NEWS RELEASE
NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
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ESPANOLA – Building up a pair of four-goal leads, the Espanola Paper Kings had to withstand a couple of comeback bids by the Soo Eagles before eventually prevailing 7-6 in a high-scoring Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up Friday at the Regional Recreation Complex.
Knowing the urgency of the contest in needing a win to remain in playoff contention, Espanola came out firing and took a 4-0 lead after one period of play.
Samuel Gravel began the early outburst 46 seconds in when he worked his way to the slot and snapped a wrist shot past Sault Ste. Marie starter Jace Knoerle.
Building on that, Carter Drigo connected at 9:06 as he collected a loose puck at the Eagles’ blueline and went in alone, where he lifted his chance into the net.
Special teams then saw Espanola strike once each on the power play and while shorthanded to take their multi-marker cushion to the first intermission.
Up a skater, defenceman Aidan Rufa took a Graydon Guthrie feed and whipped it upstairs while driving down between the circles.
Then came a man-down marker from Jason Galante as he forced a turnover and raced down the left before converting at 18:48.
Second period play saw the Soo get one back on a five-on-three as blueliner Liam Watson took his time up top before coming in and roofing a crisp wrist shot.
Still on the power play, the Eagles made it a 4-2 game at 8:11 thanks to Tyler Fortson ripping one upstairs from the right of netminder James Meredith.
Continuing to press, a third in the stanza saw the visitors make it 4-3 when Anden Marceau was sent on a breakaway and while holding off a hard-charging defender, tucked in a backhand on Meredith.
Regrouping, the Paper Kings made it 5-3 after 40 minutes on a late Ashton Pitawanakwat effort that saw him corral a bouncing puck in the slot and fire it in for his 12th of the campaign.
Restoring their cushion with a couple of extra-man efforts in the third, both Grant Booth and Drigo converted from prime scoring areas to put the hosts back in control.
Collecting another on a five-on-three power play, the Eagles’ Benjamin Pouliot muscled one in from in close at 10:05.
Then a nice move by Fortson less than a minute later got a fifth for the Eagles as he stepped around a defenceman and ripped in his second of the night and his club’s fourth on the man advantage.
Getting back to within one yet again, Alex Povorozniouk clicked for the Soo with just under six minutes remaining by jamming in a backhand during a goal-mouth scramble.
However, Espanola held on from there to pull out the narrow home ice victory to keep their season alive.
The Paper Kings will now need the Iroquois Falls Storm to fall in regulation Saturday at French River, then themselves win at Powassan Sunday, for any chance to makes the playoffs, via a tiebreaker.
As for the Eagles, their regular season is complete and they will meet Timmins in a best-of-seven quarter-final series.
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