BLIND RIVER, Ont. – A pair of tallies in the latter stages of the third period helped the Soo Eagles pull out a 5-4 come from behind triumph over the Blind River Beavers Saturday in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League meeting at the Blind River Community Centre.
Things did start out well for Blind River as it took them just 79 seconds to begin the night’s scoring as Johnny Ramoundos roofed a backhand off a faceoff deep in Eagles’ territory.
The Beavers added another a minute and a half later with Meguire Naughton making it 2-0 when he went upstairs on Sault Ste. Marie starter Ryan Gilmore after getting set-up by Kyle Caron from behind the net.
After taking a timeout to regroup, the visitors got one back at 6:22, when Charlie Salem put the visitors on the board, after he finished off a two-on-one with Brian Fiddes.
Down a skater, late in the first, the Eagles drew level with a shorthanded marker off an odd-man rush as Seth Ferguson set-up Zachary Briskey, who whipped a shot past Blind River netminder Gavin Disano.
Breaking the deadlock in the second period, the Soo scored for a third straight time as Briskey got a piece of a Ferguson attempt in front, during a man advantage opportunity at 13:38.
Answering with an equalizer, an open James Ingram was left with a yawning cage to bang in his first NOJHL goal to send the sides to the intermission knotted at 3-3.
In the third, Ethen Pegg potted the go-ahead marker for the home side as he fired a shot from the point that found its way through a maze in front of Gilmore.
However, the Soo countered again to tie it with eight minutes left as Jacob Swiatek knocked in a bouncing puck from near the net for his sixth of the year.
Then a couple of shifts later, Tyler Culleton found himself unmarked in front of Disano and quickly whipped in the game-winner to pull out the road victory for the Eagles.
Ferguson finished with three assists on the evening while Gilmore got the win and Disano suffered the defeat.