IROQUOIS FALLS – The Abitibi Eskimos rebounded from three one-goal deficits early to defeat the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 8-5 Friday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play at Just Jordan Arena.
Both teams came out firing in the opening 20 minutes registering three tallies apiece in the session.
The Gold Miners’ Tristan Hazlett opened the scoring on the power play at 3:18 only to see Tristan Salesse tie it for Abitibi two minutes later.
Another Kirkland Lake man advantage marker, this one courtesy of Ryan Aubertin, put the visitors up 2-1 at 11:09.
Salesse then helped set-up Jake Holland for the equalizer two shifts later to knot the score for a second time.
Jermy Dumont gave the Gold Miners their third lead of the period at 14:24, but Abitibi’s Holland answered right back again in short order to level the affair heading into the middle stanza.
The Eskimos took their first lead of the evening early in the second thanks to Ryan Attwood notching his 10th tally of the season at 2:19.
It was Kirkland Lake’s turn to tie things up at 12:33 when Connor Thie beat Chet Tooker in the Abitibi net.
One minute later Brenden Locke put the home side up for good to send the Eskimos on their way.
A late marker with 21 seconds remaining in the frame from Brennen Roy made it 6-4 Abitibi entering the third.
Locke and Kirkland Lake’s Ethan Strong traded power play efforts in the final frame to make it 7-5 before Attwood iced it scoring into an empty net in the final minute to round out the scoring.
Brady Clouthier dished out four assists to help aid the Abitibi cause while Roy had three helpers of his own for the Eskimos.
Tooker finished with 38 saves to record the win.
Josh Erickson and Devon Debastos both saw time in net for the Gold Miners combining to face 40 shots in defeat.
The defeat also saw Kirkland Lake’s Steven Babin’s 13-game point streak come to an end.
