Kirkland Lake Gold Miners goalie Glen McInnes makes a left-pad save off a shot attempt by sliding Timmins Rock forward Maxfeld Shin during the second period of Sunday afternoon’s NOJHL contest at the McIntyre Arena. The Gold Miners hung on to defeat the Rock 3-2, thanks to McInnes’ strong goaltending, and sweep the weekend home-and-home series. Photo by THOMAS PERRY /The Daily Press
Not only were the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners celebrating three-straight victories against the Timmins Rock, but they also locked up the eighth and final playoff berth with their four-point weekend
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
The Timmins Rock entered the weekend with thoughts of locking up second place in the NOJHL standings.
After all, a home-and-home series with the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners — a team they hadn’t suffered a regulation loss against in 57 games — seemed like the perfect recipe for securing four points.
Somebody forgot to tell the Gold Miners, however, and they followed up a 4-3 overtime win in Kirkland Lake, Saturday night, with a 3-2 regulation victory at the McIntyre Arena, Sunday afternoon.
Not only were the Gold Miners celebrating three-straight victories against the Rock, but they also locked up the eighth and final playoff berth with their four-point weekend.
Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry, who had seen his team reel off three-straight victories — two against the NOJHL-leading Greater Sudbury Cubs and the Powassan Voodoos — heading into the weekend, was not thrilled with the outcome of the home-and-home series.
“I think disappointment is probably a bit of an understatement right now,” he said, following Sunday afternoon’s setback.
“We just didn’t play hard enough. Our power play is a joke, both games. It’s like we just don’t listen. We do whatever we want out there. We give up breakaway after breakaway after breakaway while we are on the power play. We gave up a shorthanded goal while we were on the power play Saturday night. We put one in our own net Saturday night.
“We are just not a mentally strong team. Every time we turn a page, last weekend beating Powassan and Greater Sudbury, we think we don’t have to try because we are playing Kirkland Lake.”
The Rock were without their top offensive blue-liner, Matthew Kim (48, 12-25-37, 31), for both weekend losses and he likely will not be back any time soon.
“He is going to be out four weeks, minimum,” Perry said.
Kim suffered an upper-body injury during the Rock’s March 1 home-ice victory over the Cubs.
The Rock were also without the services for forward Diego Da Silva (34, 29-14-43, 83), second on the team in goals, but for a far different reason.
“He is no longer with the team,” Perry said, without getting into the reasons for his departure, or whose decision it was for him to leave.
As talented as Da Silva was when he was on the ice, he was suspended by the NOJHL on five separate occasions for a cumulative total of 15 games and took a number of penalties at inappropriate times.
Speaking of suspensions, first-year blue-liner Jack Quevillon missed both weekend games while serving a two-game CJHL cumulative suspension he picked up after being assessed a boarding penalty in the March 1 win over the Cubs.
Things started off on a positive note for the Rock Sunday afternoon, as Nolan Masson’s sixth goal of the season gave them a 1-0 lead five-and-a-half minutes into the opening period.
But former Rock forward Mavrick Boucher tied things up for the Gold Miners six minutes later when he netted a power-play marker, his ninth tally of the campaign.
Masson restored the Rock advantage with a power-play marker of his own, his seventh goal of the season, with just 46.6 seconds remaining in the frame.
The Gold Miners tied things up a 2-2 when Jack Nolan scored his second goal of the campaign just as Rock blue-liner Ben Hugessen stepped back on the ice after serving a two-minute minor penalty for holding, four-and-a-half minutes into the middle frame.
Nathan Harper’s power-play marker, his 20th goal of the season, then put the Gold Miners in front 3-2.
Neither squad was able to add to their goal totals in the third period, even though the Rock pulled goalie Virgil Sausset Plateaux in favour of an extra attacker with just under three minutes remaining in regulation.
In the cold light of Monday morning, the Rock (33-13-0-4) find themselves in fourth place in the NOJHL standings, one point behind the Hearst Lumberjacks (34-12-0-3) and the Powassan Voodoos (34-13-1-2).
With two games remaining, against the Gold Miners and the Espanola Paper Kings, second place remains a possible but highly unlikely outcome as the Lumberjacks will play the Voodoos, French River Rapids and Gold Miners, while the Voodoos will tangle with the Lumberjacks and Iroquois Falls Storm.
Should the Rock remain in fourth place, they would face the Soo Thunderbirds in Round 1 of the playoffs, with home-ice advantage.
The Rock coach was quick to give the Gold Miners full credit for both of their victories in the home-and-home series.
“They played really well, hats off to them, obviously,” Perry said. “Mav Boucher was fantastic in both games. I am super happy for him.
“They just took the games more seriously than we did. They have gotten a lot better over there, obviously, the way they play the game and they got fantastic goaltending in both games.”
Not many Rock players impressed their coach in either of the weekend contests.
“Nolan (Masson) had an okay game, but nobody else (offensively),” Perry said. “We didn’t play hard enough. It is going to be a short playoff run for us that’s the way we are going to play.
“(Sausset Plateaux) was great in the third period. He gave us every chance possible to win the hockey game.”
Gold Miners goalie Glen McInnes, who turned aside 39 of the 41 shots the Rock directed his way, earned his 12th win of the season.
Sausset Plateaux, who stopped 24 of the 27 shots he faced, was tagged with the loss.
GOLD MINERS 4 ROCK 3
Cayden Kowal’s goal with 12 seconds remaining in overtime lifted the Gold Miners to a 4-3 win over the Rock at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex, Saturday night.
The Gold Miners had twice battled back from one-goal deficits to force the extra frame.
Vaive Hickey’s 12th goal of the season put the Gold Miners in front four minutes into the opening period.
But the Rock battled back to tie things up and then take a lead of their own before the first intermission.
Kaeden McArthur’s team-leading 35th goal of the season was followed by Victor Hourtouat third tally of the campaign.
Jake Williams’s shorthanded marker, his 12th goal of the season, tied things up in the middle frame.
Thomas Beard’s 17th goal of the campaign put the Rock back in front 23 seconds into the third period.
Once again, the Gold Miners battled back to tie things up, at 3-3, with Ben Lyons netting his third goal of the season.
That set the stage for Kowal’s dramatic game-winning marker.
Affiliate goalie Logan Cotes turned aside 43 of the 46 shots the Rock directed his way to earn his third win in three starts with the Gold Miners.
Ayden Mullen, who stopped 26 of the 30 shots he faced, was tagged with the loss for the Rock.
NOJHL NOTES — The Daily Press three stars of Sunday’s game were McInnes (31 saves), Masson and Boucher (one goal, one assist). Saturday night, Hickey (one goal, one assist), Coates (43 saves) and Mullen (26 saves) were chosen … The Rock went 1-3 on the power play on Sunday, while the Gold Miners were 2-3 with the man advantage. Saturday, the Rock were 0-6 on the power play, while the Gold Miners were 0-3 with the man advantage … Official attendance at the McIntyre Arena, on Sunday, was 772, while 250 fans watched Saturday’s game at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex … Sunday’s other action saw the Hearst Lumberjacks edge the Thunderbirds 3-2 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., the Beavers dump the Soo Eagles 3-1 in Blind River and the Powassan Voodoos edge the Paper Kings 3-2 in Espanola … The Rock will return to action on Friday when they host the Gold Miners at the McIntyre Arena, at 7:30 p.m.
