saultsports ESPANOLA, Ont. – A four-goal night from Kaden Wicklander aided in the Espanola Paper Kings withstanding the Iroquois Falls Storm 5-4 in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League encounter Friday at the Regional Recreation Complex.
Figuring in on all five Espanola tallies on the night, Wicklander worked a give-and-go with Aidan Rufa, who ripped a shot from up top through and crowd and past Iroquois Falls netminder Maverick Fletcher during a man advantage.
A free-wheeling finish to the frame saw each side tally twice in the back-half of the session.
After Jaden Lyons pressured a turnover he fed Jack Jarvis in front, who quickly converted, to knot it at 1-1.
Countering, Wicklander clicked on a Paper Kings power play to put the home side back in front by slamming in a one-timer from the right circle off a Rufa feed.
Wicklander then made it 3-1 Espanola at 18:56 as he tipped in a Liam Rampersad wrister from the right point.
Getting that back, Jordan Mayo responded for the visitors prior to the intermission with a chip in from the right of the crease on the Paper Kings’ James Meredith.
Play in the middle frame saw both sides tighten up defensively in a scoreless period to keep the home side still up by one after 40 minutes.
Notching his third of the night, Wicklander added another for the Paper Kings early in the final frame as he took a Jack Anderson pass and wired it over Sullivan’s blocker.
Still not finished, the Espanola forward collected his fourth of the evening, as with his side up a skater, he wheeled to the top of the crease from the left side and lifted in a backhander at 15:35.
Working their way back in it, the Storm struck on both ends of a double-minor, and with their goaltender out for another skater, to make it 5-4 with two and a half minutes to play.
Mayo finished off a pass from Landon Trethewey before Jarvis shovelled in his second of the evening with 2:28 to go.
Getting Fletcher out once more in the final two minutes, Iroquois Falls pushed hard to force overtime, but Meredith and Espanola held on for the narrow win.
About The Author
