Photos: Allyson Demers
Patrick Boivin stopped all nine shots he faced to backstop the Timmins Rock to a 6-0 win over the Gold Miners at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex Friday night.
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
KIRKLAND LAKE — Patrick Boivin stopped all nine shots he faced to backstop the Timmins Rock to a 6-0 win over the Gold Miners at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex Friday night.
And with the whitewash, Boivin moved into a tie with teammate Jacob Brown and Charlie Burns, of the Blind River Beavers, for the NOJHL lead in shutouts, with five.
Boivin got all the offensive support he would need when Rock blue-liner Brandon Rossetti notched his seventh goal of the season at the 15:54 mark of the opening period.
That marker would stand up to be the game-winning goal, the third time in the past four games that Rossetti has accomplished that feat.
Even though the Rock outshot the Gold Miners 20-2 in the opening frame, Rossetti’s tally was the lone goal they were able to score.
It took just 34 seconds for Captain Nicolas Pigeon to double the Rock lead once the puck dropped on the second period, however, as he scored the first of his two goals on the night and 17th of the season.
And blue-liner Kyle Trottier added his third goal of the season just under seven minutes later to put the Rock in front 3-0 heading into the second intermission.
Three unanswered third-period goals helped the Rock break the contest wide open.
Brady Harroun notched his team-leading 32nd goal of the season at the 10:32 mark.
Lucas Lowe followed with his eighth goal of the season less than two minutes later.
And Pigeon wrapped up the scoring when he netted his second goal of the night and 18th of the season three minutes later.
In addition to recording his fifth shutout, Boivin’s nine-save performance earned him his NOJHL-leading 21st win of the season.
Gold Miners goalie Braydon Garnhart, who turned aside 53 of the 59 shots the Rock directed his way, was tagged with the loss.
NOJHL NOTES — The three stars of the game were Trottier, Rock forward (two assists) and Garnhart … The Rock went 1-3 on the power play, while the Gold Miners were 0-3 with the man advantage … Official attendance at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex was 130 … Friday night’s other action saw the Hearst Lumberjacks get past the Crunch 5-2 in Cochrane, the Beavers edge the Thunderbirds 4-3 in Sault Ste. Marie, the Powassan Voodoos fly past the Paper Kings 4-3 in Espanola and Eagles beat the Elliot Lake Red Wings 5-4 in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. … The Rock will once again take on the Gold Miners at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex on Sunday, at 4:30 p.m.