NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Saturday, Oct. 18, 2014
Thunderbirds rally to edge Blackhawks in 2OT
MATTAWA – With the two teams playing three skaters aside in double overtime Anthony Miller scored his second goal of the game helping the Soo Thunderbirds rally to slip past the Mattawa Blackhawks 7-6 Saturday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action at Mike Rodden Arena.
The high-scoring affair saw each side tally twice in the opening 20 minutes with Joey Miller and Nicolas Sicoly scoring for Sault Ste. Marie while Colin Nicholson and Nathan Avery countered for Mattawa.
The home side went up 4-2 early in the second stanza on markers supplied by Brett Ouderkirk and Nicholson, which spelled the end of Thunderbirds’ netminder evening in favour of Mario Culina.
After Nicolas Tassone brought the visitors back to within one at 11:17, Mattawa’s Jimmy Philbin connected six minutes later to make it 5-3 only to see Izaak Del Mastro answer that with one for the Soo with 79 seconds left in the middle session.
In the third, Kyle Baril’s fifth of the campaign put the Hawks in front by two once again.
With an seven-game winning streak in jeopardy, the Thunderbirds battled back to force extra time with Miller bringing his side closer with 7:07 to go before Sicoly tied it with just 23 seconds remaining in regulation.
Neither side would score in the first OT, but Miller capped the comeback and his squad’s eighth straight triumph late in the second OT to give the Thunderbirds the win.
Culina finished with 33 saves in relief to register the victory with Kment giving up four against on 15 attempts.
Joe Sheppard was pelted with 72 shots in the contest in the Mattawa net helping his team pick-up a point in the standings.
