NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2017
NOJHL’s regular season comes to a close as Timmins defeat Iroquois Falls
IROQUOIS FALLS, Ont. – The Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s 2016-17 regular season came to a close Wednesday evening at Jus Jordan Arena in Iroquois Falls as the visiting Timmins Rock defeated the hometown Eskis 9-5.
Timmns set the tone early in the contest grabbing a 3-0 lead after one period of play on goals from Jacob Shankar, Nicholas Hway and Jordan Rendle.
Action in the middle stanza saw Shadow Reuben bury his team-leading 32nd just 51 seconds in to put the Eskis on the board.
The power play allowed Iroquois Falls to pull within one at 10:44 thanks to a Ryan Gruszka.
However the Rock countered two minutes later thanks to a man advantage marker from Rendle, who supplied his second of the night and club-best 38th as part of a four-point evening.
Pressing the attack, Timmins tacked on two more before the session was complete on tallies by Bain Cunningham at even strength and Brant McClellan via the power play put the visitors up 6-2.
Jack Speer’s 10th brought the home side back to within three 66 seconds into the third as he connected with his team up a man.
After Wayne Mathieu made it 7-3 Rock teammate Cory Sprague upped the lead at 7:35 by striking shorthanded.
The Eskis’ Reuben raised his season tally total to 33 midway through the session, before Cunningham connected once for Timmins.
Morgan Scriber’s first NOJHL goal wrapped up the night’s scoring for Iroquois Falls with 89 seconds to go.
Kyle Sutherland had four assists in a losing cause for the Eskis.
Al Rogers started for Timmins and played half the game stopping 10 of 12 while Jeff Veitch picked up the win in relief handling 24 of the 27 shots he faced.
Trevor Hawkes suffered the setback in net for Iroquois Falls, facing 36 shots along the way.
The focus will now shift to the NOJHL playoffs, which get underway Friday as the Eskis visit the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners in Game 1 of their best-of-three East Division quarter-final.
The league’s other quarter-final also begins Friday with the Soo Eagles hosting the Elliot Lake Wildcats in the opener of that best-of-three affair at Pullar Stadium.
Both contests get underway at 7:30 p.m. and will be streamed live online at HockeyTV.com.
