NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Monday, Oct. 24, 2016
Murray’s power play OT winner lifts Voodoos over Crunch
POWASSAN, Ont. – A Dayton Murray power play marker during a two-man advantage with 36 seconds left in the first overtime lifted the Powassan Voodoos to a dramatic 5-4 victory over the visiting Cochrane Crunch in a back and forth Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League affair Monday evening at the Powassan Sportsplex.
It took Powassan’s Gary Mantz just over nine minutes to open the scoring and extend a current league-high consecutive game point streak to 11 in the process as he notched his ninth goal of the season.
Cochrane countered with the equalizer at 12:47 of the first when Braeden Cross tied it with his NOJHL-best 15th of the campaign.
The Voodoos’ Andy Baker joined him with 15 tallies at 17:29 only to see Cross collect No. 16 a mere 39 seconds later to make it 2-2 after one.
Heading into the middle stanza it was the Crunch who broke the deadlock a minute and a half into the frame on an Austin Stauffer effort.
Battling back the home side’s Ryan Theriault connected on the power play at 4:31 to bring the clubs level once again.
Powassan’s Tyson Gilmour picked up an assist on the play helping him run a point streak to nine.
The Voodoos then regained the lead midway through the session as Kyle Challis supplied his fifth marker in 2016-17.
Heading into the third period, it was Cochrane’s Taylor Armbruster that forced extra time as he picked up his first of the season with 6:43 remaining in regulation.
With the initial OT nearing a conclusion and just two seconds left in the Crunch penalties it was Murray that ended it beating Crunch starter Jacob Burhans to give Powassan the extra point on the night as well as their fifth straight win.
Tyler Gervais-Rolfe chipped in offensively for the Voodoos providing two assists as did Cochrane’s Brandon McReynolds.
With the result the two teams are now tied for top spot in the NOJHL East Division with 25 points apiece.
Powassan’s record improves to 12-3-1-0 while the Crunch, who holds a game in hand, fell to 11-1-2-1.
Nate McDonald made 27 saves to pick up the win in net for the Voodoos while Burhans faced 45 shots in the OT setback for Cochrane.