Photos: Northern Lights Photography
HEARST, Ont. – The Hearst Lumberjacks scored early and often Saturday as they went on to blank the French River Rapids 12-0 in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.
The shutout for Hearst goalkeeper Owen Bonthuis was his first in the NOJHL.
Only needing 97 seconds to open the scoring, the Lumberjacks used a nice three-way passing play that was finished off by Chase Thompson, who beat Rapids’ starter Keiran Caughran.
Picking up the primary assist on the marker was Mathieu Comeau.
Moving into third spot all-time in NOJHL games played at 232 in the contest, Comeau also extended a point streak to 11 outings with the helper.
Making his league debut, recently acquired Matthew Ferdinand made it 2-0 Hearst as he clicked on the power play by steering in a feed put to the top of the crease by Comeau.
Continuing to press, the home side went up by three at 17:01 as Ty McKay pumped in a rebound off a Thompson chance.
Going to work on the man advantage once more, Comeau added to the cushion in the final minute of the session when he finished off a set-up from McKay.
In the second stanza, a third extra-man effort made it 5-0 at 12:55 as Hugo Allard cranked in a one-timer after being teed up by Julian Trudel.
Cole Sheperdson then blasted one in from close range just as another French River penalty had expired to put Hearst comfortably in control.
Blowing it open, the Lumberjacks tacked on three more before the end of the period, off the sticks of Theo Bourdon-Lemoyne, Trudel and Hunter Kelso to put it out of reach.
Others from McKay, Comeau and Jasha Bichin in the third capped off the onslaught.
