Espanola hands Powassan 1st loss
Breaking open a tie game in the third period with goals while shorthanded, on the power play, and into an empty net, propelled the Espanola Paper Kings to a 6-3 triumph over the previously unbeaten Powassan Voodoos Wednesday evening in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League mid-week meeting at the Powassan Sportsplex.
It was the hometown Voodoos who pressed the pace early on and began the scoring midway through the opening stanza when Caleb Dawson beat Paper Kings’ netminder Jack Helkie by cranking in a one-timer from between the circles off a well-timed set-up from Justin Rousseau.
Answering with an equalizer off the stick of Carter Drigo, during a man advantage at 13:41 of the first, saw him finish off a nice cross-ice feed through traffic by Ashton Pitawanakwat that beat Powassan goaltender Cole Vreugdenhil.
Another impressive effort by Drigo put the guests up by one after 20 minutes as he wheeled through the neutral zone on a solo rush against multiple defenders then whipped in a shot from the slot for his third two-goal game of his career and second against the Voodoos.
Answering with a two-tally effort of his own, a lengthy pass sent Dawson in alone while the clubs were skating four aside where he made a head fake and sizzled a shot past the blocker of Helkie at 5:15.
Putting Powassan back on top during a five-on-three, Cayden Kowal corralled a loose puck in the Espanola end, then spun and moved into the left circle where he ripped in an attempt to give him points in four straight contests to begin his year and nine in a row dating back to last season.
On a night featuring impressive goal-scoring by both teams, the Paper Kings drew level in the latter stages of the session off a shot block that allowed Noah Logan to move in and whistle a shot past Vreugdenhil at 17:40, while using a defender a screen.
A stellar point-blank save by Helkie in the first minute of the third period kept the score knotted at 3-3.
Building on that, the Paper Kings then made it 4-3 while down a man as Owen Smith helped pressure the puck free behind the net and worked it into the crease where he got the last touch on a goal-mouth scramble.
Special teams then aided in a fifth Espanola effort when Cameron Menard converted on the power play as he manoeuvred his way into slot and snapped one through bodies clogging up in front into the right corner.
Getting their goalkeeper out with two-plus minutes remaining for an additional skater, the hosts looked to get closer, but Pitawanakwat iced it with an empty netter to secure the road victory.
With the outcome, the Paper Kings improve to 4-2-0-0 and are right back at it Thursday as they visit the Greater Sudbury Cubs at 7:10 p.m.
The Voodoos meanwhile slip to 3-1-0-0. Their next game is Friday at Kirkland Lake in a match-up that gets underway at 7 p.m.
