Photos: Allyson Demers
KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – Nathan Harper’s second goal of the game, coming a half minute into overtime, was the difference as the surging Kirkland Lake Gold Miners came back from a three-tally deficit to upend the Hearst Lumberjacks 6-5 in a high-scoring Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League affair Sunday at Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
A solid start for the home side saw them benefit from an early turnover in the Lumberjacks’ end, which allowed Harper to fire a pass into the crease that Ben Guimaraes guided in with a backhand past netminder Jack Helkie, 31 seconds into the proceedings.
Answering with an equalizer four minutes later, Hearst’s Luc Warner wheeled into the Kirkland Lake zone and worked a nice give-and-go with Owen Kahl before whipping in his 11th of the campaign, that beat goaltender Asher Ammann.
The marker also sees Warner extend a point streak to nine straight outings, while with the second assist, Cameron Menard is now on an eight-game heater.
Capitalizing on both ends of a double-minor, Hearst saw Kahl wire one through the legs of Ammann from the right circle before Kadin Bilajbegovic tipped in a Kahl wrister from the point.
The Lumberjacks kept it going and notched another prior to the first period coming to a close as Menard picked up his league-leading 16th goal at 18:14 as ripped a shot with pace past the blocker of the Gold Miners’ netminder.
Looking to spark a comeback, Magnus Veldman brought the hosts closer 1:35 into the second stanza when the defenceman lifted one towards the target that clipped off a body on its way to net and landed in.
That gives Veldman points in seven straight contests.
More from Kirkland Lake a couple of shifts later, Mason Brownlee was credited with his eighth of the campaign.
Hearst’s special teams went to work again after that though as they notched a third on the man advantage when Theo Bourdon-Lemoyne zipped one upstairs from a sharp angle at 6:27.
Inching closer midway through the matchup, Brownlee bagged another as he took a drop pass from Fynn Manttari, worked his way to the middle and pumped it in.
Heading to the third period, the Gold Miners drew level halfway through the session as Harper worked his way down the left wing and wired in the equalizer.
Haper then won it early in OT as he led a solo rush up-ice from his own zone before moving into the Lumberjacks end and cutting around a defender prior to going in and depositing the game-winner to end it.
The triumph marks Ammann’s eighth straight victory to begin his NOJHL career, while also helping his side to improve to 12-2-1-0 overall.
Seeing a six-game win streak come to a close, Hearst still earns a point in defeat, while slipping to 10-5-1-0 on the season.
