KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – A Jeran Knorr goal with just under four minutes remaining in the second period stood up as the game-winner as the Cochrane Crunch pulled out a narrow 2-1 road victory over the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners Sunday evening in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
After a scoreless opening period, Cochrane got on the board midway through the contest as John Stevenson knocked in his 10th of the season.
Knorr then notched the eventual difference maker at 16:01 as he fired in his 14th of the campaign to put the Crunch up a pair with an unassisted effort.
Special tams allowed Kirkland Lake to get one back with 65 seconds left in the middle stanza when Logan Fredericks connected on the power play in what would be the final tally of the night.
Despite the defeat the Gold Miners managed to keep Hunter Atchison, the league’s leading point getter off the score sheet for the first time in eight outings and just the second time all season.
Brett Young was solid in the Cochrane net making 35 saves to pick up the win.
Victor-Olivier Courchesne finished with 23 stops in the loss for Kirkland Lake.
