Sunday was a busy day in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL), with the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners and the Hearst Lumberjacks each securing decisive victories. The Gold Miners remain perfect on the young season, while the Lumberjacks earned a weekend split with a strong performance.
Gold Miners maintain perfect start
The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners improved to a perfect 2-0 record for the first time since the 2016-17 season, with a convincing 6-2 home victory over the Iroquois Falls Storm. Forward Fynn Manttari led the way with two goals, and Jordan Fitger added a goal and multiple assists.
Kirkland Lake got off to a quick start when affiliate defenseman Spencer Wilfong scored his first NOJHL goal just a minute and a half into the first period. The Storm responded midway through the frame with a shorthanded tally from Landon Trethewey, but the Gold Miners regained the lead a few minutes later on a goal from Fynn Manttari.
The Gold Miners extended their lead in the second period with goals from Nathan Harper and Jordan Fitger, the latter of which was a shorthanded effort. Iroquois Falls’ Ben Sherwin, playing in his 100th NOJHL game, brought the Storm within two, but that was as close as they would get. Manttari scored his second goal of the game in the third period, and Cayleb Gustave capped off the scoring with his first career NOJHL goal to secure the 6-2 win.
Lumberjacks bounce back against Paper Kings
After a tough loss on Saturday, the Hearst Lumberjacks rebounded with a dominant 5-2 victory over the Espanola Paper Kings.
Hearst wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, with Ty Seymour notching his first NOJHL goal less than two minutes into the game. Ty McKay doubled the Lumberjacks’ lead later in the first with a shorthanded breakaway goal.
The scoring continued for the Lumberjacks in the second period when Theo Bourdon-Lemoyne banked a shot in from a sharp angle. The Paper Kings finally broke through with a goal from Cameron Menard, but Hearst’s Chase Thompson answered back in the third, ending the day for Espanola’s starting goalie.
The game got heated in the final minutes, resulting in a late-game fracas that led to multiple player ejections. Despite the chaos, the Lumberjacks added an empty-net goal from Bourdon-Lemoyne, his second of the game. Lucas Ducas scored a late power-play goal for the Paper Kings to round out the scoring.