Photos: Cathy Sullivan
POWASSAN, Ont. – A Ryan Glazer marker, 6:52 into the first overtime period, was the decider as the Hearst Lumberjacks defeated the Powassan Voodoos 4-3 Friday night in Game 6 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League playoff match-up at the Powassan Sportsplex.
The result gives the Lumberjacks the best-of-seven set, four games to two, as they will now move on to meet the Timmins Rock in the East Division Final, beginning next week.
It took Hearst just 61 seconds to open the night’s scoring as Zachary Demers spun and whipped in a rebound, moments after being robbed by a tremendous pad save by Powassan starter Alex Bugeja.
There was more from Demers at 5:33 as he notched his second in succession by jamming one in from close range on an odd-man rush up ice with linemates Robbie Rutledge and Raphael Lajeunesse.
Getting one back, the Voodoos clicked on the power play a couple of minutes later when Mike Levin wheeled out of the corner and went up high where he fired a shot towards the net, that was neatly deflected in by Cameron Lemcke, who got it past Lumberjacks’ goalkeeper Liam Oxner.
It stayed 2-1 for the visitors throughout the second stanza as neither side gave an inch as the clubs hit the intermission with the same score line.
In the third, Alexander Bradshaw began a Powassan rally as he forced a turnover and went in alone on Oxner and made a slick deke to his right and lifted in a nifty backhander over the goalkeeper’s pad to know the affair at 3:28.
Answering again just over a minute later, it was more from the home side when Jackson Buffam got one over to Bradshaw, who moved to the slot, cut around a defender and snapped in his second in quick order to put the Voodoos into the lead.
Regrouping, Hearst came back to tie it at 9:15 thanks to Tyren Grimsdale putting a low shot through a maze of players from the top of the right circle that eluded a screened Bugeja.
Heading into extra time, Riley Klugerman began the play on the game-winner and he skated hard out of his own zone, moved around a checker and darted into Powassan territory where he put a perfect feed on the tape of Glazer, who quickly whipped a low attempt into the bottom right-hand corner to end it.
The NOJHL will announces the dates on the Rock – Lumberjacks series, once it is finalized.
NOJHL East Division semifinal
Hearst Lumberjacks vs. Powassan Voodoos
Hearst wins best-of-seven series 4-2
Game 1: Lumberjacks 4 Voodoos 1
Game 2: Voodoos 4 Lumberjacks 3
Game 3: Lumberjacks 3 Voodoos 0
Game 4: Lumberjacks 6 Voodoos 4
Game 5: Voodoos 2 Lumberjacks 1
Game 6: Lumberjacks 4 Voodoos 3 (OT)
