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Voodoos put hex on Gold Miners

Voodoos bounce back with shutout win after Sunday OT loss.
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Voodoos goalie and North Bay native Nate McDonald leads the NOJHL with two shutouts. File photo.

Powassan Voodoos goaltender Nate McDonald stopped all 26 shots he faced to register his Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League-leading second shutout of the season as he backstopped his club to a 4-0 victory over the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners Friday night at the Joe Mavrinac Community Complex.  

A tight-checking opening 20 minutes saw no side score, with netminders McDonald of Powassan and Kirkland Lake’s Victor-Olivier Courchesne, handling each of the shots they faced in the stanza.

A Voodoos power play saw them take the lead six and a half minutes into the middle session when Battalion prospect Andy Baker buried his fourth of the season to put the visitors in front.

Powassan then went up by a pair late in period as Gabriel Rheault collected his first of the campaign at 17:50 as the visitors took a 2-0 lead into the third.

The Voodoos got some insurance 8:18 into the final frame when Parker Bowman picked up his second of 2016-17 to extend his club’s cushion.

The visitors then sealed the win on a Cameron Moore effort with 31 seconds to go to round things out.

Voodoos head coach Scott Wray was impressed with the effort from start to finish.  

"The boys played a full sixty minutes tonight," said Wray.  

Coach Wray admitted the team focussed on defence this week after dropping a 7-6 OT decision at home on Sunday night.  

"We stuck to our game plan the entire night. After the Timmins game we stripped down our D zone to the studs. The guys really bought in to our D zone tonight and with that Nate McDonald enjoyed a shut out!"  

Courchesne faced 26 attempts in defeat for the Gold Miners.

The win improves the Vodooos record on the season to 5-2-0-1 on the season.  

The Voodoos return home Monday night when they face the French River Rapids.   Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Powassan Sportsplex.