Minns sets up 3 as Blind River tops Espanola

BLIND RIVER, Ont. – The Blind River Beavers got three assists from Noah Minns, including one on the game-winner, to help send his side to a 5-2 victory over the visiting Espanola Express in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League matinee Sunday at the Blind River Community Centre.

Picking up the afternoon’s initial power play, the Beavers capitalized 9:31 in on Kyle Quinn’s 13th marker of the campaign.

The home side then extended their lead by striking with just 14 seconds left in the first period as Andrew Malek also notched his 13th tally of 2019-20.

It was more Malek early in the second stanza as he added another at 1:27 as he finished off a Minns feed to put the hosts up by three.

Up a skater midway through the third, Blind River scored once more when Nathan Balkwill found the back of the net.

A fifth Beavers’ tally provided by the NOJHL’s leading goal getter and point producer Caleb Serre added to the cushion with 6:19 to go.

Espanola did eventually foil Dominic Boily’s shutout bid when Lukas Lyszyk clicked on the power play just over a minute later.

The Express then wrapped up the day’s scoring with another man advantage effort, picked up by Jaydyn Parnell, to round out the scoring.

Balkwill and Serre joined Minns with three-point games in the Blind River triumph.

A veteran of 201 NOJHL contests, Serre is now just one point shy of 250 in his stellar league career.

Shots on goal finished 47-26 in favour of the Beavers with Boily getting the win while Carson Boutin suffered the defeat.