Timmins Rock goalie Frédéric Cousineau pounces on the puck before St. Andrew’s College forward Alex Carscadden can get to a rebound in the crease during 2025 NOJHL Showcase action at the Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, on Wednesday. St. Andrew’s College hung on to edge the Rock 3-2, leaving Timmins with a split of their two Showcase games. Photo by CALEIGH FERA /POINTS NORTH MEDIA
Timmins Rock dropped 3-2 decision to the St. Andrew’s College Saints during the final day of the 2025 NOJHL Showcase at Sudbury’s Countryside Sports Complex, on Wednesday
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
After an absence of 21 days, Timmins Rock fans will get to see their favour NOJHL squad hit the ice at the McIntyre Arena to take on the Iroquois Falls Storm, Sunday afternoon.
Technically, the Rock’s 3-2 loss to the St. Andrew’s College Saints during the final day of the 2025 NOJHL Showcase at Sudbury’s Countryside Sports Complex, on Wednesday, was a home game but they haven’t played a true home game since they dumped the Soo Eagles 8-5 on Sept. 21.
At that point, the Rock boasted a record of 2-1-0-0 and they have gone 3-3-0-0 since venturing away from the friendly confines of the McIntyre Arena.
They will be welcoming a Storm side that also sports a 5-4-0-0 record after splitting their two Showcase contests — a 4-3 overtime win over the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners and a 6-2 setback against the French River Rapids.
But while the Rock and the Storm have identical records, pending the outcome of Iroquois Falls’ game against the Gold Miners in Kirkland Lake, Saturday night, their goals for and goals against tell different tales.
The Rock have scored 35 goals and given up 30, for a plus-five differential, while the Storm have scored 30 goals in their first nine games and surrendered 42, for a minus-10 differential.
In terms of special teams, the Rock have the third-best power play in the NOJHL, clicking at 25.0 percent, but the Storm are fourth, with an efficiency rating of 20.7 percent.
The Storm, however, have better penalty-killing numbers, sitting eighth in the league, at 74.2 percent, while the Rock have an NOJHL-worst rating of 65.5 percent — thanks in large part to the five power-play goals they allowed during a 7-3 loss to the Lumberjacks in Hearst, on Oct. 3.
Offensively, the Storm have two skaters — Lucas Willoughby (9, 4-7-11, 4) and rookie Benjamin Coupal (9, 8-2-10, 8) who have hit double figures in points, to this point in the season.
Meanwhile, the Rock also have two skaters who have accomplished that feat, Brant Romaniuk (9, 7-11-18, 4) and Kaeden McArthur (6,
3-8-11, 8). In addition, Diego Da Silva (6, 5-4-9, 10) and Lucas Lowe (8,
0-9-9, 2) are reach just a point off that pace.
Defensively, blue-liners Aiden Beavan (8, 0-7-7, 0), of the Storm, and Matthew Kim (9, 3-4-7, 6), of the Rock, are averaging close to a point a game, as well.
In net, the Storm rely upon the duo of rookie Alex Hall (281:00, 4-0-0-0, 0, 3.85, .878) and veteran Justin Sullivan (260:00, 1-4-0-0, 0, 5.54, .846).
The Rock counter with the tandem of veteran newcomer Frédéric Cousineau (359:00, 3-3-0-0, 0, 3.85, .898) and 16-year-old rookie Ayden Mullen (180:00, 2-1-0-0, 1, 2.33, .928).
After garnering a modicum of revenge against the Lumberjacks in a 6-0 victory, on Tuesday, the Rock ran into a solid St. Andrew’s College squad, on Wednesday.
“We weren’t at our best and they have a really good hockey team,” said Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry.
Despite the loss, the coach found some positives to take away from the 3-2 setback.
“I liked our urgency at the end, with our goalie pulled (in favour of an extra attacker), but we could have played a little harder, a little cleaner,” Perry said.
“We took a couple too many penalties, as well. We weren’t moving the puck efficiently from the back end, trying to do too much, stickhandling through guys.
“We just could get anything going offensively and that’s all she wrote.”
The coach conceded the Rock might have experienced a bit of a letdown after how well they played in Tuesday’s victory over the Lumberjacks.
“Sure, after how well we played Tuesday, but we just weren’t sharp today,” Perry said.
“It wasn’t an effort thing. Guys were trying and guys were working hard. We had some good looks and had an opportunity to tie it up on a five-on-three (power play), but we just couldn’t get our details down, couple of guys running the wrong routes.”
Perry gave a lot of credit to St. Andrew’s College for putting their stamp on the outcome of the contest.
“That team is unbelievable, how they play the game, how structured they are and how hard they play,” he said. “They are incredibly hard to generate anything against.”
A number of Rock players made favourable impressions on their coach in Wednesday’s contest.
“Freddy (Cousineau) was really good between the pipes for us and (blue-liner) Ben Climenhaga had a good game,” Perry said. “He was really strong and good on the kill. Our penalty killers did a good job and our top line was okay. They generated some chances but the puck just wasn’t going in for them.”
Overall, the coach was pleased with his team’s experience at the NOJHL Showcase.
“Exposure wise, it is always good for our players and we played some good hockey, obviously, on Tuesday,” Perry said. “Not bad hockey today, just not consistent enough. It seems like every time we take a couple of steps forward, we take another one back.”
The Rock actually hit the scoreboard first in Wednesday afternoon’s contest, as Romaniuk scored his seventh goal of the season.
But Nate Feiner scored his second goal of the Showcase to tie things up at 1-1 for St. Andrew’s College before the end of the first period.
McArthur then put the Rock back in front 2-1 when he netted his third goal of the campaign 38 seconds into the middle frame.
Once again, the Rock were not able to carry that advantage into the second intermission, however, as Ryan Murray’s first goal of the Showcase got St. Andrew’s College back on even terms.
And Jake DiCapo scored what would prove to be the game-winning goal, his first of the Showcase, shortly after the midway point in the third period.
The Rock pulled Cousineau in favour of an extra attacker in the game’s dying minutes, but they were unable to tie things up.
Noah La Gambina turned aside 16 of the 18 shots the Rock directed his way to earn the victory for St. Andrew’s College.
Cousineau, who stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced, was tagged with the loss for the Rock.
Perry confirmed there is a better than average chance forward Kimani Eccleston, who played his first two games in the maroon, gold and white during the NOJHL Showcase, will play his first home game in a Rock uniform Sunday afternoon.
Rock fans did have a change to watch him live when the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves took on the QMJHL’s Rouyn-Noranda Huskies at the McIntyre Arena, on Sept. 3.
NOJHL NOTES — The three stars of the game were Da Silva (one assist), St. Andrew’s College forward Alex Carscadden (zero points) and St. Andrew’s College blue-liner Charlie Sullivan (two assists) … The Rock went 0-3 on the power play, while St. Andrew’s College was 0-6 with the man advantage … Official attendance at the Countryside Sports Complex was 100 … Wednesday’s other action saw the Soo Eagles stun the Hearst Lumberjacks 8-3, the French River Rapids triple the Iroquois Falls Storm 6-2, the Espanola Paper Kings edge the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 3-2, the Soo Thunderbirds fly past the Blinder River Beavers 3-1 and the Powassan Voodoos top the Greater Sudbury Cubs 6-2 …The Rock will return home to host the Iroquois Falls Storm at the McIntyre Arena, on Sunday, at 1 p.m.
