Photos: Northern Lights Photography
HEARST, Ont. – A Riley Klugerman marker with 8:5 remaining in regulation proved to be the difference maker as the Hearst Lumberjacks went on to double up the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 4-2 in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action Friday at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.
Hometown Hearst opened the scoring just past the midway point of the first period on a play that saw Benjamin Thornley-Hall pinch in and get the puck to Zachary Demers, who quickly fed Mason Svarich in the slot, where he quickly whipped it by Kirkland Lake goaltender Ethan Barron.
The Gold Miners came right back to tie it two minutes later, via the power play, off some nice passing, then saw Luca Maiuri neatly deflect a low Taye Ladislao shot from the right point by Lumberjacks’ starter Ethan Dinsdale.
Striking quickly in the middle stanza, the visitors took the lead after a Hearst back pass hopped over the stick of a defender which allowed Chance DeBolt to swoop in and fire a shot by Dinsdale 31 seconds into the period.
A long-range feed from Liam Rampersad helped the hosts draw even eight minutes later as his pass sent Tyler Patterson in alone on a breakaway where he made no mistake in snapping one by Barron for his 23rd goal of 2022-23.
Knotted at 2-2 into the third period, Hearst got the game-winner with under nine minutes remaining when Klugerman kicked up a Demers’ pass with his skate then went on to tuck the puck into the opener corner on Barron.
Patterson then added some insurance with his second of the evening as he flagged down a blocked shot, then spun in front and slid his chance along the ice in to cap off the night’s scoring.
With the outcome it sees the Lumberjacks improve to 33-11-0-0 overall while the Gold Miners fell to 5-41-1-0.
The two teams are right back at it Saturday in Hearst at 7 p.m. and on HockeyTV.com.
