saultsports Photos: Gary Rosevear
HEARST, Ont. – The Hearst Lumberjacks saw Mathieu Comeau score twice while his team was shorthanded, including notching the eventual game-winner, as part of a 5-2 win over the Timmins Rock Friday in the opener of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League semifinal at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.
It was the hometown Lumberjacks who opened the scoring 6:32 into the contest as Comeau worked his way up the left wing then drove hard to the net where he chipped a short-side effort past Rock netminder Dryden Riley while his side was down a skater.
With the same scoreline into the second stanza, Timmins drew level three and a half minutes in on a nice individual rush up the ice by Ryan Armitage who dashed up-ice out of his own zone and with speed moved from left to right before going in and wiring a shot by Hearst’s Alexandre Boivin.
Going back in front at 9:08, DonHeaven Veilleux corralled a rebound off the pad of Riley after a William Pâquet attempt and sent it low through the legs of the Rock goalkeeper.
Another Comeau man-down marker made it a two-goal game four minutes later off a turnover that saw him get the puck with help from Tyler Patterson and wire it in from between the circles.
Notching another goal before the intermission, Jean-Pierre Audras jumped up at the Timmins blueline and proceeded to pump a wrister past Riley to make 4-1 Hearst.
That led the Rock to make a goaltending change with back-up Graham Gee entering in relief.
In the final frame, Veilleux extended the edge in the latter stages of regulation as he took a Damien Bourdon-Lemoyne feed and ripped it past Gee from a tight angle.
The visitors did get one more in the final minute when Matthew Kim converted off a splendid dash from distance that saw him drive hard into Hearst territory and sizzle a shot past the blocker of Boivin to close out the scoring.
With his pair of markers, Veilleux now has points in five straight to commence the playoffs, as well as six in succession dating back to last season, totalling 15 points in all.
Game 2 of the series goes Saturday at 7:30 p.m. back in Hearst.
NOJHL semifinal
No. 2 Hearst Lumberjacks vs. 4 Timmins Rock
Lumberjacks lead best-of-seven series 1-0
Game 1: Lumberjacks 5 Rock 2
Game 2: Saturday, April 5 @ Hearst 7:30 p.m. (Claude Larose Recreation Centre)
Game 3: Monday, April 7 @ Timmins 7 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Game 4: Tuesday, April 8 @ Timmins 7 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Game 5*: Friday, April 11 @ Hearst 7 p.m. (Claude Larose Recreation Centre)
Game 6*: Monday, April 14 @ Timmins 7 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Game 7*: Tuesday, April 15 @ Hearst 7 p.m. (Claude Larose Recreation Centre)
*-if necessary
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