Photos: Northern Exposures Photography
BLIND RIVER, Ont. – A malfunctioning gate at the Zamboni entrance of the Blind River Community Centre has resulted in the suspension of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League contest Saturday between the Elliot Lake Vikings and Hearst Lumberjacks.
The door to allow the ice to be resurfaced would not open through each of the first two periods and the contest was halted with Hearst holding a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes.
The date to complete the contest will be announced when it is finalized by the NOJHL.
A fast-paced opening frame went by without a goal, thanks to the efforts of the starting goaltenders, Sam Keene of Elliot Lake and Hearst’s Russ Decoste.
Heading to the second stanza, some early pressure helped the Lumberjacks take the lead when Jason Towindo collected a loose puck in front and fired it over the glove of Keene at 3:23.
Adding another late in the frame, defenceman Adam Shillinglaw flew down the ice on an impressive rush and while darting into the Vikings’ zone ripped a shot into the top left-hand corner for his fourth of the season.
Then with the ice not being resurfaced since the start of the game, it was decided to halt play and await a time to complete the game later this season.
