappers rolled over the Eskimos.

Both teams came out firing in the opening period with each side tallying three times.

Scoring for North Bay were Brennen Dubchak, Graham Pickard and Cole Klippenstein while Wyatt Trumbley, Zach Innes and Daniel Villeneuve countered for Abitibi.

It was all North Bay after that as they exploded for eight unanswered markers, including six in the middle stanza alone.

Notching those efforts were Connor Gilmartin, Duane Wainman, Samuel Blanchet, Brandon Janke, Tait Seguin and Dubchak in the second with Daniel Carter and Carter Horwitz replying in the third.

Greg Dodds played the first two periods in net for the Trappers and picked up the win finishing with 18 saves.

Dustin Hummel turned aside all four attempts he faced in 20 minutes of relief.

Jackson Winkler started for Abitibi and suffered the loss allowing six goals on 20 shots with Jeremy Laux seeing 17 pucks in nearly 36 minutes of action.

Orser’s offensive outburst also saw him extend a point streak to four games as the North Bay defenceman has also got on the score sheet in seven of his past eight contests.

The 11 total goals scored by North Bay is not only the most by the team this season, it is also marks the highest number tallied by any NOJHL club so far in the 2012-13 campaign.

With the win North Bay moves into a first place tie in the league standings with the Soo Thunderbirds at 62 points apiece.

The Trappers also hold two games in hand on the Thunderbirds and will go in search of sole possession of top spot Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. as they host Blind River at the Memorial Gardens.

Abitbi dropped to 12-25-0-2 with the defeat having lost seven straight games.