GALLERY: Eskis hold on to edge Rapids

NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE

NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE

Release Date: Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016

Eskis hold on to edge Rapids

IROQUOIS FALLS, Ont. – An Alex Mitsionis goal with just over 11 minutes to play proved to be the game-winner as the Iroquois Falls Eskis held on to edge the French River Rapids 4-2 in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League encounter Saturday at Jus Jordan Arena.

The Eskis peppered Rapids starter Al Rogers with 19 shots in the opening period, but could not solve the French River netminder while his Iroquois Falls counterpart Artem Bortovskiy was also equal to the task, handling all eight attempts he faced in the session.

Up a man, the home side finally solved Rogers during a power play as Jack Speer scored on the power play four and a half minutes into the middle frame.

Blake Holowaty then made it 2-0 late in the stanza as the Eskis took a two-goal into the second intermission.

Battling back French River got on the board 28 seconds into the third on a Caleb Rich effort.

Mitsionis then supplied the eventual decider for Iroquois Falls at the 8:44 mark of the third.

Undeterred, the Rapids came right back to make it 3-2 compliments of a Gregory Trudeau-Paquet effort.

French River pulled Rogers late in an effort to get the equalizer and force overtime, but the Eskis’ Jay Sidhu scored into an empty net with 27 seconds left to finish things off.

Phil Caron dished out a pair of assists on the night to aid the winner’s cause.

Bortovskiy finished with 35 saves to register then win while Rogers made 45 stops in defeat for the Rapids.