Timmins forward Kaeden McArthur gains control of the puck before depositing it in the back of the Hearst net, behind Lumberjacks’ goalie Alexandre Boivin during the first period of Thursday night’s NOJHL game at the McIntyre Arena. McArthur’s seventh goal of the season gave the Rock a 1-0 lead in a game they would go on to win 6-1. Photo by THOMAS PERRY /The Daily Press
Timmins Rock have out scored Lumberjacks 12-1 since “embarrassing” 7-3 defeat suffered in Hearst
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
The Timmins Rock rolled to their third-straight win, knocking off the NOJHL-leading Hearst Lumberjacks 6-1 at the McIntyre Arena, Thursday night.
It was the Rock’s second victory over the Lumberjacks since an “embarrassing” 7-3 setback in Hearst on Oct. 3. The Rock have outscored the Lumberjacks 12-1 in those two victories, helping to lessen some of the sting from that earlier defeat.
Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry acknowledged there was a lot to like about Thursday night’s victory.
“I loved it,” he said. “Five-on-five I have no issues with the way we play structurally, it is all about competing and winning our one-on-one battles.
“Obviously, the big concern with Hearst is special teams. They have a dynamite power play (No. 1 in the NOJHL) but we made some adjustments on our (penalty) kill and it was fantastic tonight. Your best penalty killer has to be your goalie and I thought Freddy (Frédéric Cousineau) was fantastic tonight.”
Kaeden McArthur kick started the offence for the Rock when he scored his seventh goal of the season 6:15 into the opening period of Thursday night’s contest.
Lucas Lowe, who ended his season-long goal scoring drought in Kirkland Lake Sunday afternoon, then followed with his second tally of the season, a marker that would prove to be the game-winner.
The Rock kept coming in the third period, pumping three more goals past Hearst goalie Alexandre Boivin, increasing their lead to 5-0 through 40 minutes of action.
Brant Romaniuk got things rolling when he netted his 13th goal of the season, although it appeared newcomer Matteo Paradiso, whom the Rock acquired from the AJHL’s Bonnyville Pontiacs in exchange for a player development fee, put the puck in the net.
“I walked in on the power play and (Nolan) Masson had a good shot off the pad and I just tapped it in,” Paradiso said.
Thomas Beard followed with a power-play marker, his seventh tally of the campaign.
Not to be denied a second time, Paradiso then netted his first NOJHL goal, a power-play marker, with 39 seconds remaining in the frame.
“I was right out front and Brant (Romaniuk) gave me the puck and I ripped it off the (cross)bar,” he said.
Boivin was given the hook following the second period, with Owen Bonthuis coming on in relief for the Lumberjacks to start the third period.
Romaniuk extended the Rock lead early in the frame when he stole the puck and scored a shorthanded marker, his second goal of the night and 14th of the season.
At that point, the only question remaining was whether or not Cousineau would earn his first NOJHL shutout or not.
It was not to be, however, as Mathieu Comeau struck for a power-play marker, his 15th goal of the season just shy of the midway point in the period with the Lumberjacks enjoying a five-on-three advantage.
“One hundred percent he deserved a shutout, he really did,” Perry said. “He was fantastic. That was tough, five-on-three.”
Paradiso, a 2007-birth-year, left-shooting, 5-10 and 185-pound forward, hails from Vancouver, B.C.
“I am a two-way forward and I like to use my offensive abilities in the O Zone,” he said, when asked to provide a scouting report on his style of play. “I try to give it 110 percent every game.”
Asked the age-old question of whether he considers himself a shoot-first or pass-first player, Paradiso said, “A bit of both.”
Paradiso is familiar with two of his new teammates, Ashton Beriana and Ben Climenhaga.
“It makes me feel a little bit more comfortable coming to a new team and a new city,” he said.
Being new to the Rock organization, Paradiso wasn’t totally up to speed on the intensity of their rivalry with the Lumberjacks.
“I heard some rumblings, but I didn’t know it was this big,” he said.
Regardless of whether or not Romaniuk’s first goal is eventually credited to Paradiso it is hard to imaging there is a hotter sniper in the NOJHL right now, since he has either five or six goals in his past three games.
“He has such a knack for it (scoring goals),” Perry said. “There aren’t too many guys who are more hungry around the net than he is. I have never met a player who wants to score so bad and he does, more times than not, so it is good for us.”
The coach also liked what he saw from Lowe, McArthur and Paradiso Thursday night.
“It is nice to score goals, so I am super happy for Lowe because that’s two games in a row for him now,” Perry said. “Low was tasked with shutting down the Comeau line tonight and he did a fantastic job doing that. That’s the selflessness you need in your locker room. Him, Beard and Masson did a fantastic job.
“K-Mac has always been an offensive catalyst for our club. I like the stuff on the other side of the puck. I like the good stick checks. I like winning the battles.
“Matteo is a player we recruited heavily in the summer but he ultimately chose to pursue another option. He became available and he is a high-end player from a prep school out west. So, we are happy to have him here. It was a good first night and we are happy for him.”
Speaking of the D, the coach was pleased with what he saw from all six Rock blue-liners — Climenhaga, Zach Secord, Jack Quevillon, Braedyn Cyr, Matthew Kim and William Lobanov.
“I like good gaps by our D,” Perry said. “All six of them were so good tonight. We had a goal today for everybody to finish with three hits and three blocked shots and I think we will like the result (when we review the video). Our D took that seriously and they were dogs back there.”
Forward Evan Katic got in on the shot blocking, as well, and he had to limp off the ice after clearing the puck on the penalty kill.
“It’s nothing serious, just a little stinger,” Perry said. “He was great tonight, too.”
While he was denied the shutout, Cousineau stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced to earn his sixth win of the season.
Boivin, who turned aside 31 of the 36 shots the Rock directed his way in his 40 minutes of work, was tagged with the loss for the Lumberjacks. Bonthuis blocked seven of the eight shots he faced in his 20 minutes of relief.
NOJHL NOTES — The Daily Press three stars of the game were Romaniuk, Lowe and McArthur … The Rock went 2-4 on the power play and scored a shorthanded goal, while the Lumberjacks were 1-10 with the man advantage … Official attendance at the McIntyre Arena was 763 … Thursday’s only other contest saw the Cubs knock off the Soo Thunderbirds 5-2 in Greater Sudbury … The Rock will return to action on Sunday when they host the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners at the McIntyre Arena, at 1 p.m.
