Photos: Allyson Demers
KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – Rallying from a two-goal, third period deficit, the Espanola Paper Kings came back to slip past the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 5-4 in overtime Saturday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action at Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
The hometown Gold Miners picked up the evening’s initial tally just over 16 minutes into the contest when Vaive Hickey forced a turnover then shovelled in a pass from Noah Kozmick that beat Paper Kings’ netminder Logan Vale.
Espanola responded however before the first intermission as Joseph Coates used his stick between his legs to lift a chance past Kirkland Lake goalkeeper Glen McInnes.
That elevated a point streak to seven for Coates, while Graydon Guthrie and Carter Drigo, who earned assists on the equalizer, are now both on eight-game heaters.
Moving to the middle stanza, the clubs exchanged tallies in the session as Guthrie clicked on the power play by jamming one in off a goal-mouth scramble before Owen Kelly of Kirkland Lake tied it once more by converting from the left of Vale.
The back and forth affair saw the Gold Miners go back in front in the third period as Nathan Harper corralled a bouncing puck at the top of the crease and lifted it in at 6:49.
Mavrik Boucher then put the hosts up by a pair midway through frame by capitalizing on a turnover in the Paper Kings end.
Battling back, the visitors connected twice to level the proceedings once more.
Talented rookie Owen Smith darted in on McInnes and neatly tucked in a chance at 10:40 before notching another a couple of shifts later to force OT by roofing a shorthanded effort.
Capping off the comeback 70 seconds into OT, Jason Galante was set-up nicely by Smith in close and got enough of a shot to squeeze it through McInnes for the game-winner.
With the win, the Paper Kings improve to 25-19-1-3.
In collecting a valuable point in the extra time setback, the Gold Miners move to 15-26-0-7 while maintaining their hold on the current eighth and final playoff spot in the standings.
