NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE
Release Date: Saturday, March 30, 2013
Trappers and Thunderbirds win 2-1 games Saturday
SUDBURY – Both Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League semifinal playoff games on Saturday ended up with 2-1 scores with the North Bay Trappers needing overtime to edge the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners while the Soo Thunderbirds slipped past the Sudbury Nickel Barons.
NORTH BAY TRAPPERS 2 KIRKLAND LAKE GOLD MINERS 1 (OT) – North Bay withstood Kirkland Lake tying it late before getting the game-winner from Samuel Blanchet just over three minutes into overtime to take the opening contest in their best-of-seven semifinal affair at Memorial Gardens.
After a scoreless opening session the Trappers got on the board near the five-minute mark of the middle stanza as Duane Wainman put the home side up a goal after 40 minutes.
The score stayed that way until late in regulation when the Gold Miners dashed Greg Dodds’ shutout bid with 1:11 to go as Steven Babin was the Kirkland Lake marksmen.
That set the stage for Blanchet to be the game 1 hero as he beat Chris Komma in the Kirkland Lake net.
Dodds finished with 24 saves in the win while Komma faced 26 pucks in a losing cause.
Game 2 of the series goes Sunday night back in North Bay at 7 p.m.
SOO THUNDERBIRDS 2 SUDBURY NICKEL BARONS 1 – Saturday’s other match-up was also a low-scoring affair as the T-Birds slipped past the Nickel Barons to go up 2-0 in their best-of-seven series.
Anthony Miller staked the visitors to the lead 14:47 into the contest only to see Darcy Haines notch the equalizer for Sudbury 40 seconds later.
Special teams allowed Sault Ste. Marie to notch the eventual winner as Brandon Warmington buried his league-leading ninth playoff tallyl with five minutes to go in the middle frame.
Grant Syrette assisted on both Soo markers.
Steven Dombrowski was stellar in picking up the victory for the Thunderbirds in net making 42 saves on the night.
Alex Laino made 30 stops in a losing cause for the Nickel Barons.
Game 3 goes Tuesday at Essar Centre in Sault Ste. Marie at 7:30 p.m.
NOJHL Playoffs: Round 2
Semifinals
Series D
No. 1 North Bay Trappers vs. No. 4 Kirkland Lake Gold Miners
Trappers lead best-of-seven series 1-0
Game 1: North Bay 2 Kirkland Lake 1 (OT)
Game 2: Sunday, March 31 @ North Bay 7 p.m. (Memorial Gardens)
Game 3: Friday, April 5 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac)
Game 4: Saturday, April 6 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac)
Game 5*: Monday, April 8 @ North Bay 7 p.m. (Memorial Gardens)
Game 6*: Tuesday, April 9 @ Kirkland Lake 7:30 p.m. (Joe Mavrinac)
Game 7*: Thursday, April 11 @ North Bay 7 p.m. (Memorial Gardens)
* – if necessary
Series E
No. 2 Soo Thunderbirds vs. 3 Sudbury Nickel Barons
Thunderbirds lead best-of-seven series 2-0
Game 1: Soo 4 Sudbury 1
Game 2: Soo 2 Sudbury 1
Game 3: Tuesday, April 2 @ Soo 7:30 p.m. (Essar Centre)
Game 4: Wednesday, April 3 @ Sudbury 7:30 p.m. (McClelland)
Game 5*: Friday, April 5 @ Soo 7:30 p.m. (Essar Centre)
Game 6*: Monday, April 8 @ Sudbury 7:30 p.m. (McClelland)
Game 7*: Wednesday, April 10 @ Soo 7:30 p.m. (Essar Centre)
* – if necessary
