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Photos: Northern Lights Photography
HEARST, Ont. – Getting goals from five different players, the Hearst Lumberjacks built up a lead then withstood a late push from the Greater Sudbury Cubs before eventually prevailing 5-4 Monday night in the sixth game of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Final at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.
The win for Hearst evens the best-of-seven series 3-3 and forces a seventh and deciding game for the NOJHL championship Wednesday at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex, which gets underway at 7 p.m. The contest will also be streamed live online via FLOHockey.tv.
Greater Sudbury opened the scoring near the seven-minute mark of the first period.
On the tally, Daks Klinkhammer chipped the puck off a Hearst defender at his own blueline and raced in on a breakaway where he made a crafty move to his right and lifted a backhand over the pad of netminder Alexandre Boivin.
The Lumberjacks then had an opportunity to tie it at 10:43 when Henry Ouellet was awarded a penalty shot after being obstructed on a break of his own, but was denied by Cubs’ starter Karsen Chartier.
Hearst however came right back with an equalizer when DonHeaven Veilleux fired a crisp cross-ice pass over to Cole Miller in the right circle, where he ripped in a wrist shot for his second of the playoffs.
Taking the lead with less than a second to go in the frame, the Lumberjacks Damien Bourdon-Lemoyne forced a turnover down low and put the play out front that Owen Hey promptly pumped in from the slot.
Building on that, the home side notched two more markers before the midway point of the proceedings to go up 4-1.
On their third tally, Tyler Patterson flipped one to the top of the crease from up high that Liam Boswell snagged and went right-to-left before converting on a downed Chartier.
Hearst then scored at 9:47 as Bronson Babyak wheeled down the right wing with pace and put an attempt on target that was stopped but the bouncing rebound found its way to captain Adam Shillinglaw who had moved in from the point and buried it blocker side.
That resulted in Greater Sudbury making a goaltending change as Noah Beaulne entered in relief for the visitors.
The Cubs pulled closer in the final minute of the period, just as a man advantage they were on had expired, as a Ben Harris shot hit off a pair of skates and found its way to an open Michael MacLean, who slammed it into the open corner on Boivin.
In the third, the Lumberjacks went back up by three at 7:02 when a lengthy pass put up ice by William Pâquet found Veilleux in behind the Greater Sudbury defence and saw him dart in alone before he wired in his team-leading 12th of the postseason.
Another breakaway goal by the guests made it 5-3 as MacLean picked off a play in the neutral zone then raced in on Boivin where he deked to his left and deposited his second of the night.
Up a skater after that, the Cubs got to within one after Klinkhammer snapped one in off a Nolan Newton chance that hit off the end boards and skipped in front.
Pulling Beaulne for an extra attacker late in regulation, Greater Sudbury had one final chance to force overtime, but a point-blank save by Boivin in the waning moments preserved the victory to send the series the distance.
NOJHL Final
No. 1 Greater Sudbury Cubs vs. No. 2 Heart Lumberjacks
Best-of-seven series tied 3-3
Game 1: Lumberjacks 6 Cubs 2
Game 2: Cubs 5 Lumberjacks 4 (OT)
Game 3: Cubs 6 Lumberjacks 1
Game 4: Cubs 5 Lumberjacks 1
Game 5: Lumberjacks 10 Cubs 6
Game 6: Lumberjacks 5 Cubs 4
Game 7: Wednesday, April 30 @ Sudbury 7 p.m. (Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex)
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