Photos: Northern Lights Photography
HEARST, Ont. – Defenceman Sean Short tallied twice, including collecting the game-winner in the third period, to help lead the Espanola Paper Kings to a 5-2 road victory versus the Hearst Lumberjacks Saturday night in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up at Claude Larose Recreation Centre.
The visiting Paper Kings opened the scoring, six and a half minutes into the contest, as Short was given a number of chances in close before eventually stuffing one past Lumberjacks netminder Russ Decoste.
Hearst came back to tie it a couple of shifts later with Mathie Comeau collecting the puck at his own blueline, then driving down the right wing before picking the corner on Espanola starter Jake Marois.
Trading early tallies in the middle frame, Owen Fergusson put the guests back on top off a two-on-one with Graydon Guthrie, to give him points in six straight, before Aiden Kalin’s 10th of the campaign drew the hosts level with a man advantage effort, as he pumped one through Marois that eventually bounced in.
Taking yet another lead, 7:40 into the third, during a power play, Short hammered in a short side one-timer, for his second of the evening.
Espanola’s Fergusson notched another man advantage marker for his club with eight and a half minutes to play when he took a feed from the corner and promptly fired it past Decoste from the left circle.
Blake Peters-Davey then wrapped up the road victory for the Paper Kings with a late empty netter.
The win see Espanola raise their record to 19-13-0-0 and in defeat, Hearst drops to 15-11-3-2.
“Highlight of the Night” – NOJHL YouTube Channel
