COCHRANE, Ont. – Vaughn LeDrew collected his first Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League victory and shutout Sunday afternoon as he blanked the Cochrane Crunch 6-0 Sunday in an inter-divisional get together at Tim Horton Event Centre.
A quick start for the Express saw them connect just over a minute into the match-up as Eric Barnard came down the left wing and ripped a shot under the cross bar that flew past Crunch netminder Michael Nickolau.
Espanola added another later in the period as they broke out on a two-on-one, while shorthanded, and saw Barnard saucer a pass over to Yan Bessette, who chipped one over the pad of the Cochrane goalkeeper.
It was more Bessette later as he notched his second of the stanza as he neatly redirected a shot from the point as part of a crowd jammed in front of the goal crease.
Heading to the middle session, the guests extended their lead midway through with Kobe Braham forcing a turnover, getting a chance on net that saw the rebound go to Ty McHutchion who reached a milestone, in depositing his 20th tally of the campaign.
The Express power play then helped them go up by five following 40 minutes with Joshua Romolo tucking one in from close range at 18:53 while his side was up a skater.
Braham then finished off the one-sided result by sending a shot from the slot off the post and in during a late power play to round out the day’s scoring.
