NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE
Release Date: Saturday, Dec. 8, 2012
Thunderbirds and Bobcats come away with wins on Saturday
SUDBURY – A couple of close Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League contests saw the Soo Thunderbirds slip past the Abitibi Eskimos 3-1 while the Elliot Lake Bobcats needed overtime to edge Blind River 6-5.
SOO THUNDERBIRDS 3 ABITIBI ESKIMOS 1 – Adam Ritchie and Brandon Warmington had a goal and an assist apiece to help the hometown Thunderbirds skate past the visiting Eskimos.
Newcomer Yan Kalashnikov was credited with the game-winner, notching a second period marker in his first game in the line-up with his new club.
Corey Dubbeldam, with a first period power play effort, accounted for the lone Abitibi effort.
Joel Horodziejczyk made 15 stops to register the win for the Thunderbirds helping them move back into first place in the NOJHL standings, one point ahead of North Bay, improving to 18-13-2-2 overall.
Jackson Winkler was peppered with 44 shots in a losing cause for Abitibi as the fell to 9-13-01 while also seeing a three-game win streak come to an end.
ELLIOT LAKE BOBCATS 6 BLIND RIVER BEAVERS 5 (OT) – Steve Gaul scored 25 seconds into OT to give the Bobcats the road win at Blind River.
The two sides registered five goals in the opening period, including three by Elliot Lake with Billy Warren, Tyler Newsome and Henry Berge notching those markers. Countering for the Beavers was Brandon Bazinet and Adam Newkirk.
Blind River bounced back in the middle frame to snag a 5-4 cushion after 40 minutes on a pair of efforts by Tyson MacLeod along with a Paul Muio solo effort.
John Follmer connected for the Bobcats in the stanza.
Elliot Lake then forced extra time as Berger second of the night early in the third levelled the proceedings.
The score stayed that way until Gaul’s OT winner gave the Bobcats the extra point.
Cory Simic turned aside 44 shots in picking up the win while Aaron Cormier faced 47 pucks in helping his club pick up a point despite the loss.
The victory allowed Elliot Lake (7-15-0-2) to move into a tie for sixth place in the NOJHL with Blind River (5-14-2-4) as both clubs now sit on 25 points.
League play for the week wraps up Sunday as the Beavers entertain the Eskimos in a 2 p.m. start at the Blind River Community Centre.
