The Soo Thunderbirds registered their fourth consecutive win Saturday, defeating the Greater Sudbury Cubs 5-2 in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League contest at John Rhodes Community Centre. The Thunderbirds broke a tie game with the final three goals.
Daks Klinkhammer opened the scoring for the Cubs three minutes into the first period. Klinkhammer capitalized on a forecheck turnover, spinning in the slot to send a low shot past Thunderbirds goaltender Ryan Hicks.
Sault Ste. Marie tied the score two shifts later during a power play. Ryan Daze collected a draw back in the high slot and fired a deflected shot past Greater Sudbury’s Matthew Vahramian. This was Daze’s first NOJHL goal.
The Soo took the lead at 8:51. Deven Jones-McDonald finished a passing sequence with a short-side wrist shot, assisted by James Legler and Aiden Atkinson.
Klinkhammer provided the equalizer. He centered a puck after a face-off; it deflected off teammate Caden Dubreuil and went into the net.
Creegan Tompkins gave the Thunderbirds a 3-2 lead before the first intermission. He collected a loose puck behind the net and scored on a wraparound.
SEE: Powassan Voodoos rank 15th in initial CJHL Top 20 Rankings
The Soo extended the lead in the second period while shorthanded. Gavin Killoran outraced two defenders up ice and scored his first league goal, shooting through Vahramian’s legs at 7:07.
The score remained 4-2 until the final minute of the third period. Landon Hill secured the result, forcing a turnover at the defensive blueline and scoring into the empty net during a power play.
Lumberjacks end Thunderbirds’ streak
The Hearst Lumberjacks defeated the Soo Thunderbirds 6-3 in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action Sunday at John Rhodes Community Centre, extending their win streak to six games. Captain Mathieu Comeau scored the final two goals to secure the victory.
Ty McKay gave Hearst the initial lead at 4:45 of the first period. McKay extended his consecutive game point streak to eight by beating Sault Ste. Marie starter Cameron Boville after receiving a pass from Hugo Allard in the slot. Hearst extended the lead four minutes later with a goal from Henry Ouellet, who converted an opportunity near the left circle following a set-up from Chase Thompson.
Cole Shepherdson redirected a Royce Abraham wrist shot from the right point for a third goal in the first period, extending the visitors’ lead. McKay recorded his second goal of the game 5:14 into the second period on the power play. He jammed in a loose puck that leaked through Boville following a shot by William Pâquet.
The Thunderbirds scored their first goal midway through the period. Jayden Arnold generated a two-on-one opportunity, passed across the left wing to Aiden Deratnay, who scored his first NOJHL goal past Hearst netminder Owen Bonthuis.
The Soo scored two power-play goals to reduce the deficit. Deven Jones-McDonald deflected a Carter Carriere shot at 12:09. Callum McAuley followed by scoring from a sharp angle on the left side.
Comeau restored Hearst’s three-goal lead before the second intermission. He controlled a draw, retrieved a loose puck, spun, and scored his sixth goal of the season. Comeau finished the scoring in the final frame. He swiped the puck from a defender low in the zone and quickly scored a backhand past Boville.
Hearst improved their league-leading record to 7-1-0-0. The Soo’s four-game winning streak ended, moving their record to 4-2-0-0.