SUDBURY – Ryan Theriault and Jimmy Roy both tallied to help propel the Sudbury Nickel Barons to their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League-leading seventh win over the season as they topped the Abitibi Eskimos 5-3 Wednesday evening at McClelland Arena.
With the opening period nearing an end, Sudbury began the scoring with 38 seconds left in the stanza as a Khadyn Butterfly power play blast put the Nickel Barons in front.
The home side extended their cushion four minutes into the middle stanza as affiliate Theriault supplied his first NOJHL tally.
Abitibi got themselves back into in it, via the man advantage, as Joshua Dejulio beat Sudbury starter Jessie Morin at 6:25 of the session.
The tallies kept coming in the frame with the Nickel Barons’ Roy making it 3-1 and saw Abitibi replace starter Chet Tooker in favour of Braddock Baalerud.
The Eskimos made it 3-2 courtesy of Nick Minerva, but Sudbury countered with late tallies with Roy and Theriault each supplying their second of night in the latter stages of the period to put the Nickel Barons in control.
Brennen Roy added his first of the season with 4:46 left in regulation, but his side would get no closer as time ran out.
Yanic Hebert picked up a pair of assists for the winners as they improved to 7-1 overall.
Morin finished the night with 26 saves to secure the win for Sudbury who pelted Tooker and Baalerud with 51 shots as Abitibi went to 3-3-0-1 in the loss.
NOJHL play continues Thursday as the Cochrane Crunch host the Blind River Beavers in a 7:30 p.m. start at the Tim Horton Event Centre.
