Hearst strikes twice late to pull out Game 4 victory in Timmins -

TIMMINS, Ont. – Striking twice late in regulation, the Hearst Lumberjacks came back to pull out a 4-3 victory over the Timmins Rock Tuesday in Game 4 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League semifinal at McIntyre Arena.

This sees the Lumberjacks go up 3-1 in the best-of-seven set and will have a chance to close out the affair on home ice Friday in a 7 p.m. start at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.

Scoring first for the opening time in the initial four contests, Timmins clicked on the power play 12 minutes into the contest.

On the tally, Rock captain Tenzin Nyman took a shot from the point that pinballed off a pair of Hearst players, leaving Lumberjacks’ netminder Alexandre Boivin with no chance, before it landed in the net.

Drawing level 7:53 into the second stanza, Hearst collected their fifth shorthanded goal of the series.

It was started with a shot block by Bronson Babyak that led to a two-on-one where Chase Thompson finished off a give-and-go with William Pâquet.

Countering a couple of shifts later, Timmins retook the lead off a costly turnover by a Lumberjacks’ defenceman that allowed Reece Liu to slide a pass to the top of the crease that was steered in by Clark Scaddan.

Up a skater, the visitors tied it yet again when Damien Bourdon-Lemoyne fired a cross-crease pass over to Henry Ouellet, who corralled the puck, then snapped it high over the glove of goaltender Dryden Riley.

Still knotted at 2-2 into the third period, the Rock went back in front in transition after a Lumberjacks’ attempt sailed wide, Kaeden McArthur collected it and worked his way up the right wing where he wired a shot by Boivin from the top of the circle.

Another man-down chance for the guests just missed connecting but a rising Pâquet attempt rang off the post and stayed out.

Still pressing, Hearst did eventually pull even with 3:18 remaining in the third when Tyler Patterson slid a play along the goal line from the corner boards that was redirected in by the stick of Thompson.

They then got the game-winner 46 seconds later when defenceman Adam Shillinglaw joined a rush and went to the net where he lifted in the difference maker over the outstretched pad of Riley to finish off a Hugo Allard feed.

Tightening up defensively from there, Hearst did their part to secure the win.

NOJHL semifinal
No. 2 Hearst Lumberjacks vs. 4 Timmins Rock
Lumberjacks lead best-of-seven series 3-1

Game 1: Lumberjacks 5 Rock 2
Game 2: Lumberjacks 6 Rock 0
Game 3: Rock 4 Lumberjacks 2
Game 4: Lumberjacks 4 Rock 3
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