Powassan Voodoos goalie Kannon Flageolle makes a third-period save as teammates Nicholas Liotino and Tyson Rismond look to ensure Timmins Rock forward can’t get to the rebound during Sunday afternoon’s NOJHL contest at the McIntyre Arena. Flageolle made 28 saves and stopped a penalty shot with 53.68 seconds remaining in regulation to backstop the Voodoos to a 4-2 win over the Rock. THOMAS PERRY/THE DAILY PRESS
The Powassan Voodoos wrapped up a three-game road trip through the North by doubling up the Timmins Rock 4-2 at the McIntyre Arena Sunday afternoon.
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
TIMMINS – The Powassan Voodoos wrapped up a three-game road trip through the North by doubling up the Timmins Rock 4-2 at the McIntyre Arena Sunday afternoon.
It was the fifth-straight victory and fourth in five nights for the Voodoos (13-6-0-0) who leapfrogged the Rock (11-5-2-1) to gain a share of top spot in the NOJHL’s East Division standings with the Hearst Lumberjacks (12-4-2-0).
“We came out great,” he said
“That is a tough team we were playing. (Rock coach and general manager) Brandon (Perry) does a great job coaching it and they have got some unbelievable talent out there.
“We had a great first (period) but got undisciplined in the second and allowed them to get back in the game.
“Credit to them for using their speed, but that power-play goal for us late in the second period was huge.
“Then we just shut it down in the third period. They had shots, but maybe only one or two scoring chances.
“Our guys did a great job, but you have got to stay disciplined against this team. If you take penalties, they will make you pay.”
Tucker Shields’ power-play marker, his seventh goal of the season, just past the midway mark in the middle frame proved to be the game-winner.
And his second goal of the game and eighth of the season — into an empty Timmins net with goalie Patrick Boivin on the bench in favour of an extra attacker — iced the victory for the visitors, who were wrapping up a three-game road trip through the northern part of the division.
Rock fans, many dressed in Halloween costumes, had been hoping their favorite team would treat them to a victory Sunday afternoon, but a slow start prevented that from happening.
It didn’t help, of course, that Rock forward Nicholas Moore was assessed a five-minute major for boarding and a game misconduct just 2:53 into the contest, but a solid penalty kill appeared to provide a shift in momentum.
That momentum switched right back, however, when Ryan Patrick netted his seventh goal of the season to put the Voodoos on the scoreboard at the 10-minute mark.
And then, with less than three minutes remaining on the clock, Kaedyn Long added his fourth goal of the season to make it a 2-0 hockey game.
The Rock finally got on the scoreboard 4:37 into the second period, which blue-liner Kenyon Nyman notched a power-play marker, his seventh goal of the season, with the Rock enjoying a two-man advantage.
And it appeared the Rock had tied the contest just over a minute later, but instead of adding a second power-play marker, forward Liam Wells was sent off for goaltender interference.
It took an additional three-and-a-half minutes but the Rock were eventually able to net the equalizer when Captain Nicolas Pigeon found the back of the net for this fifth goal of the season.
Even though the Voodoos were at the end of a long stretch of games, they kept their composure after the Rock tied things up.
“We wanted this game,” Goulet said.
“Playing four games in five days, I am sure there were people who didn’t give us much of a chance coming into this rink today, but our guys did a good job blocking shots and we took some hits to make some plays, got the job done.
“I am super proud of these guys.”
Shields was able to put the Voodoos back in front before the end of the frame, leaving the visitors up 3-2 heading into the third period.
Prior to the Powassan forward’s insurance marker, the Rock were applying significant pressure when the Voodoos net came off its moorings.
The officials ruled it was deliberate and awarded Pigeon a penalty shot with 53.68 seconds remaining in regulation.
Voodoos goalie Kannon Flageolle stood his ground, however, and the Rock captain was unable to get off a shot after getting in too close.
And Shields 10 seconds later Shields closed out the scoring, leaving the final 4-2 in favour of the Voodoos.
There was no shortage of Voodoos who impressed their coach with a solid effort Sunday afternoon.
“Tucker Shields is unbelievable,” Goulet said.
“He leads our team up front and does everything so well.
“Alex Little and Mitch Wilkie on the back end were just tremendous and picking up the Nicholas Liotino kid, these were his first three games for us, and he has been unbelievable.
“We are talking about individuals here, but it is really a team game. Those guys are good, but they do it because they have good people around them, too.
“Good players like Little, Shields and (Liam) Serviss bring our level of play up.”
Flageolle may not have been overly busy, but he made the key stops when they were needed most.
“I challenged Kannon the other day,” Goulet said.
“He hadn’t stolen us a game and he did that Saturday night in Hearst. Then he came in here today and had back-to-back great games against two great hockey teams.
“On that penalty shot he was so patient and let him (Pigeon) make the first move.
“He is a 20 year old veteran goalie who was drafted in the WHL and he is really coming on.”
Meanwhile, Perry was not happy with the way his Rock started Sunday afternoon’s contest.
“What did we expect to happen?” he said.
“You come out and play a first period like that against a team that good.”
Killing off Moore’s five-minute major was one of the few highlights for the Rock during the frame.
“We did a good job killing off that five minutes,” Perry said.
“I hope that kid’s all right. You never want to see that and that’s a hit we just can’t make.”
It seemed like the Rock weren’t ready for the physicality the Voodoos brought to the game in the opening 20 minutes.
“You play slow and you don’t move the puck, you are going to get hit and we had absolutely no push back and that’s the results you get when you play like that,” Perry said.
Unlike Goulet, the Rock coach was unable to come up with any players on his team that stood out Sunday afternoon.
“No, not right now,” Perry said.
It remains to be seen if there will be any supplemental discipline coming from the NOJHL with regards to Moore’s major penalty and game misconduct.
“I think any major is an automatic game on top, but it is not going to be good,” Perry said.
“Whatever the league decides is probably warranted.”
Flageolle, who stopped 28 of the 30 shots the Rock directed his way, earned his ninth win of the season.
Boivin, who blocked 23 of the 26 shots he faced, was tagged with the loss.
NOJHL NOTES — The Daily Press three stars of the game were Shields, Nyman and Patrick … The Rock went 1-7 on the power play, while the Voodoos were 1-6 with the man advantage … Official attendance at the McIntyre Arena was 780 … Sunday’s only other contest saw the Beavers blank the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 10-0 in Blind River … The Rock will return to action on Thursday when the take on the Lumberjacks at the Claude Larose Arena in Hearst, at 7 p.m. The next home game will be on Sunday when they host the Greater Sudbury Cubs at the McIntyre Arena, at 1 p.m.
