After being granted permission to compete in a seven game series to close out the 2020 – 2021 season, the Soo Thunderbirds hosted the Blind River Beavers in game one of the 2021 COVID Cup in an afternoon matinee in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario for a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League contest.

7:32 in the opening period, Beaver Thomas Michaud picked up his one rebound to slide the first goal of the game through Thunderbird netminder Alex Bugeja’s five hole to give Blind River a 1 – 0 lead. Devin Mauro and Jacob Kelly notched the contributors on Michaud’s fifth of the season. With eleven seconds remaining in the period and on a powerplay, Thunderbird Caleb Wood splits the Beaver defense to find the back of Beaver goaltender Gavin Disano from his knees to send the Soo into the first intermission 1 – 1. Avery Rebek and Michael Chaffay drew the helpers on Wood’s sixth of the season. At 4:05 of the middle stanza, Lucas Adams fires a wrsit shot from just inside the left blueline to sink the go-ahead goal for the Beavers with Dre Leismeister and Josh Maine adding the assists on Adams fourth of the season. With the Soo shorthanded at 13:27, Parker Morgan cuts across Disano’s crease to slide the tying goal under Disano’s left pad to even the game 2 – 2. Jacob Doucette and Kaden Dundas registered the helpers on Morgan’s third of the season. 23 seconds later, Blind River’s Milos Todorovic scores his first of the season with Beaver goal from the right faceoff circle over Bugeja’s left shoulder. Blake McNally had the assist on Todorovic’s goal.

Firing a slapshot from the left blueline, Cameron Dutkiewicz sinks his sixth of the season for the Thunderbirds at 19:06 of the season with Chaffay and Wood drawing the contributors on Dutkiewicz’s tying goal. Picking his own rebound in front of the Disano’s net, Dutkiewicz registers his second goal of the period to give the Soo a 4 – 3 lead unassisted with one second remaining the second. Fifty seconds into the final period and the Thunderbirds on a five on three powerplay, Cooper Smyl catches a pass from Dutkiewicz to find the back of the Beavers net to bring the lead to 5 – 3. Defenseman Dylan Parsons had the other contributor on Smyl’s 13th of the season. At four minutes even and on a Soo powerplay, Parker Morgan sunk his fourth of the season with picking up his own rebound in front of Disano to give the Soo a 6 – 3 lead. Chaffay and Brock Santa Maria drew the assists on the Thunderbirds sixth of the game.

Thomas Michaud scores his second of the game at 11:54 of third and unassisted, Michaud pull the Beavers two with a Blind River four on four goal. With cross crease pass from Chaffay, Avery Rebek notches his fifth of the season with lifting the Soo’s seventh over Disano’s left shoulder at 15:35. Santa Maria had the second assist on Rebek’s goal. Jacob Doucette and Dutkiewicz had the helpers on Noah Boman’s third of the season ar 15:53 to give the Soo a 8 – 4 win over the Beavers in Sault Ste Marie. Blind River’s Gavin Disano stopped 31 of 38 shots for the Beavers while Thunderbird netminder turned away 37 of 41 shots in the Soo’s game one of the 2021 COVID Cup series.

Thunderbird forward Michael Chaffay told Saultsports.com that “the game meant a lot to all of us. We wanted to win for our veterans who only have seven games left in their junior ‘A’ careers. I wouldn’t have got my points if it wasn’t for my line mates, everyone was just on point today.”

“Special teams is what hurt us today, too many guys were selfish on our side today. Our team owes our goalie an apology,” said Beaver coach Kyle Brick.

Brick also added that “I thought Bujeja made some huge saves early which changed the game for them.”

Check out Saultsports photographer Bob Davies photo gallery of game one of the 2021 COVID Cup.

The Thunderbirds will host the Beavers in game two on Thursday, March 18th at the John Rhodes Centre for a 7:00 p.m NOJHL puck drop.

Photo Credit: Bob Davies