Photos: Northern Lights Photography
HEARST, Ont. – Jack Nolan tallied twice in the third period, including picking up the game-winner, to help propel the Hearst Lumberjacks past the Elliot Lake Vikings 5-3 Friday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.
The league-leading Hearst power play went to work 7:37 into the first period when Mathieu Comeau darted into the Elliot Lake zone and sent a perfect feed across to Tyler Patterson who one timed a low blast under goalkeeper Cameron Boville.
Up a skater once more, late in the frame, Comeau used a quick give-and-go with defenceman Adam Shillinglaw and proceeded to rip a shot blocker side from the top of the left circle on Boville.
Action in the second stanza saw the Lumberjacks go up by three off a faceoff win at 5:25 when Liam Boswell quickly stuffed in a rebound off a William Pâquet attempt from the point.
Adding a fourth on the night, which came in the final frame, Hearst’s Nolan made a dash up the ice in his league debut, then kept going and took a sharp Liam Boswell pass and whipped it into the bottom left corner on a sprawling Boville for his first NOJHL goal and eventual difference maker.
Elliot Lake came back to dash Tristan Boileau’s shutout bid at 6:50 after keeping the play in the Lumberjacks’ zone, which allowed Dylan Leslie to make an inside move in close and zip it in.
Nolan came back to notch his second of the night, to put the hosts up by four a few shifts later, as he found himself alone in front prior to whipping in his chance.
Countering, the Vikings struck twice in rapid succession in the latter stages of the contest to make it interesting.
Gavin McLenaghan’s NOJHL-best fifth made it 5-2 at 15:03 by slipping one through Boileau after driving hard to the net.
Right after that, Leslie notched his second of the evening off an odd-man rush as he pushed a shot past the goalkeeper.
However, that would be it offensively as Hearst held on to get the win, to move to 2-2 overall.
In defeat, the Vikings dropped to 1-2.
