Special teams power Voodoos
The Powassan Voodoos rode the strength of two power play tallies as well as a pair of shorthanded efforts to help power them to a 5-1 victory over the Soo Eagles in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play Saturday night at the Powassan Sportsplex.
Taking the lead just over eight minutes into the match-up the Eagles’ Cole Taylor collected his initial league marker by pumping in a shot from the point off a face off win that eluded the Voodoos’ Cole Vreugdenhil, who was making his NOJHL debut.
Answering with an equalizer while shorthanded, Powassan’s Ryan Saginaw cruised down the right wing and wired a shot upstairs from the top of the circle that sailed past Sault Ste. Marie starter Jace Knoerle at 13:32 of the first period.
The hosts then took a 2-1 lead into the intermission compliments of Owen Head in the late going of the stanza when he opted to shoot on a two-on-one rush to record his initial NOJHL goal.
Moving to the middle frame, the Voodoos’ power play went to work as Anthony Boyes picked up his third of the young campaign when he lifted in a backhand from a sharp angle off a point shot from Ben Gisonni, who picked up his first NOJHL point with the assist.
Up a skater once again later in the second, Cayden Kowal made it 4-1 at 12:50 as he was teed up in the slot by Saginaw and lifted one through traffic into the back of the net.
Putting it out of reach near the midway point of the third, Boyes guided in a man-down marker with a close-range backhand off a pass from Justin Rousseau.
The win helped the Voodoos improve to 2-0 early in the season with a pair of home-ice triumphs while the Eagles slipped to 0-2 on an opening weekend road trip.
