Photos: Northern Exposures Photography
BLIND RIVER, Ont. – The Blind River Beavers saw Jakob Kovacs notch a hat trick and Noah Tegelaar post the shutout as part of an 8-0 win over the Elliot Lake Vikings in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League contest Sunday afternoon at the Blind River Community Centre.
With the Beavers serving as the visitors in this one, as Centennial Arena in Elliot Lake remains closed, it was Blind River who scored first.
Mason Mordan fired a shot from the left point that Vikings’ starter Matthew Vaharamian got a piece of, but as the puck went off the end glass, it bounced back in front, where recently acquired Cameron Menard was there to chip it in from along the right side of the net.
Adding another off some sustained pressure, during a man advantage, the Beavers worked the play around nicely before Evan Fraccaro set-up Tyler Vorstadt in the left circle where he wired a shot past Vaharamian, with bodies jammed within nearby proximity.
Taking a 3-0 lead into the first intermission, Kovacs banged in his first of the day, off his own rush into the Elliot Lake end that was initially thwarted, but saw him left right there to stuff in the rebound at 14:46.
Moving to the middle frame, Blind River tacked on two more early on to go up by five.
Their fourth came when Joseph Rotilio banked a play off the side boards that sent Clark Furman in on a breakaway, where he made a move to his left and lifted a backhand into the top shelf.
They then saw Kovacs supply in his second of the contest, by putting an attempt over the pad of a downed Elliot Lake goaltender.
Furman then tacked on another as he neatly redirected a shot from the left side from defenceman Adam Prax midway through the proceedings.
Heading to the third, the Beavers added one more after Furman put a cross-crease feed over Jack Robinson, who chipped it over the outstretched Sam Keene, who entered the Vikings net to commence the period.
Wrapping up the scoring was Kovacs, who registered his second hat trick of the season, near the top of the crease.
The outcome sees the Beavers raise their record to 13-6-0-0 while the Vikings fell to 4-10-1-2.
