COCHRANE, Ont. – A Zachary Kercz goal with 16:21 left in the second period proved to be the game-winner and the Timmins Rock topped the Cochrane Crunch 4-3 in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action Thursday evening at the Tim Horton Event Centre.
The visiting Rock would get on the board first as Wayne Mathieu notched his fifth goal of the season midway through the first period.
Cochrane countered with the equalizer at 17:48 of the opening stanza as Hunter Atchison buried his 29th tally of the campaign.
Timmins came out quickly to begin the middle frame as they scored twice before the session was two minutes old on an even strength effort from Bain Cunningham and a power play marker off the stick of Ryan Kerr, which spelled the end on Crunch starter Brett Young’s night in favour of Allan Menary.
Kercz greeted Menary quickly with the eventual difference maker to put the visitors up 4-1.
Atchison’s league-leading 30th goal pulled the home side to within two at the nine-minute mark of the second while Aviv Milner also tallied for Cochrane at 14:24 in what proved to be the final offensive output of the night.
Jordan Rendle and Tristan Salessse had two assists apiece to aid the Rock’s cause while Taylor Armbruster had a couple of helpers for the Crunch.
Logan Ferrington was solid in net for Timmins making 47 saves en route to the triumph.
Young faced 11 shots in 22 minutes of work with Menary suffering the loss in relief for Cochrane as stopped 15 of 16 attempts fired his way.
