Scott Pawson tries to slip a puck past Isle goalie Avery Allen. The puck appeared to go in the net but it was whistled down as no goal. Photo by Chris Dawson. A four-goal outburst in the second period carried the North Bay Jr.
Scott Pawson tries to slip a puck past Isle goalie Avery Allen. The puck appeared to go in the net but it was whistled down as no goal. Photo by Chris Dawson.
A four-goal outburst in the second period carried the North Bay Jr. A Trappers to a convincing 9-2 win Sunday night over Manitoulin in another chippy game at Memorial Gardens that saw 155 minutes in penalties handed out.
Brennan Wright had a hat trick and an assist, Jon Aubertin notched his team-leading 18th and 19th goals along with two assists, and local product Jamie Olivier added a goal and two helpers to lead the North Bay onslaught (12-15-4).
"We all stuck together and we all bought into the system," Olivier said of the team's weekend turnaround.
"It's working right now, added Olivier, who recently returned from a lengthy injury.
"I used my speed, I made plays, that's what you gotta do, we need guys to play their role."
Travis Jones scored both goals in a losing cause for lowly Manitoulin (2-30-0).
The Trappers carry a two-game win streak into their Christmas break and trail third-place Abitibi by just a single point in the NOJHL East division.
"We played extremely well (in Saturday's win in Abitibi), we played good tonight, we had our enthusiasm back, blocking shots and making hits," said Trappers head coach Ian Swalucynski.
The home side never seemed out of control in this one and jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first seven minutes.
Olivier got his third of the year at 1:33 redirecting a Stephane Houle left point shot past Islanders goalie Avery Allen.
Aubertin got his first of the night at 6:58, easily tapping home a crisp cross-crease feed from Wright.
The Islanders drew within one when Jones got his own rebound and slid it through the pads of Trappers netminder Landon Noel at 13:31.
After missing at least three other solid chances, North Bay thought they'd made it 3-1 with 13 seconds left in the opening period, but referee Graham Love disallowed it, ruling Olivier kicked the puck into the net following up a save on a Scott Pawson breakaway.
More controversy started the second and led to the tying goal.
The Trappers took a bench minor after another apparent goal was disallowed 81 seconds in, with the puck ruled to have crossed the line after the whistle blew.
After another Trapper penalty a minute later, Jones got his second on the subsequent 5-on-3, cleanly beating Noel with a wrister from the left circle at 2:41.
However, Travis Fernley gave North Bay the lead to stay nearly two minutes later on the power play, cutting in from the left side with speed and beating Allen high over the shoulder.
The Trappers got a favourable bounce to make it 4-2 just 53 seconds later, when Kyle Rowe fired a puck from behind the goal that hit an Islander defender at the left post and dropped into the net.
Wright extended the lead at 10:30 on a four-on-four situation, getting his own rebound off Allen's chest and banging it in off the right post.
Allen was lifted at that point for Adam Wood after conceding five goals on 23 shots.
Manitoulin frustration then boiled over as a line brawl erupted at 15:56 when Trevor Daynes came off the bench after the whistle to engage Fernley. Three separate fights ensued, with five players ejected.
"As far as I'm concerned that was bush league," said Swalucynski.
"(After that we) wanted to prove a point, we wanted to keep going and going and going and we didn't want to stop."
North Bay made it 6-2 on the ensuing power play when Wright got his second of the game, tipping in a Houle right point shot from the doorstep.
The Trappers outshot the visitors 18-11 in the middle frame and 52-29 overall as they continued their dominance in the final 20 minutes.
Patrick Provencher got his second of the year and Aubertin tipped in his second of the game before Wright capped off the hat trick at 12:46 with another tip in from the crease.
The Trappers next play January 2nd when they host Abitibi.
GAME NOTES: The Trappers played with 17 skaters as Adam Marceau sat out with an injury...Manitoulin dressed 15 skaters with four out due to injury...four Trappers have played in all 31 games so far this season - Matt Weisensel, JP Kascsak, Fernley and Ryan West...North Bay was 2-for-5 on the power play, Manitoulin 1-for-5... attendance was 677...the three stars were Wright, Aubertin and Olivier...former Trapper Sacha Guimond was on hand to watch the game - he has an assist and is plus-1 in four games with his new club the OHL's London Knights.
