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ESPANOLA, Ont. – Getting goals from seven different skaters, the Hearst Lumberjacks used their well-balanced attack to eventually outlast the Espanola Paper Kings 7-5 in a high-scoring Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League affair Friday at the Regional Recreation Complex.
Espanola got the game’s first marker, just over three minutes into the proceedings, after Graydon Guthrie spun along the side boards and fired a low shot through traffic that got under Hearst netminder Alexandre Boivin.
Reaching the 20-goal plateau for a second straight season, Mathieu Comeau tied it for the Lumberjacks when took a cross-ice feed from Tyler Patterson, that left him with an open net to slip past the Paper Kings’ Jack Helke.
Building on that, the visitors went on to tack on four more markers before the first intermission to take the lead for good on this night.
Cole Shepardson made it 2-1 for the guests as he finished off a wraparound chance from Keenan Quenneviile.
Less than a minute later, Ty McKay extended their cushion by getting around the Espanola defence and lifting one past Helkie.
After that, Hugo Allard notched a highlight-reel goal as he spun out of the corner and powered his way to the net before wiring a shot upstairs.
Capping off the barrage in the frame, a Liam Boswell man advantage effort at 18:56 saw him pump in a one-timer from the right circle.
That resulted in James Meredith entering in relief for the home side.
In the second stanza, the Paper Kings saw Ashton Pitawanakwat crank in a big rebound off a Kaden Wicklander attempt and Nico Vaccaro whip in a pass from Lucas Dubois to get them back to within a pair after 40 minutes.
The goal for Vaccaro was his first in the NOJHL.
Moving to the third, Patterson got the eventual difference maker for Hearst at 3:33 when he dashed hard along the right wing and while going around the net sent a backhand in front that found its way in off a deflection.
Pitawanakwat picked up his second of the evening for the hosts by flying down the left side and sending sizzler past the blocker of Boivin.
An Espanola power play aided in making it a one goal game with eight and a half minutes remaining as former Elliot Lake Vikings’ forward Samuel Gravel collected his first NOJHL tally by taking a Liam Rampersad pass between the circles and whistling it in.
In the end, the Lumberjacks would hold on for the road victory, getting a late, long-range, empty netter from Bronson Babyak to wrap-up the scoring.
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