Rock rally for Game 3 win over Lumberjacks -

TIMMINS, Ont. – Rallying from a two-goal deficit, the Timmins Rock countered with four unanswered tallies to defeat the Hearst Lumberjacks 4-2 Monday night in the third game of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League semifinal at McIntyre Arena.

This sees Timmins get their initial victory of the series and now trail the best-of-seven 2-1 heading into the next contest, which goes Tuesday evening back at ‘The Mac.’ Game time is 7 p.m.

With not much happening in terms of plays in the offensive zone being generated for the majority of the first period, it was Hearst who eventually capitalized with 30 seconds left in the session.

On the marker, the Lumberjacks’ Mathieu Comeau collected a play pushed up along the side boards and fired a cross-ice feed that Tyler Patterson quickly hammered past Rock netminder Dryden Riley.

The same Hearst combo converted once again early in the middle frame off a nice stretch pass by defenceman William Pâquet that set them up for a two-on-one where Comeau sent Patterson in alone on Riley and saw him cut to his left and pump his chance upstairs at 1:31.

Countering quickly, Henry McLellan gave the home side a spark as he snagged a turnover to the left of Lumberjacks’ goaltender Alexandre Boivin and promptly whipped it in.

Building on that, Timmins tied it at 12:34 when Kaeden McArthur led a rush up the right wing where he pulled up, spun, then put a play to the crease that teammate Clark Scaddan steered in.

Taking their first lead in a game at any point of the series to date, the Rock’s Braedyn Cyr skated in over the blueline and while using a defender as a screen fired a shot from the top of the right circle that eluded Boivin midway through the third.

Timmins then completed the comeback in the final minute when Ryan Armitage put one into an empty net from distance to wrap up the result.

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

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