SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Soo Eagles spotted the Blind River Beavers an early lead before answering back and skating a 5-3 triumph Wednesday night in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League mid-week action at Pullar Stadium.
Picking up the night’s initial power play, Blind River capitalized as Matthew Green and Caleb Minns exchanged passes behind the net before an open Gavin Rocha was fed in front and snapped a shot over the blocker of Sault Ste. Marie starter Reid Ramsay with 6:24 remaining in the first period.
That tally helped Rocha run a consecutive game point streak to six straight outings.
The Beavers added another prior to the intermission when Evan Fraccaro collected a turnover behind the goal line and found Jacob Kovacs with a back pass, who in turn fired a shot though the legs of an Eagles’ defender and placed it in the right corner to put the guests up by a pair.
With the assist, Fraccaro has now picked up points in his past four contests.
Action in the second stanza saw the Soo storm back and get on the board when Brian Fiddes picked off a clearing attempt and dashed into the Blind River zone where he whipped a shot by Beavers’ netminder Gavin Disano, from the high slot, for his 10th tally of the campaign.
The Eagles then drew even a couple of shifts later, while up a skater, as Jack Mortson notched his team-leading 17th goal of the season by pinching in on the left side and tucking in a close-range backhand.
Still on the man advantage, the Soo took the lead midway through the frame when Nolan Hendry slammed in a one-timer off a cross-ice feed courtesy of Jack Paweski.
A fourth marker for the home side came as they countered in transition and saw Mortson send Bryce Grandboise in alone on a breakaway where he converted by flipping an attempt over the glove of Disano to make 4-2 after 40 minutes.
In the third, the Beavers picked off a loose puck and got it over to defenceman Ethan Pegg who came in on the right side and roofed one on Ramsay at 2:55.
Regaining their edge in the back-half of the session, the Eagles’ Michael Szlag wheeled out to mid-ice in Blind River territory and put one through a pile of bodies in front that found its way in with under nine minutes to play.
That proved to be it offensively as Ramsay made it seven straight wins as a starter for the Soo.
With the outcome, the Eagles won their third straight game and improved to 15-11-2-0 on the year.
In defeat, the Beavers dropped to 19-7-2-2 overall.
“Highlight of the Night” – NOJHL YouTube Channel
