Lepage’s hat trick leads Rayside-Balfour past Espanola

NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE

NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE

Release Date: Friday, Jan. 20, 2017

Lepage’s hat trick leads Rayside-Balfour past Espanola

ESPANOLA, Ont. – The Rayside-Balfour Canadians got a hat trick from Danny Lepage as part of an 8-1 triumph over the Espanola Express Friday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play at the Regional Recreation Complex.

Rayside-Balfour started strong getting early markers from Ian Robbie and Lepage to take a 2-0 lead after one period of play.

Logan Lefebvre and Lepage then both struck shorthanded as they upped the Canadians cushion in the middle stanza before a MacKenzie Aiken man advantage marker late in the frame put the Express on the board.

It was all Rayside-Balfour in the third however as they put the game away with four tallies.

Chad Denault started the offensive outburst early in the third before Jorge Perez made it 6-1 eight minutes into the stanza.

Matthew Neault’s 10th at 18:13 added one more before Lepage finished off his three-goal night with 42 seconds left to finish off the romp.

Jordan Spadafore and Karson Massey supplied two assists each for the Canadians.

Owen Johansson made 29 saves to pick up the win for the visitors.

Logan Sawka started for Espanola and suffered the loss allowing four against as did Mitchell Jacobson in relief as the duo faced a combined 57 shots in a losing cause for the Express.