Photos: Justin Cairns
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The surging Soo Eagles won their sixth straight game Sunday, and improved to 8-0-0-1 in their past nine outings, after taking down the Hearst Lumberjacks 5-2 in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up at Pullar Stadium.
Exchanging early markers, each team connected once in the opening six minutes, with Hearst’s Maddoc Newton jamming in a rebound off an Aiden Kalin attempt, before Lucas Caulfield countered for Sault Ste. Marie right after that as he put in a spinning backhand from between the hash marks.
The Eagles then went in front for good in the second stanza when Tyler Fortson finished off a perfect feed from Jack Ohlund while driving to the net at 12:20, and saw Benjamin Pouliot find the range less than a minute later by concluding a two-man break, with Landon Stevens, by stuffing the opportunity into the right side corner.
Up a skater deep into the session Kalin clicked on the power play after Tyler Patterson made a nice move to get him the puck alone on Soo starter Marino Ramirez.
Regrouping in the third, Nolan Hendry put one by Hearst goalkeeper Russ Decoste with just over eight minutes remaining and he was found free by Jack Paweski and converted with a quick snap shot.
The Eagles then capped off the victory with an empty netter courtesy of their captain Kenny Belanger Jr., to finalize the outcome as he won a draw deep in his own zone and sent a backhand the length of the ice, and in.
With the result, the sizzling Soo moves to 8-2-0-1 and in defeat the Lumberjacks fell to 5-6-0-1 overall.
“Highlight of the Night” – NOJHL YouTube Channel