KIRKLAND LAKE, Ont. – The Kirkland Lake Gold Miners exploded for four first period goals en route to a 6-1 triumph over the Iroquois Falls Eskis Friday night in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.
Red-hot Kevin Ford continued his impressive play for the Gold Miners early in the campaign as he tallied twice and set-up another in the decision.
Ford started things off for Kirkland Lake thanks to a power play marker at 5:37.
After Matthew Brassard made it 2-0 less than three minutes later, the hosts kept coming as Stavros Soilis and Kelsey Katchuik added to the cushion as they took a 4-0 lead into the middle session.
In the second, it was Ford’s second of the night and league-leading sixth overall that accounted for the lone tally in the frame.
Action in the third saw Ashton Amaya make it 6-0 thanks to a man advantage effort at 15:53.
The Eskis did dash Victor-Olivier Courchesne’s shutout bid with just 94 seconds remaining on Blake Holowaty’s second of the season.
Courchesne finished with 20 saves in recording the victory for the Gold Miners.
Trevor Hawkes started for Iroquois Falls and was saddled with the loss giving up four on nine attempts.
Artem Bortovskiy saved 28 of 30 for the Eskis in 46 and a half minutes of relief.
