GALLERY: Miners edge Crunch to extend series

KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – With their season on the line the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners came up clutch as they edged the Cochrane Crunch 2-1 Saturday evening in Game 4 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League East Division semifinal at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.

The victory sees the Gold Miners’ trim the deficit in their best-of-seven series vs. the Crunch to 3-1 with Game 5 going Sunday at 7 p.m. in Cochrane.

Saturday’s match-up saw the visitors open the scoring 11:17 into the contest thanks to a Zach Hayes man advantage marker.

Kirkland Lake answered with the equalizer less than five minutes later as Sam Ellwood struck shorthanded to knot the affair at 1-1 after one.

Following a scoreless middle session, the Gold Miners picked up the game-winner at 6:24 of the third period off the stick of Joe Whittet.

Ryan Winter made 33 saves to record the win for Kirkland Lake while Shayne Battler faced 22 attempts in defeat for the Crunch.

NOJHL Playoffs

Series D
East Division semifinal
No. 2 Cochrane Crunch vs. No. 3 Kirkland Lake Gold Miners
Cochrane leads best-of-seven series 3-1
Game 1: Cochrane 5 Kirkland Lake 3
Game 2: Cochrane 4 Kirkland Lake 2
Game 3: Cochrane 8 Kirkland Lake 0
Game 4: Kirkland Lake 2 Cochrane 1
Game 5: Sunday, March 25 @ Cochrane 7 p.m. (Tim Horton Event Centre)
Game 6*: Tuesday, March 27 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (JMCC)
Game7*: Wednesday, March 28 @ Cochrane 7 p.m. (THEC)
*- if necessary

Photos courtesy of  CapturingTheMoment.ca