Top teams keep pace with Sunday wins

NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE

NOJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE

Release Date: Sunday, Feb. 10, 2013

Top teams keep pace with Sunday wins

SUDBURY – The top two teams in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League standings kept pace with each other as the front-running Soo Thunderbirds defeated the Abitibi Eskimos 7-4 while the second place North Bay Trappers needed double overtime to edge the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 3-2.

NORTH BAY TRAPPERS 3 KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS 2 (2OT) – Tait Seguin’s second goal of the game with 1:26 remaining in the second OT lifted North Bay into the come from behind victory over visiting Kirkland Lake.

Tanner Lafrance put the Gold Miners on top with the only tally of the opening period.

Seguin leveled the score 7:43 into the second stanza only to see Dustin Jesseau put Kirkland Lake back on top after 40 minutes.

The Trappers forced extra time, on the power play, with 3:04 to go in regulation as Cole Klippenstein ripped home the equalizer.

After a scoreless first OT session Seguin was the hero for North Bay as he struck unassisted to give his side the win.

Greg Dodds made 43 saves to pick up the win as the Trappers improved to 26-6-3-3 on the season.

Chris Komma had 31 stops helping his side salvage a point with the result as Kirkland Lake’s overall record went to 21-16-2-2.

SOO THUNDERBIRDS 7 ABITIBI ESKIMOS 4 – At Essar Centre, Sault Ste. Marie got a hat-trick and an assist from Darcy Casola to pace the Thunderbirds past the Eskimos.

Casola notched the lone marker of the opening frame to give the T-Bird the lead after 20 minutes.

The two sides erupted for six goals in the middle session, including four by the Sault.

Casola notched two of the tallies for his side while Dallas McLaughlin and Matt Zalewski supplied singles.

Countering for Abitibi were Daniel Villeneuve and Peter Poulin-Roy.

After Anthony Butorac made it 6-2 early in the third the Eskimos answered back with markers from Aaron Kerr and Ryan Tront to make it interesting, but McLaughlin’s second of the contest finished things off.

Steven Dombrowski saw 24 shots to record his ninth straight win while helping the Thunderbirds improve to 27-8-3-3 overall.

Jeremy Laux was peppered with 45 shots in a losing cause as Abitibi went winless on a three-game road trip over the weekend slipping to 12-24-0-2 on the campaign.

League play resumes Wednesday as Sudbury visits Elliot Lake in a 7:30 p.m. start at Centennial Arena.