Siau’s late winner lifts Rapids over Gold Miners

KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – A Levi Siau goal with five and a half minutes remaining in regulation was the game-winner as the French River Rapids pulled out a narrow 4-3 win over the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play Friday at Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.

Needing just 35 seconds to get going offensively after a Kirkland Lake defender lost his footing and fell to the ice, which allowed the Rapids’ Cooper Bowman to skate in untouched and snap in his 12th tally of the season.

Going to the power play later in the opening frame, Leo Chambers clicked at 14:18 for his sixth as he finished off a crisp cross-ice pass from Siau before firing an attempt that beat Gold Miners’ netminder Keaton Lyons.

Getting on the board in the final minute of the first, Nicklas Albrecht took a feed from Lucas Renzoni while skating to the slot where he buried his 11th on the campaign.

In the second stanza, French River went back up by two with the lone tally of the session that was supplied by Chase Lefebvre at 14:20 while extending a point streak to five straight games in the process.

Moving to the third, the home side rallied, beginning with Samuel De Mauro’s opening NOJHL tally as he sent a shot through a partial from the left point to make it 3-2 during a man advantage.

Continuing to press, Kirkland Lake drew level thanks to Albrecht’s second of the night when he wired one in from between the hash marks.

However, the Rapids’ Siau got the winner as he finished off a rebound into the open side that Lyons had no chance on.

The Miners went with an extra attacker in the late going to try and force overtime, but the guests held firm defensively to secure the road victory.

Cole Sheffield collected the victory for French River while Lyons suffered the defeat.