COCHRANE, Ont. – A Logan Fredericks goal with just 19.7 seconds remaining in regulation was the difference as the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners rallied for a 5-4 come from behind victory over the Cochrane Crunch Thursday in a fast-paced Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League contest at the Tim Horton Event Centre.
It took the Crunch just over three minutes to open the night’s scoring as Taylor Armbruster connected on the power play.
Cochrane would go up a pair at 6:44 of the frame when Dustin Cordeiro collected his 34th of the season.
Battling back, Kirkland Lake got one back midway through on a man advantage marker courtesy of Sam Mancini.
Special teams saw the Gold Miners then level the proceedings at 2-2 as Evan Bidenti struck shorthanded at 13:40.
Hunter Atchinson’s league-leading 42nd goal of the season three minutes later put Cochrane back in front as the home side went up by a goal through one period of play.
Kirkland Lake tied it once again early in the second period thank to Brayden Stortz, who notched his 30th marker of 2015-16.
Down a man, the Crunch made it 4-3 through 40 minutes with Brenden Van Sweden potted his seventh with Evan Akkerman and Joseph Thielen drawing assists on the play.
The back-and-forth affair saw the Gold Miners knot the score once again on Marc-Antoine Arseneau’s wrist shot from the slot went high and beat Cochrane netminder Brett Young with 13:06 to play.
Trading chances and with overtime looming, Fredericks won it late for the visitors as he banged in a loose puck past Young following a goal mouth scramble for his team-leading 31st of the season.
Blake Anderson had a pair of assists on the night for Kirkland Lake earning helpers on the tying tally and the winner.
Victor-Olivier Courchesne made 26 saves to pick-up the win for the Gold Miners while Young faced 49 shots in defeat for the Crunch.
The same two teams meet again Friday with the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex in Kirkland Lake serving at the site in a 7:30 p.m. start.
