Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
With both teams losing on Friday, December 15th with the Soo Thunderbirds falling to the Blind River Beavers at home while the Soo Eagles falling to the visiting Sudbury Cubs at Pullar Stadium, the fourth place (18-9-2-1) Soo Thunderbirds took to the ice just two points behind the third place (20-11-0-1) Soo Eagles with 41 points on Saturday, December 16th at the Pullar Stadium in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan for a west division contest.
Only fifty seconds into the opening period, Eagle forward Ken Belanger Jr picks up a turnover to fire his 22nd of the season past Thunderbird netminder Kolton Bourrett from in front of the visitors crease to give the hosts a 1 – 0 lead. Jack Paweski notched the lone helper on Belanger’s goal. In his fourth game as a Eagle, newly acquired Cooper Fredericks catches a pass from Tyler Fortson in front of Bourret’s crease to bring the Eagles lead to 2 – 0 at 1:53 of the period. Jack Ohlund added the other contributor on Frederick’s first of the season. With the Thunderbirds on a powerplay and all alone to the right of Eagle goaltender Anthony Zolezzi’s net, Callum McAuley picks up a Jacob Smith rebound to lift the Thunderbirds’ first over Zolezzi’s catcher to pull the visitors within one at 17:28 of the first. Quinn Myles had the other assist on McAuley’s fourth of the season.
With the Eagles serving a five minute Ken Belanger Jr misconduct penalty, Quinn Myles registers his second point of the game with his first as a Thunderbird with snapshot from the top of the right faceoff circle over Zolezzi’s blocker to even the game 2 – 2 only 59 seconds into the second period. DeClan Gallivan contributed on Myles powerplay marker. 34 seconds into the third period, Callum McAuley evades a check by Eagle forward Coby Fox in the between faceoff circles to skate into the front of Zolezzi’s net to sink his second of the game to give the Thunderbirds a 3 – 2 win. Quinn Myles contributed on McAuley’s goal for his third of the cross border matchup in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. Goaltender Anthony Zolezzi stopped 28 of 31 shots in the 3 – 2 loss while Thunderbird netminder Kolton Bourret turned away 31 of 33 shots in the visitors 3 – 2 win. With the 3 – 2 win, the Thunderbirds move into a third place tie in the west with the Eagles.
The Eagles will close out their first half of the 2023 – 2024 season heading into the 2023 Christmas break with a Tuesday, December 19th matchup in Blind River against the Beavers in a 7:00 p.m matchup while the Thunderbirds now have a sixteen break before they return to action in 2024 with a 7:30 p.m contest against the Eagles across the St Mary’s River at the Pullar Stadium for a 7:30 p.m puck drop.
