KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – Kevin Ford was terrific in his Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League debut Friday as he amassed four points in leading the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners to a 6-2 triumph over the French River Rapids at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
The NOJHL’s first goal of the 2016-17 campaign came in this contest with Ford striking on the power play at 6:20, which was also his first league tally as well.
Kirkland Lake kept coming in the period seeing Tyler Fyfe struck twice in just over a five-minute span to put the home team up 3-0 after one.
French River got one back 37 seconds into the second stanza when Christian Gaudreau struck for the Rapids.
Ford’s second of the night made it 4-1 at 6:56 while a man-down marker courtesy of Logan Dolanjski at 13:25 counted for his first NOJHL goal.
The two sides then traded tallies in the final minute of the second to round out the scoring as Matt Verrault had one while shorthanded at 19:12 for the visitors before Austin Ramirez supplied one on the power play for the Gold Miners 41 seconds later.
Ramirez joined Ford with two assists apiece on the night.
Earning the win in goal for Kirkland Lake was Victor-Olivier Courchesne, who made 18 saves in the victory.
Al Rogers suffered the loss for French River allowing the six against on 37 shots in two periods of work.
Scott Adams came in to start the third for the Rapids and handled all 12 attempts he saw in relief.
