ESPANOLA, Ont. – A five-goal first period barrage was more than enough as the Espanola Paper Kings went on to roll over the Powassan Voodoos 9-2 in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action Friday at the Regional Recreation Complex.
A couple of early man advantage markers helped Espanola take a 2-0 lead before the contest was 10 minutes in.
They generated their initial effort off a scrum along the side boards, where Spencer Horgan came out with it and fed Blake Peters-Davey between the hash marks where he whipped a shot past Powassan netminder Tyson Wilcox.
Up a skater once more, a few shifts later, the NOJHL’s scoring leader Lucas Signoretti was spotted by Owen Fergusson going to the net on the right side and saw him supply his 18th goal and 43rd point.
More from the hosts midway through the frame saw Dario Sacino stuff in a rebound off a pad save, which resulted in Wilcox being replaced by Voodoos’ back-up Daniel Dirracolo.
The Espanola onslaught continued however at 14:41 thanks to Atley Gringorten, who was left alone in front and had a couple of cracks at the puck before jamming it in.
Notching another extra-man marker deep in the frame, Signoretti put the Paper Kings up by five after 20 minutes after he redirected an Aidan Rufa wrister from the point.
Firing on all cylinders, the home side tacked on two more early in the middle stanza, thanks to a pair from Fergusson to extend their big lead.
Powassan would eventually connect while up a skater as Mathieu MacMillan found the mark at 4:57 thanks to a rising wrister, from the slot, off a Reyth Smith feed that flew past goalkeeper Jake Marois.
Getting that back a couple of shifts later, Peters-Davey added to the Espanola cushion before the Voodoos’ Ryan Patrick ripped a shot, short side blocker, moments into a man advantage.
The hosts then capped off the night’s scoring with the only marker of the third period, that saw Gringorten notch his second of the evening as he batted one out of mid-air from close range with 12:48 remaining.
With the triumph, the Paper Kings improved to 14-6-0-0 and in defeat the Voodoos fell to 12-5-0-2.
