Photo: Saultsports.com
After a 7 – 2 win top open a three game road trip over the Rock on Friday, March 15th in Timmins, the west division Soo Thunderbirds hit the road for game two of the three game trip to wrap up the their regular season with a stop in Kirkland Lake to face the Gold Miners who were playing their final game of the 2023 – 2024 NOJHL season.
To the left of the Soo’s net, Riley Babich lifted the Gold Miners first goal of the contest 18:33 into the opening period on a powerplay over Thunderbird netminder Maverick Fletcher who was sprawled across his crease to give Kirkland Lake a 1 – 0 lead. Joseph Bastien-Picard and Jonah McIndoo added the assists on Babich’s seventh of the season. At 18:15 of the second period, Thunderbird defenseman Adam Kukko picks up a bouncing puck of the right boards behind the Gold Miners net to slide the tying goal from in front of Kirkland Lake goaltender Trent Boryszczuk’s crease to pull the Soo even 1 – 1. Jonathan Sonedecker and Grayson Ebrahim notched the contributors on Kukko’s third of the season. With a scrum in front of the Gold Miners crease, Jackson Truchan picks up a loose puck to the right of Kirkland Lake’s net to lift his 19th of the season behind Trent Boryszczuk to give the Thunderbirds a 2 – 1 lead. Silas Crawford and Kelsey Ouellet drew the helpers on Truchan’s powerplay goal at 8:45 of the third.
32 seconds before the midway mark of the period from just inside the Gold Miners blueline, Soo forward Silas Crawford rifles his sixth of the season into the back of Kirkland Lake’s net to bring the lead to 3 – 1. James Legler added the lone assist on Crawford’s powerplay marker at the 9:28 of the third. With Boryszczuk on the Gold Miners bench for an extra attacker, Callum McAuley gives the Thunderbirds a 4 – 1 win with his 17th of the season with six seconds remaining Kirkland Lake’s final game of the 2023 – 2024 season. Jonathan Sonedecker had the contributor on McAuley’s empty net goal. Gold Miner goaltender Trent Boryszczuk turned away 36 of 39 shots in the 4 – 1 loss while Thunderbird rookie netminder Maverick Fletcher earned the win with stopping 28 of 29 shots in the win in Kirkland Lake.
The Thunderbirds will now finish their three game road trip and play their final regular season game at 4:00 p.m on Sunday, March 17th in Hearst against the Lumberjacks.
