SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – A couple of early man-down markers, and another one while up a skater after that, helped send the Soo Eagles past the French River Rapids 5-1 Saturday, October 11th in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League encounter at Pullar Stadium.

A night after being blanked at home by the Soo Thunderbirds, the Eagles were quick to strike in this one as the banged in a pair of shorthanded goals on their first two shots before the match-up was two minutes old.

Lucas Caulfield notched the initial man-down effort by swiping the puck off a defender in front and promptly whipping it past French River starter Matis Bureau-Morel, 37 seconds in.

Sault Ste. Marie then supplied another off a giveaway down-low that led to Nolan Nemecek banging in a backhand after a Carter Huckson chance rang off the post.

While French River generated chances in the session it was the Eagles who carried the 2-0 lead into the intermission.

In the second stanza, the Soo clicked on the power play to go ahead by three as Logan Stawizynski powered his way out from the side boards then drove in and a roofed a wrister at 5:40.

The Rapids eventually solved Eagles’ netminder Dalton Hoornstra 11 minutes later when Jonah Gareau connected on a man advantage as he neatly redirected in a pass out from Tristan Kitchen for his fourth goal of the season.

An even strength effort halfway through the final session gave the Soo some insurance compliments of Coulson Bell who finished off the leftovers from a shot up top by Stawizynski.

Putting it out of reach at 13:41, Zachary Machoian picked off a pass in the neutral zone and darted in on a breakaway that Bureau-Morel stopped, but Caulfield was right there to bury the rebound for his second of the evening and round out the scoring.

The victory for Hoornstra was his first in the NOJHL.