Photos: Sudbury Light Event Photography
SUDBURY, Ont. – A two-tally outburst early in the second period helped send the Soo Thunderbirds to an eventual 4-2 victory over the Greater Sudbury Cubs in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League West Division match-up Thursday evening at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex.
The visiting Thunderbirds began the night’s scoring nearly eight minutes into the contest as Lincoln Moore forced a turnover behind the Sudbury net and backhanded a pass to a wide-open Cooper Foster in front, who promptly snapped a shot over the blocker of Cubs starter Jake Marois for his first NOJHL goal.
Foster then picked up his second point of the session by pushing the play ahead in the neutral zone, where Sault Ste. Marie’s Brock Santa Maria got it over to Lake, who in turn passed it back to him on a quickly developing two-on-one that resulted in Santa Maria lifting one into the top right-hand corner for his second tally of the season.
Greater Sudbury did get one back late in the first, via the power play, as Kyler Campbell bagged his team-leading fifth marker by lifting a back hander from the slot that beat Soo netminder Noah Zeppa off a rebound from a Seth Coulter left point attempt.
In the first minute of the middle stanza, the visitors regained their two-goal cushion when Michael Chaffay fired one in front from the right boards that inadvertently clipped off a Cubs defender and bounced in to make it 3-1.
A fourth Soo marker came at 2:52 when Tyson Doucette tipped a Kolby Fellinger shot that came from top of the left circle.
The home side got one back on a play that went their way, while shorthanded, after a clearing attempt that appeared to be well offside, but saw Mathieu Morin steal the puck from an unsuspecting Zeppa and deposit it into the open net at 7:09.
Undaunted, the Thunderbirds held firm the rest of the period and took their lead into the second intermission.
They were as equally stingy in the final frame with Zeppa and his teammates shutting the door to earn the win.
The Soo stopper finished the evening making 29 saves while Marois faced 28 shots in defeat.
The gallery was not found!