Photo Bob Davies

Heading into Hearst, Ontario for game three of the NOJHL Final Championship series down 2 – 0, the Soo Thunderbirds hit the ice at the Claude LaRose Arena on Thursday, May 5th against the Hearst Lumberjacks.

With a scramble in front of the Thunderbirds crease, Mathieu Comeau picks up a Robbie Rutledge rebound 6:06 into the opening period to give the Lumberjacks a 1 – 0 lead. Dylan Ford drew the other helper on Comeau’s first of the postseason. With a turnover in the Soo zone, Comeau picks up a blocked shot to fire Hearst’s second from between the faceoff circles to bring the lead to 2 – 0 with Mason Bazaluk and Liam McDonald notching the assists on Comeau’s second of the game at 11:55. All alone in front of Metivier’s net, Tyler Patterson dekes the Soo’s third around the Thunderbird netminder to increase the Lumberjacks lead to 3 – 0 at the 12:37 mark of the first. Ryan Glazer and Jaxson Holmes added the contributors on Hearst’s third of the period. Thunderbird Michael Chaffay catches a Cooper Foster pass at the left faceoff circle to rifle his eleventh of the playoffs past Liam Oxner to pull the Soo wihtin two 88 seconds in the middle stanza. Brock Santa Maria had the other assist on Chaffay’s powerplay goal.

Twelve seconds before the midway mark of the period, Chaffay sinks his second of the period from in front of the Lumberjacks net between the faceoff circles to close the gap to one for the Soo. Foster and Kaden Dundas set up Chaffay’s goal. Registering a hat trick at 15:45 of the second period, Comeau catches a pass from Ryan Glazer on the Thunderbirds left boards to find Noah Metivier’s five hole to give the Soo a 4 – 2 lead. At 10:10 of the third with a scrum in front of the Lumberjacks net, Kelsey Ouellet bats the Soo’s third goal out of mid air to find the back of Hearst’s net to bring Thunderbirds within one. Chaffay notched his third point of the game with the lone helper on Ouellet’s goal. With Metivier jumping on to the Soo bench for an extra Thunderbird attacker, Cooper Foster keeps the puck inside the Lumberjacks zone to fire a snapshot into the back of Oxner’s net to tie the game 4 – 4. Dundas and Santa Maria drew the contirbutors on Foster’s eighth of the postseason with 96 seconds remaining in game three.

Unassisted and 3:36 left in the first overtime, Maxandre Pelletier picks up a rebound to lift the game winner past Metivier to give the Lumberjacks a 5 – 4 game three win. Hearst goaltender Liam Oxner stopped 37 of 41 shots in the win while Soo netminder Noah Metivier turned away 31 of 36 shots in the Thunderbirds’ overtime loss.

Game four will be back in Hearst on Friday, May 6th with a 7:00 p.m start with the Lumberjacks leading the series 3 – 0 against the Thunderbirds. Listen to game four live on Northern Sports Radio.