GALLERY: Ouellet helps Hearst outlast Iroquois Falls

Photos: Gary Rosevear

HEARST, Ont. – A solid offensive performance from Henry Ouellet helped propel the Hearst Lumberjacks to a 5-3 victory over the Iroquois Falls Storm Sunday in a back and forth, action-packed, Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League affair at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.

After an early apparent Hearst marker was waived off due to obstruction on Iroquois Falls goaltender Justin Sullivan, the Storm countered later in the first period to take the lead.

On the tally at 13:19, Jaden Lyons scored in a second-straight game since being acquired by his new club as he darted up ice, sent a pass across to Connor Desbois, then eventually jammed in the return feed under Lumberjacks’ netminder Alexandre Boivin.

Moving to the middle stanza, Hearst drew level off some sustained pressure in the Iroquois Falls end that generated a turnover and an equalizer near the eight-minute mark of the frame.

On the tally, Ouellet and Liam Boswell combined to work it to Aiden Kalin in the slot where he ripped a shot past the blocker of Sullivan.

That also saw Kalin extend a consecutive game point streak to 10 in succession, which is the highest in league play so far this season.

The Lumberjacks then went in front during a man advantage off a strong power move by Ouellet that saw him drive into the Storm zone then fire a shot on target, which Bronson Babyak collected and roofed the rebound from a sharp angle along the right side, for his seventh goal of the season.

Tying it up 3:37 into the third, Landon Trethewey’s one-handed redirect with his stick of a Charlie Crump left point attempt went high over Boivin to knot the affair at 2-2.

Retaking the lead a few shifts later, Damien Bourdon-Lemonye cleanly won a draw back to defenceman Adam Shillinglaw, who wasted little time in whipping it in from up high.

Continuing to trade tallies, the Storm tied it once more while up a skater as blueliner Andre Cho jumped in the back door and stuffed a backhand into the open side at 8:50.

Another counter from Hearst saw Kalin supply the eventual game-winner as Boswell and Ouellet teamed up once again to set-up Kalin going to the net where he pumped the decider into the top right hand corner with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.

Ouellet then capped off a solid effort by chasing down his own dump-in and depositing it into an empty net late to cap off the scoring.

With the result, the Lumberjacks raise their record to 10-4-0-0.

In defeat, the Storm slipped to 6-10-0-0.