COCHRANE, Ont. – Zachary Demers had a pair of third period tallies to help break open a close game, and Liam Oxner posted his first shutout of the season, as the Hearst Lumberjacks went on to power past the Cochrane Crunch 7-0 Saturday in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League get together at Tim Horton Event Centre.
Carrying the edge in play for most of the first period, Hearst eventually notched the night’s initial marker late in the session, via the power play, as Robbie Rutledge tucked in the rebound off a Dylan Ford point blast for his NOJHL-leading 36th goal of the season.
That marker saw Rutledge score for a sixth-straight contest while also extending a consecutive game point streak to nine in succession.
Adding to their lead in the second stanza, Lumberjacks’ defenceman Jaden Raad started an odd-man rush up ice and put a play in front and saw it put right back to him, which allowed him to chip one over the pad of Cochrane goalkeeper Ben DeGiallonardo for his eighth on the year.
Keeping it close until the third period, Cochrane looked to cut into the deficit, however Hearst erupted for five goals in the session to win going away.
They tacked on a third on the evening after Raphael Lajeunesse fed a pass over to Demers, who slid it into the open side.
The assist gave Lajeunesse with points in eight games in a row.
Off a scrum in the corner, as the play continued, resulted in the Lumberjacks going up by four as Brayden Palfi scored from in close.
Demers then collected a neutral zone turnover and skated in where he went five-hole while Tyren Grimsdale and Tyler Patterson capped off a four-goal outburst, in under three minutes, late to finish off the one-sided result.
