COCHRANE – Cody Gratton’s Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League-leading 51st goal of the season with 4:42 left in regulation proved to be the difference as the Cochrane Crunch edged the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners 2-1 Tuesday evening at the Tim Horton Event Centre.
This tightly-contested match-up saw Cochrane net the lone tally of the opening period as Dustin Cordeiro fired home his 40th of the campaign past Gold Miners starter Josh Erickson with four minutes to go in the first.
Following a scoreless second session, Kirkland Lake scored the equalizer at 14:05 of the third as Zach Pease struck on the power play for his 10th marker in 2014-15.
That set the stage for Gratton to notch the difference maker just over a minute later as he buried his NOJHL-best 11th game-winner to secure the victory for the Crunch.
Brett Young was solid in the Cochrane net finishing the night with 40 saves in picking up the triumph.
Erickson also turned in a good game for Kirkland Lake making 37 stops overall in the setback.
NOJHL play resumes Wednesday as the Sudbury Nickel Barons host the Mattawa Blackhawks in a 7:30 p.m. start at McClelland Arena.
