Seguin nets hat trick as Trappers nab first place

The North Bay Jr. “A” Trappers (20-3-3-3) swept their home-and-away series with the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners (16-14-2-1) to start off 2013, taking a 6-3 decision at Memorial Gardens Sunday night.

Tait Seguin led the Trappers with a three-goal performance, while Beau Orser, Trevor Hunt and Brennen Dubchak added singles.

“Definitely a great feeling,” said Trappers head coach Tom McCarthy, “Winning back-to-back, home-and-away and move ourselves into first place, still with a game in hand, and looking forward to what’s coming.”

The Trappers are the first to 20 wins on the year. They are two points up on the Soo Thunderbirds for that top spot in the NOJHL, while the loss puts the Gold Miners 0-3 to start their 2013 calendar and still sit three points out of third place Sudbury.

“I thought, all-in-all, we attacked their net better as the game went on,” said McCarthy, “There wasn’t great flow tonight as last night, there wasn’t super flow either but we attacked their net pretty well and we moved the puck down low that made the goalie go east-west and had some success that way.”

Greg Dodds turned out a 41 save performance for his league-leading 16th win of the season. Many of the saves were highlight reel quality, and even had some help from the defense on a couple of crucial Gold Miner opportunities. Dodds also stopped a penalty shot at 10:40 of the third period, en route to the win.

“Tonight, he had success,” McCarthy said of Dodds, “Which might have helped kill the momentum, without allowing it to carry on but Doddsy played pretty solid, I think the first one, he wished he had back for sure, there’s no question about that but after that, I thought that our defense was pretty decent.”

The Trappers came in with a 24.1 power play success rate, best in the NOJHL. They went 1-for-6 on the man advantage and pocketed two shorthanded goals as well.

“We’ve been executing and trying some things that might create some offense for us off those situations,” said McCarthy, “With the speed and the guys that are out there, the starts and stops and their quickness certainly allows us to have a little explosion sometimes when there’s room from our end zone to go two-on-one or be in a breakaway situation but timely goals, no question.”

Miner Ryan Scherer was sent out of the game in the first period for three stick infractions in the game, with two slashing and one cross-checking minor in the first 14:33.

The Trappers had a ton of power play time to work with in the first and it was newcomer Orser putting a bullet by Marc Audet with the man advantage at 17:18 to get the Trappers ahead.

Seguin made it 2-0 at 4:09 of the second, after great puck movement in the zone to start the period.

The momentum from that shift and goal benefitted the Trappers once again as only 59 seconds later, Hunt got his 12th of the year and it was a 3-0 game.

The Gold Miners cut into the deficit as Jeremy Picard-Fiset notched a power play marker at 7:32 by skating in from the blue line with room to shoot.

Seguin had a productive penalty killing shift with about five minutes to go in the second, delivering a hit in one end and capping it off with his second of the night at 14:23 and it was a 4-1 score.

Dodds made an unbelievable save with his paddle down behind him in the blue paint, a last ditch effort to keep the Miners off the board. At 18:14, off the ensuing face off, Everett Thompson one-timed a pass by Dodds and it was 4-2 going into the third.

Hunt turned up his play making ability right off the start of the final frame and only 24 seconds in, he slid a pass into the blue paint and amongst a collection of sticks, was Dubchak’s, ready to tap the puck in. The pass was perfect, Dubchak made no mistake and it was a 5-2 lead.

Seguin finished off his hat-trick with his second shorthanded goal of the evening at 4:29. He stole the puck from the Miner defense, walked in on a clear two-on-one with Connor Gilmartin and the two put a clinical passing play together to get the four-goal cushion.

Trapper newcomer Marc Rowe had a good start, but coughed up a puck at 9:08 to Tanner Lafrance, who walked in and beat Dodds with a backhand to round out the scoring.

The Trappers head to Sudbury on Wednesday night to take on the Nickel Barons, before returning home to face the Soo Thunderbirds on Sunday, January 13. Game time is set for 2:00 p.m. at Memorial Gardens.

Game Notes
-The attendance was 507.
-Kirkland Lake out shot the Trappers 44-38.
-Orser made his home debut for the Trappers, coming over from Coquitlam (BCHL). He played for McCarthy in Huntsville four years ago.
-Rowe comes over from Campbellton (MHL). He won a CCHL Championship with the Nepean Raiders last season.