Photos: Rob Fera – Points North Media
SUDBURY, Ont. – An Owen Smith goal early in the third period held up as the game-winner as the Espanola Paper Kings had to withstand a valiant French River Rapids comeback bid before eventually prevailing 5-4 Tuesday in the opening game of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Showcase at Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
Beginning the scoring three and a half minutes into the contest, Espanola’s Graydon Guthrie swiped the puck off a French River defender, then moved in quickly, made a nifty deke to his right, and tucked a backhand past goaltender Matis Bureau-Morel.
The Paper Kings tacked on another at 16:43 of the first period when William Shaw sent a shot from the right point that was stopped, but the rebound went right to Lucas Dubois who quickly lifted in another backhand marker for his side.
A big stop on a two-on-one by Bureau-Morel late in the stanza kept it 2-0 after one.
Adding their edge on the tail-end of a power play in the middle stanza, Espanola went up by three when Cameron Menard dangled through traffic and dished off a pass to Joesph Coates in the right circle that he promptly blasted in.
That sees Coates and Menard both extend consecutive game point streaks to 11 in succession.
Putting an early end to Bureau-Morel’s day in favour of backup Keiran Caughran, Coates notched another near the midway point of the proceedings as he whipped in a loose puck off a Warren Farver attempt.
Picking up the pace after the goaltending change, Joey Stiles got the Rapids on the board after some sustained pressure as he batted in a loose puck past Paper Kings’ starter Jack Helkie in finishing off the leftovers of a Jack Wilson shot.
Espanola however went back up by four early in the final frame when they pushed the play ahead off a face off in the French River end that led to Smith knocking in his sixth of the season while battling in close.
Countering quickly, the Rapids’ Tristan Kitchen outraced an opposing player to the puck along the end boards and put it out front where an open Michael Morascyzk roofed it on Helkie.
Looking to mount a comeback, French River made it 5-3 with 8:51 to go as they generated a turnover then led to Kitchen making a nice move into the left circle and fire a shot that leaked through the netminder.
Up a skater after that, they made it a one-goal game courtesy of Jacob Cantin, who finished off some nice passing by elevating a backhand from between the circles.
Getting Caughran out for an additional skater with 2:45 to go, the Rapids looked to knot the affair, but a late Rapids’ penalty helped seal the victory for Espanola.
Player of the game laurels went to Coates and French River’s Bryson Villeneuve.
The Rapids return to the ice Wednesday at the Showcase versus the Iroquois Falls Storm at 3:45 p.m. while the Paper Kings will take on the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners at 4:15 p.m.
