BLIND RIVER, Ont. – Rayside-Balfour Canadians goaltender MacKenzie was stellar Sunday afternoon posting his third Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League shutout of the season as his 31-save performance backstopped his club to a 2-0 road triumph over the Blind River Beavers.
It was a tightly-played contest throughout as it went scoreless through two periods of play.
Brandon Atkins did open the scoring for Rayside-Balfour 3:18 into the final frame as he notched his third of the campaign in what proved to be the game-winning goal.
Blind River would eventually pull starter Michael Corson in the late going in an effort to tie it and force overtime, but the Canadians clinched the win with a shorthanded, empty net effort at 19:08 from Jacob Partidge to secure the decision.
Corson was also solid in net for the Beavers, despite the setback, as he made 31 stops on 32 attempts in defeat.
With the victory, Savard extended his league-leading win total to 11 while snapping Blind River’s five-game winning streak in the process.