Photos: Rob Fera – Points North Media
SUDBURY, Ont. – The Iroquois Falls Storm saw Simon Lemieux score once shorthanded, another via the power play and a final effort at even strength as part of a 6-3 victory versus the Espanola Paper Kings Wednesday to begin Day 2 competition at the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Showcase at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
It was Espanola that began the scoring when Carter Trudell connected nearly five minutes into the proceedings as he chipped in a loose puck laying in the blue paint off an Isaac Bandoo attempt from high on the left side.
Bandoo then made it 2-0 later in the frame as he took a cross-ice pass from Carter McAllister and snapped a shot that got through Storm starter Keenan Connely.
Iroquois Falls got on the board prior to the first intermission when Noah Logan stuffed in a rebound on Paper Kings’ netminder Mason Janicki off a Niko Lessard shot from between the circles.
Tying it with a shorthanded buzzer beater, Lemieux rushed up ice from his own zone on a two-on-one and elected to shoot and wired his chance past Janicki at 19:58.
With the tally, he extends a consecutive game point streak to six.
Heading to the middle stanza, the Storm took the lead on a man advantage as Lemieux worked a give-and-go with Brady Walker, then moved into the slot where he wired one over Janicki’s blocker for his second of the game.
Coming right back, Espanola made it 3-3 on a delayed penalty when an attempt to the net hit Zachary Grahn, who had been knocked down by a defender in the crease, to knot the score.
Hitting his hat trick with over a half a game to go, Lemieux converted as his dash up the ice saw him split the Paper Kings’ defence and tuck in a backhand.
That sees him become the first player in the NOJHL to reach 10 goals on the campaign.
Going to work on the power play midway through the third period, Arthur Seamus McCown tallied twice in a 19-second span to put Iroquois Falls in control.
His initial marker came from the left circle as he cranked a one-timer after being set-up by Alexander St. Pierre.
McCown then bagged another moments later with his side still up a skater as his impressive individual dash saw him fly down the left wing with speed, then power his way to the net that he took wide and tucked in on Janicki to wrap-up the scoring in the penalty-filled contest.
Picking up Player of the Game recognition for each club was Lemieux and Grahn.
