The Powassan Voodoos broke out of a short three-game losing streak (0-2-1) with a tight 2-1 victory over the visiting Hearst Lumberjacks at the Powassan Sportsplex on Friday night.
A Ben White goal just over 16 minutes into the first period stood up as the game-winner.
Entering the night sitting one-two in goals scored in the NOJHL this season, league-leading Hearst would strike first offensively midway through the initial session.
On the play, Zachary Demers won a race down the ice while speeding past a Powassan defender before cutting right and sliding in his seventh goal of the campaign past the outstretched pad of Voodoos’ starter Alex Bugeja.
Striking on the power play at 13:14, Justin Spurrell tied it for the home side as he neatly tipped in a shot from the right shot while parked in front of Lumberjacks’ netminder Matteo Gennaro.
Adding another before the intermission, White bagged his ninth of the year as he took a nice backhand feed from Chase MacQueen-Spence and quickly chipped in a one-timer from the left face-off circle.
In the second stanza, the two sides tightened up defensively in a scoreless session with Powassan carrying their 2-1 lead into the third.
It was much the same in the third as both Bugeja and Gennaro stood tall to thwart opposing players before time expired and allowed Powassan to skate away with the narrow victory.
Making 20 stops, Bugeja picked the win while Gennaro faced 37 attempts in the narrow setback.
The game had a long delay in the third period as Hearst Lumberjacks defenceman Carson Cox took out Alex Bradshaw with a big hit that forced arena officials to call an ambulance. Bradshaw was taken to hospital for treatment.
Cox was handed a five minute major and a game misconduct.
The Voodoos are back on the ice next Wednesday when they host the visiting Timmins Rock. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at the Powassan Sportsplex.
