Photos: Allyson Demers
KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – A five-goal second-period barrage sent the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners on their way to an eventual 8-1 triumph over the French River Rapids in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League get together Friday at Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
The visiting Rapids wasted little time opening the scoring when Jonah Gareau collected a draw won back to him from Tristan Kitchen that he took between the circles and ripped it past Gold Miners’ starter Logan Coates, just 20 seconds into the contest.
Kirkland Lake had a great chance to tie it five minutes later when Nathan Harper raced in alone on a breakaway, only to see French River goalkeeper Matis Bureau-Morel flash the leather in making a sharp glove save.
The home side drew level in the latter stages of the first period when defenceman Fynn Manttari joined the play in the Rapids zone where he spun along the goal line and fired an attempt that hit off the netminder and bounced in, to convert from a sharp angle.
Action in the second stanza saw the home side capitalize on a man advantage at 2:26 when Mavrik Boucher wheeled to the middle from the side boards and lifted a backhand to the target that Lex Lamontagne neatly tipped in while parked at the top of the crease.
A shorthanded goal then made it 3-1 when Daniel Risu picked off a play in the neutral zone that led to Harper knocking in a loose puck with one hand on his stick.
Building on that, Owen Kelly bagged another for Kirkland Lake at 9:41 as he extended a point streak to six as he darted up ice on a two-on-one where he elected to shoot and put his chance under the glove of Bureau-Morel.
The Miners kept it going late into a power play as Manttari put a pass into the left circle that Vaive Hickey took and roofed a short-side sizzler to continue the outburst.
With that, French River opted to make a goaltending change as Ethan Madden entered in relief.
However, the onslaught continued on another extra-man opportunity that saw Jake Williams jam in a Boucher shot from a sharp angle at 13:50.
Heading to the final frame, Kirkland Lake’s Jeremy Schoenborn’s completed an odd man rush as he deposited a pass from Lamontagne.
Manttari then rounded out the scoring after driving down the right wing and while going to the net put one upstairs.
That marked a third straight victory for the Gold Miners as they improved to 15-26-0-5 overall and extended their cushion in the race for the eighth and final playoff spot, moving three points clear of ninth-place Blind River in the league standings.
