Photos: Gary Rosevear
HEARST, Ont. – Roaring back from an early deficit, the Timmins Rock scored five times in an 18-minute outburst in the second period to eventually knock off the Hearst Lumberjacks 7-4 in Game 1 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League semifinal at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.
Going to work via the power play, the Lumberjacks’ Cameron Menard, the NOJHL’s leading goal scorer during the regular season, took a quick feed from the side of the net from Ty McKay and promptly buried it at the top of the crease, in beating Rock starter Frédéric Cousineau midway through the first period.
More from Menard on another man advantage saw him connect once again as he chipped in a loose puck from a similar spot on the tail-end of a five-on-three at 16:30.
Coming out with a purpose to begin the middle frame, Timmins tallied twice, 10 seconds apart, to knot the affair.
Brady Bouchard put them on the board a minute in while lifting one in from distance through traffic in eluding a partially screened Jack Helkie in the Hearst net.
Then right off the draw, the Rock’s Maxx Hamelin pressured a turnover down low and fed Kaeden McArthur, who kicked the puck up with his skate and slid it through the legs of Helkie.
The visitors kept coming and took the lead at 4:24 while up a skater that saw Evan Katic pump in the leftovers off a McArthur attempt.
Not done there, the Timmins power play went to work once again as Maxfeld Shin got just enough off a cross-ice feed from Nolan Masson to see it leak through Helkie and trickle across the goal line, with still over half a game to play.
Capping off their impressive session in the final minute, Hamelin took a faceoff controlled by Lucas Lowe and moved to the slot where he wired one into the top lefthand corner to make it 5-2 after two.
Inching closer in the final period, Hearst’s Luc Warner skated into a William Pâquet shot off the end boards that came out the other side of the net and blasted it in at 5:13.
Collecting his third extra-man effort of the evening, Menard hit his hat trick a few shifts later as he spun in front and finished off a Mathieu Comeau set-up.
The Rock eventually secured the win in the late going as Helkie could not control a dump in that allowed Matteo Paradiso to take a play wide to his left and deposit his first NOJHL playoff goal, coming with 2:19 remaining.
Thomas Beard then wrapped it up for the guests before time expired with an empty net effort as he chased down a loose puck to cap off the night’s scoring.
Game 2 goes Saturday, back in Hearst, at 7 p.m., and on FLOHockey.tv.
NOJHL semifinal
No. 3 Hearst Lumberjacks vs. No. 4 Timmins Rock
Best-of-seven series
Game 1: Rock 7, Lumberjacks 4
Game 2: Saturday, April 4 @ Hearst 7 p.m. (Claude Larose Recreation Centre)
Game 3: Monday, April 6 @ Timmins 7 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Game 4: Wednesday, April 8 @ Timmins 7 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Game 5*: Friday, April 10 @ Hearst 7 p.m. (Claude Larose Recreation Centre)
Game 6*: Monday, April 13 @ Timmins 7 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Game 7*: Wednesday, April 15 @ Hearst 7 p.m. (Claude Larose Recreation Centre)
*-if necessary
Timmins leads best-of-seven series 1-0
