TIMMINS, Ont. – A superb end-to-end dash up ice by Matteo Paradiso led to him scoring the game-winning goal in impressive fashion, 21 seconds into overtime, as the Timmins Rock held off a Blind River Beavers comeback bid with a dramatic 5-4 victory in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Sunday matinee at McIntyre Arena.
While the Rock generated more attempts to the target in the first period, it was the visiting Beavers who notched the lone tally of the session.
On it, Blind River defenceman Julian Young took a feed back to the point from Wyatt Jarratt and worked his way along the blueline to the middle before sending a rising shot to the net that eluded a screened Ayden Mullen.
Action in a goal-filled second stanza saw the teams combine for six markers, including four from Timmins.
The Rock tied it five and a half minutes in when Maxx Hamelin took a feed in front from down low courtesy of Thomas Ranger and whipped in his team-leading 13th goal of the campaign.
With the assist for Ranger he picked up his first NOJHL point.
Later, the home side picked up a trio of tallies in rapid succession to go up 4-1.
Evan Katic, on the power play at 13:14, saw him work his way in front and snap a shot through Beavers’ netminder Édouard Blais.
Another from Hamelin a minute and a half later had him get just enough on an attempt to get it into the net in collecting his 14th overall.
Then Katic scored again moments later as he managed to jam in a loose puck between the pad of Blais and the post.
Battling back, Blind River pumped in two of their own to pull back to within one heading into the final frame.
Caleb Walker at 17:03 saw him lift in a second chance after being set-up by Alex Ivanov.
Off that, Braden Yudt scored on the next shift as he neatly redirected in an Austin Schultz right point blast by Mullen.
Pulling even past the midway portion of the third to help force extra time saw Yudt reach back and deposit the equalizer off a rebound generated off the stick of Austin Roberts.
Timmins did eventually prevail early in OT when Paradiso started out behind his own net then went on a coast-to-coast dash before driving into the Blind River zone with pace and splitting the defence prior to proceeding to tuck the game-winner, with a backhand, through the legs of Blais to end it.
Paradiso and Katic both extended point streak to five apiece in the triumph.
With the win, the Rock improved to 11-4-0-1 overall, while with a point in defeat, the Beavers slipped to 8-8-2-0.
Game Photos:
Thomas Perry – The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
