Timmins Rock forward Evan Katic attempts to wrap a backhand shot around the outstretched pad of Hearst Lumberjacks goalie Jack Helkie during the second period of Monday afternoon’s NOJHL contest at the McIntyre Arena. Helkie was up for the challenge, however, as he backstopped the Lumberjacks to a 5-4 overtime win over the Rock. Photo by THOMAS PERRY /The Daily Press
The Timmins Rock have now gone 3-6-0-2 since they had their 21-game winning streak snapped by the Powassan Voodoos, on Jan. 20
Thomas Perry
The Daily Press/Postmedia Network
Victory continued to elude the Timmins Rock Monday afternoon, as they dropped a 5-4 overtime decision to the Hearst Lumberjacks at the McIntyre Arena.
The Rock have now gone 3-6-0-2 since they had their 21-game winning streak snapped by the Powassan Voodoos, on Jan. 20.
While the Rock (30-11-0-3) are one of six NOJHL squads to have already clinched a playoff berth, they have fallen into third place in the standings — two points behind the Lumberjacks (31-8-0-3) and Hearst has a pair of games in hand.
Even more worrisome, the fourth-place Voodoos (28-11-1-2) are now just four points back and, like the Lumberjacks, they also have two games in hand.
“We just, I don’t even know, every time we have something good going, we just blow a coverage or make the worst mistakes at the worst time,” said a frustrated Rock coach and general manager Brandon Perry.
“I don’t know what to say any more.”
It seemed like the Rock were playing catch-up hockey the entire game, four times rallying from one-goal deficits only to see the Lumberjacks drive a dagger through their hearts in overtime.
“We can’t give up five goals,” Perry said. “You won’t win any games in the playoffs if you are letting in five goals, or four goals.
“It is not on our goalie (Ayden Mullen). We just didn’t play good. Our penalty kill wasn’t good and defensively, our structure, we just fell asleep. We left guys standing alone backdoor, guys standing in the slot unchecked, untouched.
“We play like 50 minutes of good hockey, it seems like, the past month. That 10 minutes we don’t play good, we make the biggest mistakes imaginable.”
There was not much special about the Rock’s special teams in Monday afternoon’s setback, as they went 0-2 on the power play and allowed the Lumberjacks to go 2-5 with the man advantage.
“I think it’s both, I think it’s both,” Perry said, when asked if the problem is the personnel on the ice or a lack of execution. “We have got to do something. We have got to change something, but it is both, for sure.”
Captain Mathieu Comeau staked the Lumberjacks to a 1-0 lead seven-and-a-half minutes into the opening period when he scored a power-play marker, his 27th goal of the season.
The Rock got back on even terms when red-hot Maxx Hamelin netted his 12th goal of the season and fifth in the past four games seven-and-a-half minutes into the middle frame.
But Cameron Menard restored the Lumberjacks advantage just over a minute later when he scored his 38th goal of the campaign.
Ryan Armitage tied things up at 2-2 for the Rock midway through the period when he netted his ninth goal of the season.
Menard’s second goal of the game and 39 of the campaign, a power-play marker, allowed the Lumberjacks to carry the lead into the second intermission.
Matteo Paradiso got the Rock back on even terms six-and-a-half minutes into the third period when he scored his 15th goal of the season.
Once again, the Lumberjacks responded almost immediately, with Nathan Seed netted his fourth tally of the campaign.
Diego Da Silva’s 26th goal of the season just past the midway mark in the third period tied things up at 4-4 and forced overtime.
But Mavrik Chan-Miguel sent Rock fans home unhappy as he netted the game-winning marker, his 14th tally of the campaign, just shy of the three-minute mark in the seven-minute OT period.
Even though Perry felt his Rock played well for 50 of the 63 minutes of Monday’s contest, not many played impressed him during that time.
“Just Hamelin, he skates, he creates, he is always moving,” he said. “He is the only one I can think of who actually stood out and played a good game.”
Hamelin (15, 12-5-17, 12), who has been averaging more than a point a game since the Rock acquired him from MJHL’s Winnipeg Monarchs on Jan. 2, played on a line with Evan Katic and Diego Da Silva, although the coach did some mixing and matching as the game progressed.
“That (scoring big goals) is exactly why we brought him in here, to give us some secondary scoring,” Perry said. “He is primary right now but yes that’s what we brought him in here for.”
The coach realizes the Rock will be in tough when they take on the NOJHL-leading Cubs in Greater Sudbury, Thursday night.
“If we play casually in our own end, it’s going to be a long night for us,” Perry said.
Lumberjacks goalie Jack Helkie turned aside 32 of the 36 shots the Rock directed his way to earn his 14th win of the season.
Mullen, who stopped 22 of the 27 shots he faced, was tagged with the loss.
NOJHL NOTES — The Daily Press three stars of the game were Menard (two goals, one assist), Hamelin (one goal, one assist) and Lumberjacks forward Chase Thompson (three assists) … The Rock went 0-2 on the power play, while the Lumberjacks were 2-5 with the man advantage … Official attendance at the McIntyre Arena was 1,264 … Monday’s only other contest saw the Cubs blank the Blind River Beavers 5-0 in Greater Sudbury … The Rock will return to action on Thursday when they take on the Cubs in Greater Sudbury, at 7:10 p.m. The next home game will see the Rock host the Iroquois Falls Storm at the McIntyre Arena, on Sunday, at 1 p.m.
