IROQUOIS FALLS, Ont. – An impressive Luc Warner individual effort midway through overtime was the difference maker as the Hearst Lumberjacks pulled out a narrow 2-1 triumph over the Iroquois Falls Storm Saturday in a hard-fought Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League goaltender’s duel at Jus Jordan Arena.
A well-played opening 20 minutes went without a goal thanks in part to the efforts of the evening’s starting netminders, Nathan Boudreau of the Storm and the Lumberjacks’ William Stonehouse.
It was much the same in a scoreless middle stanza as the clubs went to their respective dressing rooms for the second intermission still in search of the evening’s initial tally.
Action in the third period saw Iroquois Falls break the deadlock with just under eight minutes remaining in regulation when Lucas Willoughby slammed a low shot under the pad of Stonehouse and in.
Hearst answered with an equalizer a couple of shifts after that with Mikaleb Blier lifting one through traffic from the left point that eluded a screened Boudreau.
Heading to extra time, Warner won it and extended a point streak to eight games as he wheeled through across the ice before driving hard into the Storm zone with pace, then cut in on a defender and while powering from left-to-right, tucked in the decider past Boudreau to secure the result.
With the victory, the Lumberjacks raise their record to 26-8-0-3, while with a point in defeat, Iroquois Falls goes to 11-23-2-3.
