ESPANOLA, Ont. – Chase Thompson’s second power play goal of the night, coming 53 seconds into double overtime, helped the Hearst Lumberjacks outlast the Espanola Paper Kings 8-7 Wednesday evening in Game 4 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League quarter-final at the Regional Recreation Complex.
This sees Hearst win the best-of-seven set 4-0 and punch their ticket to the NOJHL semifinals against a yet to be determined opponent.
Needing a victory to keep their season going, the Paper Kings opened the scoring as Owen Smith pressured a turnover that allowed Zachary Grahn to move in and take a play wide before lifting in a backhand on Lumberjacks’ starter William Stonehouse at 7:44.
Hearst was quick to counter though when Hunter Kelso connected as he finished off a chance put to the net by Mathieu Comeau that eluded Espanola’s Logan Vale.
Continuing to trade tallies, Joseph Coates put the home side back on top midway through the period with a redirection of a Robert Landry point shot.
Matching that moments later, Ty Seymour got the last touch of a puck from below the goal line that clipped off Vale and trickled in.
The goals kept coming from there as Ty McKay potted his second of the series for Hearst when he was gifted with a giveaway and went in alone and tucked his chance between the legs of Vale.
More from Espanola though saw them bang in two more on Stonehouse to make it 4-3 after 20 minutes.
Following Landry tying it once more with a shot from the top of the circle, with bodies crashing in the crease, Smith connected at 16:10 as he whipped one upstairs to complete a rush made by Callum Millar.
Going to work on the man advantage early in the second period, Comeau sent a pass over to Thompson who hammered in a one-timer at 1:20.
Thanks to another assist from Comeau, his dish down low saw McKay snap one in from a sharp angle to give the guests the lead yet again.
The offensive barrage resumed midway through the contest when Carter Drigo pulled the Paper Kings back even as he corralled a bouncing puck in the neutral zone, then moved ahead and buried a shot by Stonehouse.
That saw the visitors make a goaltending change as Jack Helkie entered in relief.
Pumping two more into the Hearst net, Espanola saw Coates steer in a chance with an assist from Drigo while up a skater, then had Emerson De Giacomo convert at even strength 21 seconds later as he finished off the leftovers after a Jason Galante in-close challenge.
Still filling the net at both ends of the ice, the Jacks’ Julien Trudel got into the act to make it 7-6 as he spun and scored right after Comeau was foiled on a breakaway.
Heading to the third, a seventh for Hearst saw Quinn Gavin-White, who was making his season debut, chop in a rebound 18 seconds in as Comeau picked up yet another assist.
Play settled down the remainder of regulation as the teams headed to OT to determine a winner.
After a scoreless initial extra period, Hearst won quickly in the second OT as some crisp puck movement saw McKay fire over a pass to Thompson, who wired in the game-winner to send the Lumberjacks off to the semifinals.
NOJHL quarter-final
No. 3 Hearst Lumberjacks vs. No. 6 Espanola Paper Kings
Game 1: Lumberjacks 4, Paper Kings 3
Game 2: Lumberjacks 7, Paper Kings 0
Game 3: Lumberjacks 3, Paper Kings 2
Game 4: Lumberjacks 8, Paper Kings 7 (2OT)
Hearst wins best-of-seven series 4-0
