FRENCH RIVER – French River Rapids goaltender Kevin Donaghey turned in a solid 33-save performance to help backstop his club to a 4-1 victory over the Cochrane Crunch Friday evening in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League encounter at Noelville Arena.
Cochrane took a 1-0 lead in the final moments of the first period when Ethan Emanuel struck shorthanded just before the buzzer sounded for his first NOJHL goal.
French River countered with the equalizer midway through the middle stanza as Hunter Brazier scored at even strength.
The Rapids then picked up the eventual game-winner late in the second thanks to Ryan Smith who collected his initial league marker at 19:10.
It stayed 2-1 for the home side until deep in regulation when Philippe Daoust added some insurance with 1:39 to go.
Andrew Gavros then iced it with an empty netter with 57 second remaining to secure the win.
The final two tallies were the first in league play for the pair of French River rookies.
Gavros also had two assists to go with his goal on the night for his first multi-point night in the NOJHL.
Crunch netminder Justin Vertesi faced 28 shots in a losing cause for his side.
The win was the initial league triumph for Rapids first-year head coach Shawn Frappier.
Photos courtesy of Dal Photography