Voodoos vs Gold Miners Oct 16 16 from Chris Dawson on Vimeo.
Set to the backdrop of an enthusiastic percussionist, the Powassan Voodoos gave up the first goal, regrouped, and turned in one of their best efforts of the season, pulling away from a Gold Miners team that the Voodoos had needed overtime to defeat earlier this week.
The 5-1 win at the Powassan Sportsplex came on the heels of a mid-week showcase tournament in which the Voodoos also dominated Iroquois Falls and lost.
The home team came out in a bit of a fog Sunday night. Goaltender Nick Campbell made two big stops with multiple Gold Miners on the doorstep. Just 3:30 into the game, the Voodoos were being outshot and were on their heels.
Sure enough, Stavros Soilis took a Dayton Keith pass, used Jacob Elrod as a screen and fired the puck off the defenceman's shin pad, handcuffing Campbell while scoring his seventh of the season.
"We came out slow," said Voodoos Head Coach Scott Wray, "at one point we were being outshot 8-1, and by the end of the night, they only had 20 shots total."
The Voodoos pressed for the equalizer throughout the first. Team scoring leader Gary Mantz had two opportunities to draw even but saw one laser shot stopped by Gold Miners keeper Victor-Olivier Courschene, and another zip over the crossbar.
With under two-and-a-half minutes to go in the first, the Voodoos hard work paid off as Kyle Challis levelled a Kirkland Lake defender behind the Gold Miners net, freeing Parker Bowman to pot his fourth of the season, tying the game 1-1. Challis and Dylan D'Agostino were credited with the assists.
The ice had tilted in Powassan's favour, and after being outshot early on, the Voodoos finished the period with a shot advantage of 15-9.
The second period was one of the finest of this Voodoos season. Tyson Gilmour, returning from watching his father's Leafs jersey retired on Saturday night, played an inspired game Sunday. It was his relentless forecheck, and some determined Ryan Theriault digging behind the Kirkland Lake net that led to Brett Hahkala's third goal of the season, the eventual game-winner.
The Voodoos got the power play going in the second, as Challis tipped in a point shot from Ryan Bazzana, off a Mantz feed. The Gold Miners pleaded for the referees to negate the play as a high-stick by Challis, but after conferring, the ruling was a goal, making it 3-1.
Special teams were firing on all cylinders in the second period, as the Voodoos strong forecheck and penalty killers made it seem at times as though they were the team with the advantage. Notable throughout the game were the physical efforts by D'Agostino and Rhys Brown.
"Our penalty kill was magnificent again tonight, it's one of our strong suits, and the power play got on the board, too," said Wray post-game.
With under one minute to play in the second period, Gilmour circled around the Gold Miners net, pivoted at the bottom of the right circle, and fired the puck home, top shelf. Assisting on the play were Dayton Murray and Tyler Gervais-Rolfe.
In the third, Rolfe potted one early, from Mantz and Andy Baker, further deflating the visitors, and rounding out the scoring.
"Definitely a lot of positives in this game. Puck possession was in our favour, and that's what you want. That second period was one of our best periods all year," declared Wray.
The Voodoos host the Rayside Balfour Canadians Friday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Powassan Sportsplex before heading on the road for the second half of the home-and-home with the Canadians, game time Saturday is 7 p.m. at Chelmsford Arena.