Photos: Allyson Demers
KIRKLAND LAKE, ON – Jacob Lamoureux had 2 goals and 1 assist to lead the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners to a 5-3 win over the French River Rapids at the Joe Mavrinac Community Centre on Friday night.
The Gold Miners got rolling early at 3:38 as Inde Abresch got his 16th on a nice tip in front of the Rapids net to get the home side on the board.
Nolan Masson got the Rapids on the board as he put home his 11th of the campaign at 9:01 to make it 1-1 as he went in all alone on Miners starter Stephen Amaro and beat him with a quick release.
The Miners took the lead less than four minutes as Jacob Lamoureux scored his 14th for a 2-1 Miners lead as he beat Elijah Grant from a bad angle coming down the left wing at 13:24.
Late in the period, Ryan Greco got his 3rd of the season to give the Miners a 3-1 lead and end the night for Elijah Grant who was lifted in favour of Brady Dyer at 18:22. Greco came down the right wing and took a quick shot from close to the goal line which beat Grant short side for a 3-1 Gold Miners lead.
The Rapids got back into the game on a nice play by Cameron Jansa as he stripped the puck from a Miners defender and went in alone on the goaltender Amaro and made it 3-2 at 10:58 of the middle frame on the nice individual effort by the Rapids forward.
Shortly after that goal, the Miners got the momentum swayed back their way as Jason Towindo put home a rebound off a Cameron Lee shot which made it 4-2 at 12:31 of the second period.
The Rapids pulled closer in the third when Nolan Masson put home his second of the game on a scramble in front of the Gold Miners net on a Rapids power play which made it 4-3 only 6:26 into the third.
However, Lamoureux netted his second of the game into an empty net at 19:30 to secure the home win for the Gold Miners.
With the victory the Gold Miners move to 9-33-4-2 and are within 6 points of the fourth-place Iroquois Falls Storm in the NOJHL East, while the struggling Rapids who are now winless in their last 20, (0-19-1) move to 8-38-1-1.