Timmins Rock forward Henry McLellan celebrates his first goal of the 2025 playoffs during the second period of Game 2 of their NOJHL semifinal series against the Hearst Lumberjacks at the McIntyre Arena Monday night. McLellan’s goal kick started the Rock’s comeback that saw them post a 4-2 victory. The Lumberjacks still lead the best-of-seven series 2-1, but the Rock are hoping to even things up before it heads back to Hearst. THOMAS PERRY/THE DAILY PRESS jpg, TD, apsmc
Rock now only trail best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 to be played at the McIntyre Arena on Tuesday, at 7 p.m.
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
The Timmins Rock battled back from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Hearst Lumberjacks 4-2 in Game 3 of their NOJHL semifinal series at the McIntyre Arena Monday night.
After dropping the first two games of the series in Hearst, Monday night’s victory gives the Rock some life, as they now only trail best-of-seven series 2-1 with Game 4 to be played at the McIntyre Arena on Tuesday, at 7 p.m.
And while the Rock once again failed to score a power-play goal, leaving them 0-12 with the man advantage through the first three games of the series, at least they did not surrender any shorthanded goals, after giving up two in both Game 1 and Game 2.
Still, if it were not for the stellar goaltending of Dryden Riley in the opening period of Monday night’s contest, the Rock might be staring at an 0-3 series deficit instead of trying to tie things up Tuesday night.
Riley made 15 saves in the first period of the contest, allowing just one goal and that didn’t come until only 30.44 seconds remained in the frame.
Former Rock forward Tyler Patterson scored the first of his two goals in the contest and fifth of the 2025 playoffs to give the Lumberjacks a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission.
Late goals, or markers netted in the opening minute of a period, can often prove to be backbreakers, but Riley was all smiles as he led the Rock onto the ice for the start of the second period.
Even after Patterson netted his second goal of the game and sixth of the playoffs 1:31 into the frame to double the Lumberjacks’ lead the Rock goalie continued to exude confidence.
And 31 seconds later, the Rock got on the scoreboard as Henry McLellan put the team on his back and delivered a shift that ended with his first goal of the playoffs.
Clark Scaddan then tied things up when he scored his second goal of the playoffs 10-and-a-half minutes later.
Blue-liner Braedyn Cyr gave the Rock a lead they would not surrender midway through the third period when he picked up the puck in the neutral zone, carried it into the Lumberjacks’ end and ripped a wrist shot past Hearst goalie Alexandre Boivin for what would prove to be the game-winning marker, his first goal of the playoffs.
“They (the Lumberjacks) were tired and going off for a change and the puck was sitting in the neutral zone with nobody around it, so I picked it up,” Cyr said. “I knew low blocker was kind of the soft spot for us against this guy, so I just shot through the screen and it went in.
“It wasn’t the hardest shot in the world, but I was shooting through a screen and I put it in a good spot.”
Even when the Rock trailed 2-0 in the contest, the blue-liner was confident they could come back and win the game.
“There was no sense of panic at all,” Cyr said. “We just knew we had to be better. Everybody in our (dressing) room knew it and luckily McLellan went out there and had a monster shift and it got all the boys going.”
Late in the fame, the Lumberjacks pulled Boivin in favour of an extra attacker, but the move backfired.
Ryan Armitage took a feed from Thomas Beard and deposited his third goal of the playoffs into the empty Hearst cage to make the final 4-2 in favour of the Rock.
While Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry was happy to see his team pick up the victory, he was not pleased with the way they started the contest.
“We were awful, it wasn’t good,” he said, describing what he saw from his Rock players in the opening 20 minutes. “Our lives were on the line and that’s all we could muster?
“But we found a way to get it done and that’s all that matters.”
There is no doubt what the coach felt was the TSN turning point of Monday night’s contest.
“To be honest, the only reason we won this hockey game was because of Henry McLellan,” Perry said. “That shift he went out there and hit everything he seen, never stopped skating and scored a goal. It just inspired our whole bench.”
After being shutout in Game 2, McLellan’s goal gave his Rock teammates a little extra confidence offensively.
“Just work ethic, for whatever reason we had not been skating, we didn’t want to pressure them,” Perry said. “Then, halfway through the second period, after Henry’s shift, we started skating and the boys realized that’s what it takes, every single shift, that’s how hard it needs to be out there.
“Once we realized that, we won a game, but we haven’t done anything yet. We got one win, but it all means nothing if we don’t get another one tomorrow.
“Even with a shortened bench, we still have passengers and it is super disappointing.”
While the Rock power play remains a work in progress, the coach was happy with the effort he saw on the penalty kill Monday night.
“Our penalty killers did a good job,” Perry said. “Our power play is atrocious. We are not working hard, we are not moving the puck, we are moving it slow and they (the Lumberjacks) are getting a jump on everything.
“Part of the problem is most of our power play guys are injured.”
Monday’s victory may prove to a costly one, as the team lost forward Jack Kelly (9, 4-3-7, 0) to an apparent upper-body injury during the second period of the contest.
“It is likely week-to-week,” Perry said, when asked if the team had any timetable for his return.
The Rock had already been reeling after losing forward Brant Romaniuk (8, 4-2-6, 2) to an upper-body injury during Game 2 of the series in Hearst Saturday night.
“He is week-to-week at this point, as well,” Perry said.
The Rock have also been without two regular blue-liners, Ethan Albert (3, 0-0-0, 0) and Sam Gallagher (3, 0-1-1, 2).
“We also have some guys in our lineup playing through some stuff, but that’s what it takes at this time of year,” Perry said.
Riley stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced to earn his fifth win of the playoffs for the Rock.
Boivin, who turned aside 24 of the 27 shots the Rock directed his way, was tagged with the loss.
NOJHL NOTES — The Daily Press three stars of the game were Riley, Cyr and Patterson … The Rock went 0-2 on the power play, while the Lumberjacks were 0-3 with the man advantage … Official attendance at the McIntyre Arena was 771 … Game 3 in the semifinal series between the Greater Sudbury Cubs and the Soo Thunderbirds was postponed due to the winter storm that hit the region … The Rock will host the Lumberjacks for Game 4 of their best-of-seven NOJHL semifinal series at the McIntyre Arena on Tuesday, at 7 p.m.
