NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015
CHELMSFORD, Ont. – The Rayside-Balfour Canadian used a four-goal first period to help them upend the Elliot Lake Wildcats 6-3 Saturday in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League contest held at Chelmsford Arena.
Spencer MacLean staked the visiting Wildcats to the opening tally of the night as he notched his fourth of the season at 4:50 as he connected on a man advantage opportunity.
Special teams allowed the Canadians to tie it and then take the lead as Bradley Chenier struck shorthanded at 6:03 while Owen Fransen put the home side in front 100 seconds later via the power play.
Matt Neault made it 3-1 Rayside-Balfour just as a penalty to them had expired at 12:47 of the stanza only to see Elliot Lake’s Ty Hannaford counter that on the next shift.
Jackson Gunner would put the Canadians up 4-2 with a late marker as they took the two-goal cushion to the first intermission.
The Wildcats came out with Aaron Mackay in net to start the middle stanza in place of Allan Menary, who allowed four against on 13 shots in the first.
Ryan Hackett of Elliot Lake picked up the lone marker in the second to make it a 4-3 game six and a half minutes in.
The score stayed that way until the latter stages of the contest when Kyle Fransen’s fourth of the campaign added some insurance at 15:33.
Cayse Ton then capped off the victory with an empty netter to round out the night’s scoring.
Chenier and Ryan Erickson had two assists apiece to aid the Rayside-Balfour cause.
Jessie Morin made 30 saves to pick up the win in net for the Canadians.
Mackay stopped 24 of 25 in relief of Menary, who suffered the loss.
