POWASSAN, Ont. – The Powassan Voodoos used the strength of the four-goal first period to send them past the Hearst Lumberjacks Friday evening in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play at the Powassan Sportsplex.
The hometown Voodoos were quick to find the mark as they found themselves up by three before the match-up was eight minutes old.
Their first marker came at 4:26 when Ryan Patrick banged in a rebound off a Carson Ricci one-timer from just inside the blueline.
Powassan then added another as Cameron Lemcke tipped in a Mitch Wilkie point shot, while his club was on the power play.
Not done there, Mathieu MacMillan chipped a puck by a Lumberjacks’ defender then darted down the right wing before whipping one by Hearst goalkeeper Ethan Dinsdale.
The Voodoos then took a 4-0 lead into the intermission when Chase Thompson sent Kaedyn Long in alone on Dinsdale, who in turn sent a sharp snapshot by him at 18:56.
Continuing the click offensively, Powassan went up by five, six and a half minutes into the second stanza, when Thomas Gazich lifted in a back hand from the top of the crease off an odd-man rush.
Hearst would finally solve Kannon Flageolle in the Voodoos net as Mathieu Comeau snagged a loose puck and skated in, then chipping one in at 14:49.
Moving to the final frame, the Lumberjacks battled back with two tallies in the final 10 minutes thanks to Tyler Bortkiewicz jamming in a loose puck that lay behind Flageolle and Mason Svarich, who snapped in a one-timer with 6:03 to go.
In the end though, Powassan would prevail after Rhys Smethham scored into an empty net, in the final minute, to cap off the home ice victory.
With the win, the Voodoos improved to 27-11-1-0 on the season while Hearst fell to 28-10-2-0 in defeat.