BLIND RIVER, ON – Daniel Vasic scored a hat trick to lead the Blind River Beavers to an 8-5 win over the Elliot Lake Vikings at the Blind River Community Centre on Saturday night.
Gavin McClenaghan had 2 goals and 1 assist for the Vikings in the high-scoring affair.
The Vikings opened the scoring when Matthew Kallo created a turnover at the Blind River blueline and Gavin McLenaghan gave it back to Kallo and his quick shot beat Gavin Disano at 4:09 for a Vikings 1-0 lead.
However, two minutes later, it was the Beavers capitalizing on a turnover at the Vikings blueline as Wyatt Gibson set up Brendan Cooke, who created the turnover, and got the puck back from Gibson and the Flint Firebirds prospect beat the Vikings Sam Keene to make it 1-1.
McLenaghan then put the Vikings up 2-1 as his quick shot from the top of the right faceoff circle went through the legs of Disano at 7:02.
The Beavers got it back just over 30 seconds later as Josh Thompson got a feed near the left faceoff dot and he ripped a shot by Keene to even things at 2-2.
The Vikings added to the lead on a great burst of speed by Anthony Bertrand who beat Disano at 10:31 for a Vikings 3-2 lead.
The Beavers evened it up late in the first when Daniel Vasic on a clear breakaway beat Keene to make it 3-3 at 17:01.
Early in the second, Piper Post beat Keene from a bad angle to make it 4-3 Beavers at 1:50.
The Beavers Mason Morden netted his 7th to make it 5-3 Beavers at 4:15.
Vasic, who took a quick pass from Jesse Dupuis, got his second of the period and 27th of the season at 6:51 which made it 6-3 for the Beavers.
The Vikings pulled within two when Nate Dugwell got to a loose puck in the neutral zone, raced in and beat Disano which made it 6-4 at 10:19 of the second.
McLenaghan pulled the Beavers back within one as he scored a power play marker at 13:35 of the third to make it 6-5.
However, the Beavers scored the backbreaker less than two minutes later as Wyatt Gibson got his 7th to make it 7-5 Beavers at 15:23.
Then Vasic completed the hat trick with a quick wrister inside the left faceoff circle for his 28th at 17:15 to complete the scoring.
The home win moved the NOJHL leading Beavers record to 41-10 while the Vikings stumble to 4-38-1-4.
