HEARST — Nicholas Dicks turned aside all 40 shots he faced as the Timmins Rock closed out their exhibition season with a 5-0 win over the Lumberjacks at the Claude Larose Arena Friday night.
Thomas PerryThe victory gave the Rock, who earned a 5-3 victory Thursday night in Iroquois Falls, a sweep of their home-and-home series with the Lumberjacks.
A pair of late first period goals, allowed the Rock to carry a 2-0 lead into the intermission.
Maxime Charbonneau got the puck rolling for the Rock when he beat Hearst goalie Nicholas Tallarico with 2:23 remaining in the opening frame.
Then, with just 17 seconds remaining on the clock, Riley Brousseau put the visitors in front by a pair of goals.
The Rock continued to roll in the second period, as they scored three unanswered goals.
It took Mahingan Decontie just 49 seconds to make it a 3-0 hockey game.
Decontie then netted his second goal of the contest, a shorthanded marker, with 5:52 remaining in the frame to increase the Rock advantage to four goals.
Just 24 seconds later, Linden Spencer scored to put the Rock up 5-0 after two periods of play.
That is the same advantage the Rock enjoyed after 40 minutes of play Thursday night before they surrendered three third-period goals, but there would be no Lumberjacks’ rally on this night.
Even though the home side outshot the Rock 16-5 in the final 20 minutes, they could not get the puck past Dicks.
His 40-save effort earned him his second-straight preseason victory and his first shutout of the exhibition campaign.
Tallarico also went the distance in goal for the Lumberjacks, blocking 22 of the 27 shots the Rock fired his way while getting tagged with the loss.
NOJHL NOTES — The three stars of the game were Dicks, Decontie and Charbonneau … Official attendance at the Claude Larose Arena was 403 … The Rock did not dress defenceman Owen Shier (OHL camp), James Redmond (upper-body injury), forward Josh Dickson (lower-body injury), forward Maxime Piquette (upper-body injury), and forward Keegan McMullin (healthy scratch) … Friday’s other exhibition action saw the Crunch tie the GOJHL’s Pellham Panthers 4-4 and the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners dump the French River Rapids 6-1 at the Polar Bear Classic in Cochrane and the Soo Eagles blank the Soo Thunderbirds 4-0 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.
Game Photos courtesy of Thomas Perry, The Daily Press (Timmins)
