Photos: Cassy Seguin
FRENCH RIVER – Skating out to a solid start, the Powassan Voodoos used that early outburst to power past the French River Rapids 6-2 Saturday in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League encounter at Noelville Arena.
A three-goal barrage, including two on the power play, in the back half of the first period, sent the Voodoos on their way.
Alexander Case got the first one for the visitors midway through the first, while up a skater, as he whipped one through a screen that beat a blocked-out Rapids’ starter Michael O’Sullivan.
Powassan then went up by a pair after Cameron Lemcke had a couple of in-close cracks at the puck before eventually jamming it in at 14:13.
They then scored on a late man advantage that saw Zach Turner knock in a rebound off a Mathieu MacMillan attempt.
Picking up the second assist on the goal was Chase Thompson, who with that, extended a consecutive game point streak to 10.
Getting one back early in the middle stanza, Dominic Bzdyl made a nice saucer pass over to Matthew Stringer on the left side, who fired it past
Miles Gordon in the Voodoos’ net.
Regrouping, Powassan potted two more to take a 5-1 lead after 40 minutes as Reyth Smith, on a two-on-one, along with a Darby McCarthy one-timer notched late markers.
In the final frame, Bzdyl connected for the Rapids, after being left alone in front and tucking in a close-range backhand on Gordon.
The Voodoos’ Rhys Smetham countered quickly after that to provide the night’s final tally as he finished off a Lemcke feed from in close.
With the triumph, Powassan improves to 18-11-0-2 and in defeat, French River falls to 8-24-1-0.
