BLIND RIVER, Ont. – A Keenan Conn goal on a second period breakaway held up as the game-winner as the Blind River Beavers went on to edge the Soo Thunderbirds 3-2 Saturday in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up at Blind River Community Centre.
Visiting Sault Ste. Marie notched the opening marker of the evening midway through the first frame when Colin Chesnut came in from the point and snapped a shot past Blind River starter Connor Dunham-Fox during the man advantage.
Up a skater themselves, the Beavers drew level at 12:56, as Kalyn McQueen took a pass from teammate Ryan Gibbs and fired it by Thunderbirds’ goalkeeper Noah Metivier.
The Soo came back to retake the lead in the final minute of the period thanks to Jonathan Sonedecker corralling a loose puck between the circles, then spinning and firing it in.
Action in the second stanza saw Blind River tie it once again when Owen King took a crisp cross-ice from Aaron Dukeshire and whipped it upstairs for his team-leading 14th tally of the season.
The home side then took the lead at 11:17 when Levi Lux sent Conn in alone where he beat Metivier on the right side.
Taking their slim edge into the third, the Beavers saw the T-Birds press hard to knot the affair, including having their goalkeeper out late for an extra attacker, but Dunham-Fox shut the door the rest of the way to pick up the win.
With the close result, Blind River improves to 13-7-1-0 while the setback sees the Soo slip to 10-10-1-0.
