VIDEO / GALLERY: Strong finish leads Gold Miners over Crunch

Photos: Allyson Demers

KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners rode the strength of three third period goals to pull out a 4-2 victory over the visiting Cochrane Crunch Wednesday in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League contest at Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.

Kirkland Lake also began the night’s scoring, midway through the first period.

It happened when William Neeld wheeled into the Cochrane zone against multiple defenders, then spun in the left circle, where he fired a rising shot that Crunch netminder Jake Dubinsky could only get a piece of before it bounced high over him then eventually slid into the net.

Drawing even in prior to the first intermission, Nathan MacDonald won a faceoff deep in Gold Miners’ territory, then saw Yenry Jibb push it ahead, where MacDonald collected the puck and fired it by goalkeeper Braydon Garnhart.

Moving to the middle stanza, Cochrane went in front as they broke out in numbers and saw Jibb come down the left wing and set-up MacDonald going to the net where he snapped a shot past the blocker of Garnhart at 10:23.

Drawing even themselves, near the seven-minute mark of the third, Taye Ladislao made a nice dash into the Cochrane end and ripped one into the left corner.

Regaining the lead for good, the Gold Miners’ Alex McDonald found himself free at the top of the crease and had a couple of cracks at before lifting one over the pad of the outstretched pad of Dubinsky for the eventual game-winner.

Kirkland Lake kept coming and notched another at 11:23 when Benjamin Armatage made a crisp cross-ice pass across to Nolan Ouellette, who quickly finished off his first NOJHL tally with a wrister from the left side.

Cochrane got their goalie out late in the frame in attempt to pull closer, but the Gold Miners held firm to win for a second straight outing versus the Crunch.

The triumph helped Kirkland Lake improve to 7-45-1-1 on the season while Cochrane slipped to an identical 7-45-1-1 record.

“Highlight of the Night” – NOJHL YouTube Channel