NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Voodoos sweep Rock to advance to NOJHL final
TIMMINS, Ont. – The Powassan Voodoos are off to the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League finals after defeating the Timmins Rock 7-2 Wednesday in Game 4 of their East Division Final at McIntyre Arena.
Powassan wins the best-of-seven set 4-0 and will now meet either the Blind River Beavers or Soo Eagles for the Copeland Cup – McNamara Trophy league championship. Blind River leads that series 2-1 heading into Game 4 Friday in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., at 7 p.m.
Timmins got off to a good start Wednesday as Nicholas Hautanen cranked a hard blast from the left point that bounced off the shoulder of Voodoos’ netminder Nate McDonald and rolled in behind him where a waiting Alexandre Brisson stuffed in the night’s opening tally 32 seconds in.
That quick goal ended a McDonald goalless streak at just under 128 minutes.
A four-on-three power play helped Powassan to knot the affair at 1-1 three minutes later however as Parker Bowman sent a soft backhand right to the tape of Tyson Gilmour, who wired one top shelf, short-side, over the glove of Rock starter Jeff Veitch from the face-off dot at 3:23.
The Voodoos then went in front on a fortuitous bounce as Dylan D’Agostino fired the puck from behind the net that hit the stick of a Rock defender and caromed back in over Veitch.
Powassan went up by two 3:44 into the second as Cade Herd swiped the puck with a stick-lift then sent a pass across Rhys Brown whose attempt was stopped by Veitch, but deflected in off the leg of Herd for his second of the playoffs.
Gary Mantz then picked up his NOJHL-leading ninth of the postseason midway through the stanza as his shot from a sharp angle found its way over the goal line.
The Voodoos kept coming and added to their cushion as a Tyler Gervais-Rolfe wrap around attempt saw the puck squirt free to Gabriel Rheault, who had a power play tap in at 14:38.
Some diligence from Bain Cunnigham got that back for Timmins a minute and a half later and he had a couple of cracks at it before his fourth of the playoffs eluded McDonald.
However Powassan countered in the final minute of the frame as Brett Hahkala redirected an Eric Nagy shot from the right point to put the guests up by four after 40 minutes.
Bowman then supplied another, which came during a man advantage, to finish things off in the final frame.
McDonald improved to 8-0 in the postseason making 30 saves in the triumph while Veitch faced 41 shots in the season-ending setback for Timmins.
NOJHL East Division Final
No. 1 Powassan Voodoos vs. No. 3 Timmins Rock
Powassan wins best-of-seven series 4-0
Game 1: Powassan 6 Timmins 2
Game 2: Powassan 4 Timmins 0
Game 3: Powassan 6 Timmins 0
Game 4: Powassan 7 Timmins 2
