Photos: Justin Cairns
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The surging Kirkland Lake Gold Miners got goals from five different players Friday night to help them defeat the Soo Eagles 5-3 in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action at Pullar Stadium.
The Gold Miners started the scoring seven minutes into the contest when Yosef Pievsky notched his initial league tally with a backhand over the glove of Eagles’ netminder Jett Loechler after the puck found him in behind the Sault Ste. Marie defence.
Tacking on another at 15:18, Lex Lamontagne made it 2-0 as he blasted in a one-timer after being teed up in the slot by Mason Brownlee.
Battling back in the second stanza, the Soo struck twice early to knot the affair at 2-2.
After Alex Harris picked up his first in the NOJHL at 2:04 by wiring one past Kirkland Lake’s Morgan Hyndman, Harmon Esch converted a minute and a half later with a quick snapshot in close after being set-up down low by Alex Povorozniouk.
The assist for Povorozniouk gives him points in six straight.
Coming back to take the lead at 7:36, Brownlee took a pass from Liam MacDonald below the goal line and buried it.
Going up by two again in the third, Gannon Neill clicked for the Gold Miners when while being upended managed to finish off his chance while falling to supply a highlight reel effort.
Getting back to within one midway through the session, Povorozniouk banged in his fifth by snagging an errant pass by a Kirkland Lake defender and moved to his right prior to completing his opportunity.
The Eagles then got their goalie out late to try and tie it and force overtime, but Magnus Veldman iced it with a long-range effort from his own zone to notch first NOJHL tally in rounding out the scoring.
With the outcome, the Gold Miners win their fourth straight and improve to 7-1-1-0 overall.
In defeat, the Eagles fall to 6-3-1-0.
