Photos: Allyson Demers
KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – A Daniel Rusu goal 1:16 into overtime propelled the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners to a dramatic 5-4 come from behind victory over the Timmins Rock Friday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League at Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
The victory puts an end to a prolonged 56-game losing streak against Timmins that dates all the way back to November 29, 2018, when Kirkland Lake skated to a 4-3 triumph on home ice.
The Rock notched the initial effort in this one when Maxx Hamelin beat Gold Miners’ starter Logan Coates, who was making his NOJHL debut, just over four minutes in when he took a Matthew Kim pass, then sidestepped a defender and made a quick left-to-right deke before he tucked in his ninth tally of the campaign.
More from Hamelin at 7:49 saw him supply his second of the stanza as he took a spinning back pass from Matteo Paradiso along the side boards into the slot that he promptly whipped upstairs.
Kirkland Lake did get one back before the first intermission as Tysen Anderson clicked on the power play at 19:17 when he redirected in a chance from the top of the crease that eluded Timmins’ goalkeeper Virgil Sausset-Plateaux.
Moving to the middle frame, the home side drew even on another man advantage midway through the matchup as Mavrick Boucher provided a highlight-reel goal by dancing around a couple of Rock defenders and eventually snapping a shot past the glove of Sausset-Plateaux.
Going back in front while up a skater early in the third, Timmins’ captain Braedyn Cyr sent a shot to the target from the point that leaked through Coates and trickled in.
Tying it back up at 10:24, Kirkland Lake defenceman Ryland Harvey lofted an attempt from up high that knuckled off the catching glove of the Rock goalkeeper and flopped into the net.
The visitors were quick to counter to regain the lead just over a minute later when Nolan Masson on an odd-man rush and kicked the puck up with his skate then wired one into the bottom left corner.
Trading tallies, the Gold Miners battled back to force overtime when Owen Kelly was sent in on a shorthanded breakaway by Jake Williams and converted with two and a half minutes remaining in regulation.
In OT, Kirkland Lake completed the comeback moments after a stellar pad save Sausset-Plateaux as Cayden Kowal teed up Rusu in the high slot where he whipped in the game-winner through traffic to put an end to the extended drought versus the Rock.
The much-needed win also put the Gold Miners back into playoff contention as they improved to 13-26-0-5 overall.
With a point in defeat, Timmins drops to 30-10-0-2.
