Pelham to face Cochrane in PBC final after OT win over Kirkland Lake

IROQUOIS FALLS, Ont. – The Pelham Panthers (GOJHL) are heading to the championship game of the Polar Bear Classic after edging the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League in a thrilling 3-2 overtime decision Sunday afternoon in semifinal action at Jus Jordan Arena in Iroquois Falls.

Pelham will now meet the PBC host Cochrane Crunch in the title game at 6 p.m. at Tim Horton Events Centre.

In the Panthers – Gold Miners’ match-up, Pelham picked up the lone marker of the first period thanks to Matt Ruigrok.

Kirkland Lake drew level in the second stanza, via special teams, as Hunter Foreshaw connected on the power play at 14:54.

Moving on to the third period, Lyall Shaw put the GOJHL side back in front at 4:18 only to see the Gold Miners’ Spencer Jones add his club’s second man advantage marker of the day two minutes later to force OT.

In the extra session Noah Caperchione won it for Pelham at 3:46 to send the Panthers to the title game in Cochrane.

Ruigrok also had two assists to go with his goal while Gregory Trudeau-Paquet had a pair of helpers for Kirkland Lake.

Nick Kidd made 31 saves to record the win for Pelham while Greg Brassard faced 37 attempts in the narrow defeat for the Miners.

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