NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL COMMUNICATIONS
MEDIA RELEASE
Release Date: Sunday, March 10, 2013
Natural hat-trick for Butorac as Thunderbirds tame Nickel Barons
SAULT STE. MARIE – Soo Thunderbirds forward Anthony Butorac notched a natural hat-trick by scoring the game’s first three goals to help pace his club to a 7-3 victory over the Sudbury Nickel Barons Sunday evening in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action at Essar Centre.
Butorac tallied twice in the opening frame to put the home side up a pair after 20 minutes before completing his three-tally feat at the 8:53 mark of the second stanza to make it 3-0 T-Birds.
Three minutes later Adam Ritchie’s 28th tally of the season put the Soo up four, in what would turn out to be the game-winning goal.
Giovanni Foschia put Sudbury on the board before the middle session was complete to make it a 4-1 game.
However the Thunderbirds put it away in the third outscoring the Nickel Barons 3-2 in the stanza to conclude the night’s scoring.
Connecting for the Soo was Derek Battagin, Dallas McLaughlin and Brandon Warmington while Martin Jolicoeur and Bradley Bell replied for Sudbury.
Also chipping in offensively for Sault Ste. Marie was Daniel Pymaki with three assists while Anthony Miller and Nicholas Pastorious both doled out two helpers apiece.
With the win the Thunderbirds improve to 32-9-3-3 on the season.
Steven Dombrowski finished up with 33 stops in the triumph as the first-year netminder come away victorious for a 13th straight decision.
Michael Muzyka started for Sudbury and faced 27 shots on the night in a losing cause.
His side slipped to 28-18-0-1 with the setback and will now require at least one point in their final regular season game, at home, Wednesday to secure the No. 3 seed in the upcoming postseason.
Their opponent in that contest will be the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, who trail the Nickel Barons by just two points in the race for third overall.
Wednesday’s other match-up features the Thunderbirds travelling to Blind River on the final night of the regular season.
Both games get underway at 7:30 p.m.
