NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Friday, Jan. 22, 2016
Hepler, MacLean, Lopez lead Elliot Lake over French River
ELLIOT LAKE, Ont. – Cole Hepler and Spencer MacLean both had hat tricks and registered five and four points respectively while Chad Lopez dished out five assists to help send the Elliot Lake Wildcats past the French River Rapids 9-2 Friday in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up at Centennial Arena.
French River did come out quickly and notch the night’s opening tally with Bret McInall supplying his 12th goal of the season 82 seconds into the contest.
Elliot Lake countered however and struck three times before the first was complete on a Ty Hannaford effort and a pair from MacLean.
After Curtis Rawn made it 4-1 Wildcats 6:11 into the second, MacLean secured his third of the evening six and a half minutes later.
Hepler tacked on a couple in final stanza before Ian Robbie contributed his fifth of the campaign for the Rapids midway through the session.
The Wildcats then finished off the scoring with one more from Hepler, on the power play, and the game’s final goal from Nathan Campbell at 16:57 to finish things off.
Hepler’s big night saw him extend a consecutive game point streak to 15.
Aaron Mackay made 16 saves to pick-up the win for Elliot Lake.
Zach Mills started for French River and suffered the loss allowing three against on five shots in 9:41 of playing time.
Alec St-George saw 33 pucks put his way in relief for the Rapids.
