Timmins forward Alexis Tremblay leads his teammates past the Rock bench in celebration of his first-period goal during Sunday afternoon’s NOJHL contest at the McIntyre Arena. Tremblay’s second goal of the season gave the Rock a 1-0 lead in a game they would go on to win 9-1 over the Iroquois Falls Storm. The victory could prove to be a costly one, however, as Rock forward Hayden Rynard left the game on a stretcher with what appeared to be a serious lower-body injury. THOMAS PERRY/THE DAILY PRESS jpg, TD, apsmc
The Timmins Rock knocked off the Iroquois Falls Storm 9-1 at the McIntyre Arena Sunday afternoon, but it proved to be a costly victory.
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
While the Rock, who dropped a 4-1 decision to the Soo Thunderbirds on home ice Friday night, improved to 5-1-0-0 on the season, they lost forward Hayden Rynard to a serious lower-body injury with 16:10 remaining in the contest.
The game had to be paused for a lengthy period of time while the Rock trainer Richard Plourde, Storm trainer Wayne Parent, Rock athletic therapist Melanie Brousseau Camirand, linesman Michel Begin and eventually paramedics tended to Rynard before he was taken off the ice on a stretcher and transported to Timmins and District Hospital.
Both teams were sent to their dressing rooms and the close to 1,000 fans in attendance watched in near silence as the care was administered.
“It is just heartbreaking, to be honest with you,” said Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry.
“There are guys who are irreplaceable and he is one of them. He does so much for our team and he does it right every single time. We will get a diagnosis and hopefully it is not as bad as we think it is. It is just so unfortunate because he is such a great kid, such a big part of our team, a great leader for us.
“Sometimes the cost of a win is too much and that might be the case here.”
At the time, the Rock were leading the contest 5-1 and the flood gates opened shortly after play resumed, with the home side striking for three goals in 58 seconds to chase Storm goalie Matis Bureau Morel, with Justin Sullivan coming on in relief.
Rock blue-liners Ethan Albert, Ayden Trottier and Braedyn Cyr provided the offensive outburst.
Sullivan managed to settle things down, but Rock sniper Brant Romaniuk beat him for his second goal of the game and NOJHL-leading eighth of the season with just over four minutes remaining to make the final score 9-1.
The Rock had jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the contest, thanks to three power-play markers.
Alexis Tremblay netted the first of those, his second goal of the season, just past the midway point in the opening period.
Travis Poan followed with an even-strength tally, also his second goal of the campaign, five minutes later.
Romaniuk followed with the first of his two goals on the afternoon and seven of the season, the Rock’s second power-play marker of the period.
And, a minute and a half later, Ryan Armitage scored his second goal of the season, with the Rock once again enjoying the man advantage.
The middle frame saw the two teams exchange goals, with Remi Gendron finding the back of the net with his first NOJHL goal and Jack Kelly replying for the Rock with another power-play marker, his fourth goal of the season.
As one might expect from a one-sided contest, things got a bit chippy — especially in the second and third periods — and referees Perry Charette and Eric Ouellette were kept busy sending players from both sides to the penalty box, although the majority of the calls were minor penalties.
The main exception saw Rock blue-liner Thomas Sefton assessed a match penalty for a deliberate attempt to injure and opponent and a game misconduct. During the same stoppage Rock forward Aaron Shaw and Storm forward Connor Desbois each received five-minute majors for fighting and game misconducts.
Even though the Rock won Sunday afternoon, their coach saw some things he wasn’t too happy with.
“Second and third effort wise, I saw some things early on I didn’t like, but pucks were going in and that’s a good thing,” Perry said.
“It was good to get those two points back that we gave away Friday night.”
While the coach was happy with his power play’s production Sunday afternoon, he noted he wasn’t displeased with how it performed Friday night — despite the lack of results.
“The measure of your power play success is goals, obviously, but our power play was fine Friday night,” Perry said.
“The puck movement was fantastic. We got the looks we wanted but their goalie just made some big saves or we would fan on the shot, miss an open cage, stuff like that.
“This afternoon, obviously, the pucks were going in and execution was on point.”
The coach was pleased with what he saw from Cyr in all three zones Sunday afternoon.
“He has been a great acquisition for us,” Perry said. “He plays a solid two-way game. He is a great defender and he has good offensive instincts. He doesn’t force things. He jumps up (into the play) when it’s there and takes what’s given to him. He is a big part of our team.”
Meanwhile, Romaniuk is not only the NOJHL’s leading goal scorer, he is also tied with Mason Walker, of the Greater Sudbury Cubs, for the top point total, as well, with 12.
“He loves to score goals and I don’t think he gets enough credit for how hard he competes,” Perry said.
“I haven’t seen too many guys who compete as hard as he does in the offensive zone. He just wants to score goals and create and he does a great job at it.”
