TIMMINS – Ryan Tront had a pair of goals and set-up another while Brady Clouthier added three assists to help the Abitibi Eskimos rally and pull out a 6-5 victory over the Elliot Lake Wildcats Friday evening in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League neutral site affair held at the Archie Dillion Sportsplex in Timmins.
It was all Elliot Lake in the early going as they skated out to an early 3-0 lead before the opening period was eight minutes old.
Newcomer Trayvon Henry had two of those markers for the Wildcats and Adam Baxter added another via the power play.
A Ryan Attwood man advantage effort put Abitibi on the board at 10:52 to pull the Eskimos to within a pair entering the second.
After Abitibi’s Jake Holland and Elliot Lake’s Alec MacKenzie traded tallies, the Eskimos exploded for four goals in a four-minute span to go in front for good.
Tront made it 4-3 at 13:42 and teammate Cameron Etherington tied it 70 seconds later.
Building on the offensive outburst Tront and Holland, with the eventual game-winner, put the Eskimos up by two with a period to play.
The Wildcats Henry finished off a hat trick with half a period to play, but they would get no closer as Abitibi held on for the win.
Attwood had a pair of assists for a three-point night with Ryan Kerr supplying a pair of helpers of his own.
Shots on goal favoured Abitibi 36-32 with Chet Tooker picking up the win.
Elliot Lake starter Allan Menary allowed six against on 24 attempts and suffered the loss with A.J. Smith stopping all 12 attempts he faced in relief.
