Arch-rivals collide.
Renfrew’s Jesse Riopelle (77) and Drew Anderson (88) returned to the lineup, and the Timberwolves responded with a 5-2 victory over the Arnprior Packers. The Packers Marc Shanks (17) is in pursuit of Riopelle along the boards.
Peter Clark, Renfrew Mercury
The Renfrew Timberwolves needed a shot in the arm, and they got it with the return of local lads Drew Anderson and Jesse Riopelle Friday night.
Their presence opened up the rest of the lineup, and paced by goals from five different sources, the Wolves skated past the Arnprior Packers 5-2 in a solid Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League performance at the Ma-Te-Way Activity Centre.
Colin Bradbury, Kurtis Leclaire, Erik Mask, Scott Conroy and Ryan Eady pulled the trigger to help Renfrew shed a miserable seven-game losing streak.
Eric Malloy and Corey Chaplin answered for Arnprior.
Wolves 5, Arnprior 2
Bradbury and Malloy exchanged goals in the latter stages of the opening stanza, leading the teams deadlock at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.
Wolves coach Tony Iob and assistants Mike Bredlaw and Kip Mulvihill put Leclaire on a line with Anderson and Riopelle.
The move should have paid instant dividends as the trio came out flying right off the bat.
However, the coaching staff was rewarded 1:21 into the second period on a Renfrew powerplay.
Leclaire took feeds from his linemates, and from the slot, one-time a centring feed past Packers netminder Kyle Lamothe.
Mask slid an ice-cutter from the left-wing face off circle home to up the ante to 3-1 at the 7:33 mark, and Conroy followed 40 seconds later to make it 4-1 before the middle period was 10 minutes old.
Eady got a monkey off his back when he bagged his first goal as a Timberwolf, against his old team, on a powerplay early in the third period. He may have had more if not for goalposts getting in the way.
Chaplin rounded out the scoring for Arnprior with 5:10 remaining.
Wolves goaltender Matt Gagne kicked aside 23 of 25 Arnprior shots.
The Wolves held a 39-25 edge in that department, including 15-6 in the opening period as they came out buzzing.
Wolves howlings
The Wolves have a pair of home games this weekend.
The division-leading Perth Blue Wings supply the opposition Friday at 8 p.m.
If you bring a non-perishable food item for the Renfrew and District Food Bank to this game, you will receive $2 off the admission price.
The Metcalfe Jets of the Metro loop pay their yearly visit Sunday at 7:30 p.m.