NOJHL: So far, so good
Tests have been passed through the early going of return to play in the 2021 half of the interrupted Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League season.
The resumption of play on Feb. 23 after a two month shutdown relative to COVID-19 has followed an impressive 2020 half for the NOJHL in which 41 of 44 scheduled games were completed.
On to the first three games of 2021, they have produced multiple highlights.
• It was French River that played host to Espanola in the NOJHL’s first game of 2021 and there was no lack of on ice drama as the Rapids pulled out an improbable 6-5 shootout victory over the Express.
Trailing 5-2 with just over two minutes to play in the third period, French River scored three goals in the span of 40 seconds — at 17:48, 18:11 and 18:28 — to tie the game at 5-5 before Cooper Bowman finalized the frantic finish for the Rapids with the shootout winner.
The furious French River comeback overshadowed two-goal performances by two Espanola forwards, rookie Luke Bibby and veteran Cole Delarosbil.
• Espanola rebounded in fine fashion the next night with a 4-2 home ice victory over French River.
And the Express got two more goals from the aforementioned Luke Bibby in the win.
Bibby, who has a late October, 2004 birth date and was a 13th round pick of the Owen Sound Attack at the 2020 Ontario Hockey League priority selections draft, now has a team-leading nine goals in 12 games for Espanola this season.
• 20-year old forward Noah Boman returned to the Soo Thunderbirds lineup for the first time since the 2018-2019 season and scored two goals to spark his hometown team to a 5-2 win over the visiting Blind River Beavers.
Boman spent the 2019-2020 season in the Ontario Jr. Hockey League.
UPCOMING
Two games are on the slate for Friday night as Espanola plays host to French River and Blind River plays another road match at the Soo. Both games have 7:00 start times.