ESPANOLA, Ont. – The Espanola Paper Kings rode the strength of three power play goals to help them defeat the Timmins Rock 6-3 Friday night in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League get together at the Regional Recreation Complex.
A two-man advantage helped Espanola start the scoring nine minutes into the match-up as Lucas Signoretti had time and moved in off a Spencer Horgan cross-ice feed and wired a shot high over the glove of Timmins’ netminder Patrick Boivin.
Adding another at 12:51 the Paper Kings took a 2-0 lead after one period when Horgan picked off a clearing attempt and dashed in a few strides before burying his opportunity.
On the power play heading to the middle frame, the Rock clicked 20 seconds into the stanza when Liam Wells chipped a loose puck over the stick of Espanola’s Jake Marois, who just before robbed Harry Clark with a diving save.
Plenty of action in the final minute if the second saw each team connect to make it 3-2 after two.
Another from Signoretti saw him steer in a pass across from Blake Peters-Davey at 19:20, only to see Jack Anderson counter for Timmins just before the frame came to a close, with his initial NOJHL marker, as he jammed in a second chance under Marois.
In the third, Horgan added a man advantage effort at 5:18 as he took a feed from Liam Rampersad and snapped it home from the right circle for the eventual game-winner.
Espanola then notched another via the power play, two and a half minutes later, thanks to Graydon Guthrie, who reached across and tucked in a loose puck lying near the goal line.
Thomas Beard did get one more back for the guests midway through the session as he wired a shot off the cross bar and in from the high slot.
In the end though, the Paper Kings finished off the win late when Liam McDonald sent one from just his side of centre into an empty net to wrap things up.
With the victory, Espanola moves to 5-2-0-0 overall and Timmins dropped to 3-3-1-0.
