TIMMINS, Ont. – A Keegan McMullen marker 11:44 into the third period proved to be the difference maker as the Timmins Rock earned a narrow 4-3 decision over the Cochrane Crunch in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League East Division contest on a chilly Sunday night where nearly 700 fans braved the cold weather to make the trek to McIntyre Arena.
After a scoreless first frame, Timmins tallied twice in rapid succession in the middle stanza to gain the edge as A.J. Campbell and Josh Dickson converted 97 seconds apart.
Going to the power play, Nicolas Flander’s 16th got Cochrane on the board at 11:57, only to see Linden Spencer get that back for the Rock before the period was complete.
In the third, Liam Anderson brought the visitors back to within one at 9:05, but Timmins countered once more a couple of shifts later as McMullen picked up his 12th of 2018-19 to make it a 4-2 game.
The Crunch picked up a late man advantage and narrowed the gap once more with 90 seconds left thanks to Trent Grimshaw, but the Rock held firm from there to earn the victory on home ice.
Tyler Masternak in the Timmins net finished with 24 saves in securing the win while Cochrane goaltender Zach Wickson faced 26 attempts in defeat.
Game Photos courtesy of Thomas Perry, The Daily Press (Timmins)
