Photos by: Tanner Wallace (Tan Tan Photography)
POWASSAN, Ont. – Having an answer when called upon, the Espanola Paper Kings clicked when it counted in defeating the Powassan Voodoos 7-3 Friday in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League encounter at the Powassan Sportsplex.
Recently acquired defenceman Max DeCoff put the Voodoos in front 6:50 into the matchup as he picked up his initial marker for the squad when he whipped in a shot from between the circles that beat the Paper Kings’ Mason Janicki.
Espanola countered in the back half of the first period to take a 2-1 lead into the intermission.
After Carter Trudell drew the visitors level at 13:19, with a deflection that eluded Powassan’s Matthew Lyon, Zachary Grahn clicked moments into a man advantage that he redirected in off a Luka Boggio point shot.
In the second period, Carter Makasoff made it 3-1 Paper Kings as he got his own rebound laying at the top of the crease and tucked it in.
The Voodoos were quick to counter thanks to Caden Dubreuil just over a half minute later as he muscled his way up-ice down the right wing and putting an attempt off the stick of a defender and past Janicki.
Supplying his initial NOJHL goal at 16:17, the Paper Kings’ Sam Piette collected a drop pass from Carter McAllister and snapped it through the legs of Lyon.
Heading to the third, Ben Bristol-Murray’s first in the NOJHL got Powassan back to within one as he took an Alexandre Saulnier feed and lifted in a rising backhand at 6:22.
But Espanola matched that quickly when Emerson De Giacomo tipped in a Tayden Smith shot.
Benefitting from a turnover, Piette zipped in his second of the evening after going in alone on Lyon.
Helping putting it out of reach on the power play, Espanola’s Denver Mulligan took quick a cross-ice pass from Carter Drigo on the left side and cranked it in to finish off the evening’s scoring.
With the outcome, the Paper Kings raise their record to 5-8-0-0 and with the loss, the Voodoos drop to 6-3-1-1.
