SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – Noah Boman’s second goal of the game, coming with 23.6 seconds left in overtime, helped finish off a comeback by the Soo Thunderbirds in a 3-2 victory over the Rayside-Balfour Canadians in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League affair at John Rhodes Community Centre.
It was the visiting Canadians that clicked first as Giordano Biondi buried his fourth of the season late in the first, which came at 17:17.
Biondi was at it again in the latter portion of the middle stanza as well when he notched his second of the evening with only 27 seconds left in the frame.
Battling back in the third, Sault Ste. Marie pulled to within one early on a Nick Smith power play goal 54 seconds into the session.
Using that momentum the Thunderbirds kept coming and secured the equalizer off the stick of Boman with 9:10 left in regulation to help force extra time.
Moving on to OT and with the clubs’ skating three aside, the extra session proved to be highly entertaining as the free-wheeling affair went back and forth with both sides generating multiple quality scoring chances.
In the end the Soo prevailed as Lucas Theriault rang a shot off the cross bar that bounced to Boman in close who buried the game-winner for the dramatic triumph.
Theriault finished with three assists earning helpers on all three Thunderbirds goals while Kyle Liinamaa picked up a pair of helpers for the Canadians.
Soo starter William Anderson picked up the win helping the home side improve to 6-0 making 26 saves on the night.
Rayside-Balfour goalkeeper David Bowen was peppered with 48 attempts in the OT setback helping the Canadians pick up a point.
Game Photos courtesy of SSM Photos