The coach was happy to see some of his blue-liners get rewarded with goals Sunday afternoon, as well.
“Offence from the back end is always welcome,” Perry said. “It is not typically what we game plan for but as I said it is always welcome as long as our guys aren’t forcing it.”
The Rock’s 16-year-old goalie, Graham Gee, was solid between the pipes Sunday afternoon, as well, earning his first home-ice victory of the season.
“He was great, solid, super dialed in,” Perry said. “His movements were great and he made the stops he had to make, including a big one on the power play near the end of the game.”
While Gee was happy to get his second win, he was quick to dedicate the victory to his fallen teammate.
“In the end, it was for Ryno (Rynard),” he said. “What happened to him sucks, but it happens.”
The Kingston product felt good, even before the opening puck drop Sunday afternoon.
“I had a good off-ice warm-up and that always helps me stay calm,” he said.
The only goal that beat Gee was strange in that it almost looked like the play was over, but nobody had blown the whistle and the Storm capitalized.
“I turned my head and the second I turned it, he back-passed it behind the net and the guy was right there,” Gee said.
“You can’t let a play like that get in your head because if you do that’s when things go south for you.”
With two wins under his belt now, Gee’s comfort level with life in the NOJHL is at an all-time high.
“It feels great,” he said.
Rock goalie Graham Gee stopped 28 of the 29 shots he faced to earn his second win of the season and first on home ice.
Storm starter Bureau Morel, who turned aside 35 of the 43 shots the Rock directed his way in his 46:33 of work, was tagged with the loss. Sullivan blocked 10 of the 11 shots he faced in his 13:27 of relief.
T-BIRDS 4 ROCK 1
The Rock failed to capitalize on back-to-back two-man advantages during Friday night’s contest at the McIntyre Arena and the visiting Soo Thunderbirds made them pay.
As a result, the Rock were handed their first setback in five matches to start the 2024-25 campaign, dropping a 4-1 decision.
Despite the setback, the Rock coach was pleased with what he saw from his squad.
“I loved our game Friday night,” Perry said. “I thought it was our most solid game of the season, to be honest. It is kind of funny given it was a 4-1 loss, but I loved our energy and our attention to detail. Pucks just didn’t go in.
“That goalie on the other side (Noah Metivier) of the ice just stood on his head and played out of his mind. Our power play didn’t capitalize on those five-on-threes, but what more can you do? The net looks to be wide open and you shoot it and the goalie makes some miraculous saves.
Blue-liner Bryan Fenlon’s first of two goals on the evening and season, a shorthanded marker, got the Thunderbirds on the scoreboard 11:13 into the opening period.
That tally came 12 seconds after a first-period Rock two-man advantage had ended with Callum McAuley returning to the ice, but the home side still enjoying a power play.
The Rock had an excellent opportunity to get back on even terms before the end of the period when Romaniuk was awarded a penalty shot at the 12:47 mark, but Metivier denied his attempt.
Jonathan Sonedecker increased the Thunderbirds lead to 2-0 3:27 into the middle frame when he netted a power-play marker, his second goal of the season.
Despite their special teams’ shortcomings, the Rock managed to cut their deficit to a single goal before the second intermission.
Lucas Lowe scored his first goal of the season with three-and-a-half minutes left on the clock.
Lucas Willoughby’s first tally of the season allowed the Thunderbirds to regain their two-goal lead at the 14:35 mark of the third period.
Fenlon then closed out the scoring when he deposited his second goal of the game and season into an empty Rock net with goalie Dryden Riley on the bench in favour of an extra attacker.
Metivier, who turned aside 34 of the 35 shots the Rock directed his way, picked up his first win of the season.
Rock goalie Dryden Riley, who stopped 22 of the 25 shots he faced, was tagged with the loss.
NOJHL NOTES — The Daily Press three stars of the game Sunday were Cyr, Romaniuk and Rynard, while Metivier, Fenlon and Lowe were selected Friday night … The Rock went 4-8 on the power play Sunday, while the Storm were 0-4 with the man advantage. Friday night, the Rock went 0-7 on the power play and allowed a shorthanded goal, while the Thunderbirds went 1-6 with the man advantage … Official attendance at the McIntyre Arena on Sunday was 837, while 930 fans attended Friday night’s contest at the McIntyre Arena … Sunday’s other action saw the Lumberjacks topple the Soo Thunderbirds 7-4 in Hearst and the Greater Sudbury Cubs edge the Rapids 3-2 in overtime in French River … The Rock will return to action with a pair of games at the NOJHL Showcase in Sudbury. They will take on the Soo Thunderbirds on Tuesday, at 4:15 p.m., and the Blind River Beavers on Wednesday, at 3:15 p.m. The next game at the McIntyre Arena will be on Friday, when they host the Blind River Beavers, at 7 p.m.
