KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – The hottest team in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League continued their winning ways Sunday afternoon as the Hearst Lumberjacks defeated the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 6-2 for their eighth consecutive victory in a match-up held at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
Neither side would connect offensively in a scoreless first period in the matinee affair.
Hearst tallied twice in the middle session however to gain the lead on markers 11 seconds apart from Dawson Waddell and Max Griffioen.
Battling back early in the third, Kirkland Lake got on the board 48 seconds in on a Vinny DeSanctis effort.
Then on a two-man advantage, the home side tied it a few minutes later as Matthew Brassard collected the equalizer.
With the score deadlocked, the Lumberjacks came right going back on top for good at 4:47 as Jake Desando was sent in alone on a breakaway and made no mistake as he buried his team-leading 24th of the campaign with a couple of quick dekes.
Desando was not done there as he added another a minute later after forcing a turnover then firing an attempt on goal from a sharp angle that found its way in to put the guests back up by a pair.
He then finished off a natural hat trick with an empty netter at 18:06 before Hearst’s Troy Daniels connected on the power play in the final seconds to wrap-up the win.
Lumberjacks’ starter Nicholas Tallarico earned his sixth straight decision in the triumph as well as his club’s eighth in succession while Gregory Brassard suffered the loss in the Gold Miners net.
With the result, 26-14-4-1 Hearst raises their record to 57 points on season, to move just two behind 28-13-2-1 Kirkland Lake in the race for top spot in the NOJHL’s East Division.
The Gold Miners do hold one game in hand on the Lumberjacks.
Game Photos courtesy of CapturingTheMoment.ca
