IROQUOIS FALLS, Ont. – An early power play goal and two third-period shorthanded markers helped the French River Rapids top the Iroquois Falls Storm 5-2 Friday in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League get together at Jus Jordan Arena.
Going to work on the night’s first man advantage, French River took the lead 4:41 in as Joey Stiles ripped a shot through traffic into the left corner that eluded Iroquois Falls starter Virgil Sausset-Plateaux.
The Rapids weren’t done there as they banged in two more to go up 3-0 before the contest was nine minutes old.
Jeremy Clark got their second as he whipped one in from distance at the left point, moments after the Stiles tally.
Their third came at 8:23 when Jacob Cantin raced out of his own zone and from outside the Storm blueline sent a shot off the end boards that bounced out front and off of Sausset-Plateaux and into the net.
That resulted in Alex Hall coming in to take over the goaltending duties for the home side.
Up a skater to begin the middle session, Lucas Peever put the home side on the board 36 seconds in as he redirected in an Aiden Bevan point blast that got past French River’s Keiran Caughran.
Striking shorthanded right off the draw to begin the third period, the Rapids’ Tristan Kitchen picked off a pass attempt by a Storm skater then raced in and scored on Hall.
Moving back to within two at 17:59, Peever blasted one from the left circle that hit the skate of teammate Jacob Demers, changed direction then found its way in.
However, French River picked up another man down effort in the final minute off a two-on-one that saw Michael Morascyzk set-up Bryson Villeneuve, who snapped it in to secure the road result.
With the win, the Rapids move to 4-16-0-0 and in defeat the Storm sink to 8-10-0-2 overall.
