Photos: Rob Fera – Points North Media
SUDBURY, Ont. – A Lucas Willoughby penalty shot goal 43 seconds into overtime lifted the Iroquois Falls Storm to a 4-3 come from behind victory over the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners Tuesday in Day 1 play at the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Showcase in Sudbury.
Capitalizing on the afternoon’s first power play, Kirkland Lake opened the scoring 8:13 into the proceedings when Jake Williams won a draw over to Aaron Leenaars who sent a low shot to the target that got under and through Iroquois Falls starter Alex Hall.
Extending their lead nine minutes later, Daniel Rusu teed up Rafek Dianov at the top of the left circle where he whistled in a rising wrister for his second of the campaign.
Getting one back in the final minute of the first period on a man advantage, the Storm’s Benjamin Coupal came down the left side, then moved to the slot where he wired one through traffic into the top right hand corner past Gold Miners’ goalkeeper Glen McInnes.
The tally was Coupal’s eighth of the season, which leads all NOJHL rookies while with the primary assist on the marker, Willoughby ran a consecutive game point streak to seven in a row.
Tying it up early in the middle stanza, a Thomas Hudon flip pass out of his own zone sent Mathieu Ouellette in alone on a breakaway that he roofed high blocker side.
Regaining the lead at 13:41, Rusu led a rush into the Iroquois Falls zone then worked a give-and-go Vaive Hickey before steering in his first NOJHL goal into a gaping net.
Moving to the third period, the Storm tied it in the final minute of regulation with an extra attacker as Alexandre St. Pierre won a draw back to Ben Sherwin at the point who whipped in the equalizer through a maze of bodies jamming the front of the net.
Heading to OT, Willoughly forced a turnover at his own blueline then raced in on a break where he was obstructed by a defender which resulted in the penalty shot call.
On his chance Willoughby calmly cruised in before making a move to his left then lifting in the game-winner into the right side of the net to end it.
Collecting player of the game laurels were Willoughby and Rusu.
