Voodoos vs Rapids Sept 10 16 opener from Chris Dawson on Vimeo.
The Powassan Voodoos kept putting pucks on net, and French River Rapids goaltender Scott Adams kept turning them away.
The dam burst eventually, and the Voodoos prevailed 4-1 in their home opener, as Adams blocked 56 of the 60 shots he faced.
Gary Mantz led the way with two goals and an assist, his two tallies coming in the first period. His power play marker that made the score 2-0 was a buzzer beater, officially crossing the goal line at 19:59 of the first.
The game started with French River peppering starter Nate McDonald. McDonald was solid throughout, turning away 21 of 22 Rapids shots, allowing only a deflection to get by him in the third. The frenetic pace quieted down, especially late in the game, as both teams were coming off Friday night tilts.
After the Rapids' initial onslaught, a questionable hit on Rhys Brown seemed to turn the tide for the Voodoos. Tyler Gervais-Rolfe sprung to his teammate's defence, and that inspired the Voodoos to close the first with a two goal lead.
The Voodoos added two more goals in the middle frame. The first came on a two-man advantage courtesy of defenceman Dayton Murray, with assists going to Mantz and Gervais-Rolfe.
The Voodoos' fourth and final goal came on a hard-fought solo effort from local product Dylan D'Agostino. It took the crowd several seconds to realize that the puck had entered the net, but D'Agostino's jubilant celebration left no doubt.
The Voodoos outshot the Rapids 24-10 in the second period, and headed to the third with a 4-0 lead.
The game was marked by several undisciplined penalties from both sides. There were many scrums in front of both goaltenders following the whistle. In the third, the two teams looked tired, seemingly resigned to their fates.
The deflected goal by Christain Gaudreau was the only puck that eluded McDonald, and the Voodoos regrouped to run out the clock and win 4-1, moving to 2-0 on the season.
Voodoos Head Coach Scott Wray was pleased with his players' efforts, especially coming off a long bus ride from Elliot Lake Friday night, where the Voodoos skated away with a 5-1 season-opening victory.
Wray was happy with the play of Gary Mantz, the night's first star, saying "He's played well in every game, in pre-season, in practice he's working hard. He's gotten more comfortabe every day. We're looking for him to have these kinds of nights, especially against divisional rivals."
The play of D'Agostino, Tyson Gilmour and Rhys Brown as a line also impressed the coach. "They're finding some chemistry together. D'Agostino's was a hard-working goal, on a Brown dump-in, and Dags made something out of nothing and drove the net hard and buried it. Those are things from a 16-year-old we like to see," said Wray.
Wray gave the opponents credit for clogging the slot. "We got 60 shots on net, but I think they blocked about 20, so they did a good job there. When we played them in French River, we won 3-1, and it was close because of Scott Adams."
Nate McDonald, another local player, also made a positive impression on Wray. "He's solid, always square to the puck," said Wray.
The Voodoos are back in action Monday night, when they host the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners (2-0) who are coming off wins over the Rapids and the Timmins Rock. Game time is 7:30 at the Powassan Sportsplex.