Photos: Northern Lights Photography
HEARST, Ont. – A late Heart Lumberjacks goal, credited to Liam Boswell with 77 seconds remaining in regulation, gave them a narrow 4-3 win over the Iroquois Falls Storm Sunday in a tightly-contested Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League affair at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.
Seeing their first action of 2024, the hometown Lumberjacks opened the scoring just over 14 minutes into the match-up when Max Gorzelnik wheeled down the slot and ripped a shot past a screened Storm starter Connor Hatfield.
Staying that way into the second stanza, Iroquois Falls drew level five and a half minutes in thanks to Andre Cho who drove hard into the Hearst end and roofed an attempt from the left wing, over the glove of goalkeeper Tristan Boileau.
Retaking the lead at 8:24, Maddoc Newton put the hosts back on top as he worked his way in behind the Storm defence and went in alone on a breakaway where he made a couple of crafty moves before tucking one in past the pad of Hatfield.
The visitors answered with another equalizer midway through the frame as Lucas Peever clicked on the power play by neatly steering in a Landon Tretheway feed from in close.
Going back in front once more, early in the third, some sharp work in close by Aiden Kalin saw him pull a play to his left and stuff in the puck while in tight on Hatfield.
Getting a third tying tally, Iroquois Falls knotted it a 3-3 with 3:31 to go when Ben Sherwin put an attempt on target that Boileau could not quite contain before it trickled across the goal line.
Persevering though, Hearst got the late game-winner when Boswell redirected in an Adam Shillinglaw point blast after they had controlled a draw.
The Storm got their goalie out after that for an extra attacker, however the hosts held on for the narrow decision.
With the victory, the Lumberjacks improve to 18-11-3-2 on the season while with the narrow defeat, Iroquois Falls goes to 10-26-0-1.
“Highlight of the Night” – NOJHL YouTube Channel
