Coming up big when needed, the Iroquois Falls Storm skated to a key 9-4 victory over the Powassan Voodoos in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League encounter Friday night at the Powassan Sportsplex.
With the outcome, the Storm can secure the eighth and final NOJHL playoff spot with at least one point Saturday, in their final regular season contest at French River.
Striking first on a delayed penalty, Powassan converted with the additional skater as Ryan Saginaw pumped in a rebound off a Cayden Kowal blast past Iroquois Falls starter Justin Sullivan.
Tying it up at 7:15, the Storm got on the board when Jaden Lyons chased down a dump in and put a spinning back pass in front to an open Landon Trethewey, who lifted his chance over Voodoos’ netminder Tyson Wilcox.
The visitors then took the lead six minutes later when John Adlys put a shot to the target that Wilcox could only get a piece of before it trickled across the goal line.
Drawing even before the first intermission, Powassan captain Jackson Smith lifted in a point shot through traffic to make it 2-2.
Heading to the second stanza, Iroquois Falls went back on top at 4:23 when a Voodoos’ defender inadvertently knocked in a loose puck off a Carter Jamieson chance in close.
Continuing to trade tallies, Saginaw started a rush in the neutral zone and while driving down the right side, wired one from a sharp angle past Sullivan.
Back and forth they went, with Alexandre St. Pierre putting Iroquois Falls ahead once more after 40 minutes as he came out from below the goal line and put one through Wilcox.
That resulted in Austin Seibel entering in relief for the home side.
Going up by a pair in the third, Jamieson notched another as he took a spinning Jordan Mayo pass and put it past Seibel.
The Storm then struck for back-to-back shorthanded goals to go up 7-3.
Emrick Paradis got the first one as he raced in alone on a breakaway and made no mistake at 5:24 while Andre Cho did likewise less than a minute later.
Powassan got one back at 8:30 off the stick of Jack Nolan as he worked ‘The Michigan’ from behind the net by lifting the puck up on his stick and working it out front where he stuffing it into the net past Sullivan.
However, Iroquois Falls finished off the important road victory in the late going when Jack Jarvis chipped one in from the top of the crease before Adlys rounded out the scoring after being left with a tap-in off a Lucas Willoughby set-up.
The Voodoos, who will open up the playoffs next Friday in Hearst, will play their final regular season game on Sunday night as they host the Espanola Paper Kings. Puck drop is 7 p.m.