Photos: Cassy Seguin
FRENCH RIVER – Cole Miller’s first Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League goal, coming five minutes into the third period, held up as the game-winner as the Hearst Lumberjacks skated to an eventual 5-2 triumph over the French River Rapids Saturday at Noelville Arena.
A giveaway off an attempted play around the boards left Hearst’s Aiden Kalin a wide-open net to deposit his 12th tally of the campaign, to give the visitors the lead at 9:15 of the first period.
French River tied it late in the frame as Tucker Roberts grabbed the rebound off a Michael Christopoulos chance and whipped it past Lumberjacks netminder Owen Bonthuis.
Heading to the second stanza, Hearst went back on top, eight and a half minutes in, when Bronson Babyak spotted Liam Boswell driving down the slot where he took the pass and wired it into the top right-hand corner by Rapids’ goaltender Carter Vicente.
Answering from behind once more, French River’s Hunter Vilanez benefitted from a turnover that allowed him to dart in a sizzle a shot through the legs of Bonthuis to knot the affair at 2-2.
Going back on top five minutes into the third, Miller pressured a play off a Rapids skater in the neutral zone and darted where he put one top shelf.
Hearst then went up by two when Mathieu Comeau sent a long-range, shorthanded attempt down the length of the ice into an empty net.
Another empty netter from distance capped off the road result for the Lumberjacks when Jean-Pierre Audras lifted a backhand off the glass from his own zone the sailed all the way into the vacant French River net to round out the scoring.
The win raises Hearst’s record to 15-5-0-1 while the setback drops French River to 6-11-1-2.
