Another win for the Nickel Barons

Veteran Jimmy Roy and affiliated call-up Ryan Theriault scored two goals apiece in a four-goal second period outburst as the Sudbury Nickel Barons picked up another win at home, stopping the Abitibi Eskimos 5-3.

Khadyn Butterfly opened the scoring for the Barons, finding the mark with the man advantage in the final minute of the first period, before Roy and Theriault went to work in the middle stanza.

Joshua DeJulio, Nicholas Minerva and Brennan Roy scored for the visitors, who narrowed the gap to 5-3 with just under five minutes left in the contest. Jessie Morin picked up the win in net for Sudbury, finishing with a 26-save performance.

At the other end of the rink, starter Chet Tooker was chased after the third Sudbury goal, replaced by Braddock Baalerud at 8:52 of period two. The Barons have now won seven of their first eight games to start the year, including all four home encounters.

Racking up 26 points in 45 games with the Barons in 2013-2014, Roy is just below a point-a-game pace at the moment, sitting at seven in the early going.

"I think I just got used to the league a lot more, with more experience," said the speedy forward of his offensive output.

"I worked a lot in the summer, worked on my shooting, worked to get goals this year."

Though Sudbury racked up victories on a steady clip throughout September, a 3-2 triumph Saturday over the Soo Thunderbirds, on the road, carried a little extra meaning.

"That was a huge win for us," acknowledged Roy. "We battled the whole game. We had a couple of lapses, and they scored, but we battled back and stuck together as a group."

"We have offence, we have a lot of speed up front, we have creative guys, so I think (coach Jason Young) is going to work on some defensive stuff, some neutral zone," said Roy.

The Barons next take to the ice on Friday, hitting the road to meet up with the Elliot Lake Wildcats. With a record of 3-1, the Wildcats' only loss came in their season-opening game, a visit to the McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff during which Sudbury recorded a 7-4 win.