Voodoos out score Rapids in NOJHL play Tuesday

Producing the most combined goals in a single game this season at 16, the Powassan Voodoos went on to outscore the French River Rapids 11-5 Tuesday evening in an offensive barrage at both ends of ice in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play at the Powassan Sportsplex.

The Voodoos began the scoring four and a half minutes into the contest when Benjamin Coupal stepped up in the neutral zone and pressured a turnover that he took down the right wing and snapped past Rapids’ netminder Matis Bureau-Morel.

Another for the home side a couple of shifts later saw Braeden Begley keep the puck in the French River end that led to Caleb Dawson spinning at the top of the crease and lifting one over the outstretched pad of Bureau-Morel for his 16th tally of the season.

A third midway through the first period saw Powassan control a draw that allowed Tyler Brunet to shovel a pass over to Pavel Barclay, who whipped it in.

Answering back, Tyler Brunet’s initial NOJHL marker at 11:55 had him redirect in a Quinn Habermehl attempt to the target into the open side on Voodoos’ starter Cole Vreugdenhil.

Taking a 4-1 lead into the intermission, a heads up play by Vreugdenhil saw him send a play up to Dawson, who quickly moved it over to Saginaw that allowed him to split the defence, go in, and finish one off at 19:38.

Extending their edge while up a skater early in the second stanza, Dylan Rousselle took a cross-ice pass up top from Dax Pereira and pumped it in at 2:38.

Countering less than a minute later, Nolan McVeigh connected for the Rapids as he was spotted down low by Owen Robinson, then ripped a shot past Vreugdenhil from between the circles.

The tallies kept coming when Saginaw was allowed to slide in behind the defence then chipped in a play put his way from Dawson in close to reach the 20-goal plateau on the campaign.

A third on the night for French River came after Jack Wilson was hooked down on a breakaway, that led to a penalty shot being called.

With his opportunity, Wilson picked up speed once over the blueline and wired one into the top left corner at the 14-minute mark of the frame.

Not done there, Tristan Kitchen made it a 6-4 game when he muscled his way down the right side after a face off in his own zone, then fired a shot that got through Vreugdenhil.

The goal-filled affair continued and had Powassan pump in two more of their own that put them up 8-4 after two.

Justin Rousseau, wired in a sizzler through a maze from the top of the right circle, prior to Jesse Lefebvre picking up his 10th by using a defender as screen and converting.

Continuing to go back and forth, Kitchen worked a play ahead off a face off and went to the net where eventually jammed in a second chance in the blue paint to stuff in his 15th overall at 1:31 of the third.

The onslaught kept going when Barclay converted on a giveaway and promptly cranked it in for his second of the night.

Eventually putting the game away, Parker Bonsignore was left with a tap in after Bureau-Morel could not contain a Rousselle point shot.

Rousseau then finished off the leftovers with players battling out front to complete the 16-goal affair.