GALLERY: Rapids respond against Paper Kings

Photos: Cassy Seguin

FRENCH RIVER – A night after getting dumped on the road against the same opponent, the French River Rapids responded by defeating the Espanola Paper Kings 6-2 Saturday in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up at Noelville Arena.

A couple of tallies in the back-half of the first period put the Rapids up by a pair after 20 minutes of play.

Joey Stiles picked up the first one for French River as he took a Cameron Jansa feed and beat Espanola starter Jack Helkie.

The home side then saw Ralph Coulis click on a power play at 15:15 by knocking in a loose puck while players battling in front.

Action in the second stanza saw the Paper Kings battle back with a couple of goals of their own to knot the affair at 2-2, with half a game to play.

Lucas Dubois, on a man advantage, put the guests on the board as he went to the net and collected his own rebound and chipped it over a downed Carter Vicente in the Rapids net.

They then drew level as Grady Murphy converted from the right side.

Regrouping, French River went back on top three minutes later thanks to Gavin Haslam as he darted down the right wing and neatly picked the corner for his second of the season.

Up a skater late in the session saw the Rapids restore their two-goal cushion as Michael Christopoulos notched his team-leading eighth tally as he took a cross-ice pass from Jansa, controlled it, then fired it past a partially screened Helkie.

In the third, Nolan Masson put the hosts up by three by roofing a shot from the right side at 2:13.

Adding some insurance, Bryson Villeneuve chopped one in during a goal-mouth scramble with bodies battling in front to wrap-up the evening’s scoring.

The win sees the Rapids snap a four-game losing streak and improve to 4-6-0-2, while with the loss, the Paper Kings slipped to 6-7-1-0.