NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE
Release Date: Friday, March 15, 2013
Round 1 Playoff Preview: Series C – No. 4 Kirkland Lake Gold Miners vs. No. 5 Blind River Beavers
SUDBURY — The following is a preview of the round 1 Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League playoff series between the No. 4 Kirkland Lake Gold Miners and No. 5 Blind River Beavers.
This best-of-seven affair gets underway this evening in Kirkland Lake as the Gold Miners host Blind River in a 7:30 p.m. at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
Game 2 goes Saturday and also features a 7:30 p.m. puck drop at “The Joe.”
From there the series shifts to the Community Centre in Blind River for games 3, 4 and if necessary 5, March 21, 22 and 23 respectively.
Each of those contests has a start time of 7 p.m.
Should the series go to a sixth or seventh game they would be played back in Kirkland Lake on March 26-27 at 7:30 p.m.
While the Gold Miners finished 19 points ahead of the Beavers in the regular season standings, four the match-ups the two sides had were decided by only one goal. Two of those contests required overtime before a winner was determined while another ended in a 1-1 double OT draw.
The Gold Miners did hold a 5-2-1 edge overall to claim the season set and also held a narrow margin in total goals scored at 25 to 23.
Pacing Kirkland Lake in offensive production against Blind River during the regular campaign was Jordan Briand, who found the back of the net three times and also dished out five assists.
With seven points, including a team-high six goals, Steven Babin was next on the squad in numbers vs. the Beavers followed by Jeremy Picard-Fiset and Jean-Michel Naud with five apiece.
Babin was also a key cog on special teams as well connecting for a league-best 15 power play goals during the overall 2012-13 campaign.
Chris Komma saw most of the action in net for the Miners as the NOJHL leader in minutes played this season, at just under 2,302, posted a 4-1-1 mark over Blind River.
As for the Beavers, their dynamic duo of Samuel Wilbur and Corey McEwen led the club offensively vs. K-Lake.
Wilbur, who finished fifth in league scoring with 55 points, had seven of them against the Gold Miners.
As for McEwen, he too finished in the 10 overall ending up tied for seventh with 48 points of which seven came against their first round postseason opponent.
The trio of Tyson MacLeod, Jesse Berthiaume and Paul Muio meanwhile all chipped in with six points each.
Brock Crossthwaite started the last two games of the season series for Blind River picking up a 4-3 win along with a 2-1 overtime defeat.
This marks the first time that the Gold Miners and Beavers will have met in the playoffs.
Series C
No. 4 Kirkland Lake Gold Miners vs. No. 5 Blind River Beavers
Best-of-seven series
Schedule
Game 1: Friday, March 15 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac)
Game 2: Saturday, March 16 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac)
Game 3: Thursday, March 21 @ Blind River 7 p.m. (Community Centre)
Game 4: Friday, March 22 @ Blind River 7 p.m. (Community Centre)
Game 5*: Saturday, March 23 @ Blind River 7 p.m. (Community Centre)
Game 6*: Tuesday, March 26 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac)
Game 7*: Wednesday, March 27 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac)
*-If necessary
