Powassan coasts past French River
A three-goal night from Pavel Barclay helped propel the Powassan Voodoos past the French River Rapids 12-2 Saturday evening in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play at the Powassan Sportsplex.
Making the most of a couple of early opportunities, each team tallied once before the contest was three minutes old.
Caleb Dawson got the Voodoos going offensively at 1:02 when he came down the left wing and while using a defender as a screen, sent a shot into the top-right corner on Rapids’ starter Matis Bureau-Morel.
That saw him run a point streak to five with the marker.
French River countered a couple of shifts later as they broke out of their own zone on a three-on-one where Jack Wilson finished off a give-and-go with Cole McGuire and steered his chance into the open side on Powassan netminder Cole Vreugdenhil.
The home side came back to retake the lead midway through the first period as Dylan Rousselle skated into the visitors zone where he made a nice move around a Rapids’ defenceman, then fired an attempt that Bureau-Morel could only get a piece of before it trickled in.
The goal was his 15th of the season, which leads all NOJHL rookie rearguards on the campaign.
Adding a third late in the period, Braeden Begley kept a play in the French River end and sent an attempt to the target that was tipped in out of mid-air by Carter Zimmer at 18:46.
In the second stanza, Powassan broke it open by striking three times before the midway point of the proceedings.
Zimmer’s second of the evening began the outburst by lifting in a short pass from Jax Pereira, with the latter now on a six-game point streak.
From there, Marcus Krats moved to a five-game heater with a goal while moving in on the left side.
Ryan Saginaw’s team-leading 28th made it 6-1 for the hosts as he picked off a puck and went in and made a couple of in close moves before converting.
With that, the Rapids made a goaltending change as Ethan Madden entered in relief.
Adding to the onslaught, Barclay quickly whipped in a draw won back to him from Anthony Boyes at 10:53.
Capping off the victory in the third, Parker Bonsignore was sent darting down the left wing where he roofed a shot with authority.
After Barclay notched another, French River’s Jonah Gareau took a Tristan Kitchen pass and snapped it by Vreugdenhil while they were up a skater.
A Jesse Lefebvre tip in, followed by Barclay completing his hat trick and one final goal from Bonsignore wrapped up the romp for the Voodoos.
