TIMMINS, Ont. – The Timmins Rock edged the Soo Eagles 4-3 Sunday in a tight Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up in the northern Ontario gold-mining city.
The result saw the Rock halt the Eagles’ eight-game NOJHL winning streak.
After a scoreless opening frame, Timmins came out strong to begin the middle stanza with a sharp-angle shot from the left of Sault Ste. Marie starter Marino Ramirez as a Rock player kept going to the net where he jammed in the rebound.
A power play for the home side helped them make it 2-0 midway through the proceedings as a Rock player was left with a tap-in off a pass into the paint.
Putting the Eagles on the board at 13:37, Zach Sweitzer benefited from a perfect bounce off the end boards off an Easton Pratt attempt from the right point that allowed him to lift his chance over the outstretched pad of Rock netminder Patrick Boivin.
Up a skater late in the frame, Timmins scored again on a perfect cross-ice feed that left plenty of room for the Timmins forward to connect from the left wing.
Answering once more, the Eagles made it 3-2 at 19:33, off the stick of Kenny Belanger Jr., as he wired one upstairs on Boivin.
Countering prior to the intermission, host Timmins went back up by two just 10 seconds later after a Rock player picked off a play at the Soo blueline then darted in alone where he snapped a shot over the blocker of Ramirez.
Into the third period, the visitors from Sault, Mich., despite playing a third road contest in as many days, battled to get back to within one, off a man advantage, when Gabriel Fisher snapped an attempt from the left point that sailed past bodies in front and a screened Timmins netminder with just over seven and a half minutes to play in regulation.
However, Boivin shut the door the rest of the way to secure the home ice triumph.
The victory has the Rock moving to 6-6-1-0 on the season while the Eagles dipped to 10-3-0-1 overall with the narrow setback.
- NOJHL Network Media
