Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
The Soo Thunderbirds used three unanswered goals over the final two periods to overcome an early deficit and defeat the Iroquois Falls Storm 3-1 on Friday, November 13, at the John Rhodes Centre in Sault Ste. Marie.
Coming into the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) contest, the third-place Thunderbirds carried a 13-4-0-2 record and 28 points, sitting just one point behind both the first-place Kirkland Lake Gold Miners and second-place Timmins Rock. Meanwhile, the ninth-place Storm arrived in the Sault with a 5-12-1 record and 11 points, looking to snap a difficult stretch of games.
The two teams previously met in September 2026, when the Thunderbirds came away with a convincing 6-2 victory.
First Period
Despite the difference in the standings, the Storm opened the scoring and gave the visiting team an early lead.
At 14:42, Arthur Seamus McCown found the back of the net for his 10th goal of the season, finishing a play set up by Felix Tremblay and Matys Lefebvre to put Iroquois Falls ahead 1-0.
The Storm carried their one-goal advantage into the first intermission, while Soo goaltender Nathan Maguire and Iroquois Falls netminder Kennan Connely kept their respective teams in the contest.
Second Period
The Thunderbirds responded in the middle frame, finding the equalizer on the power play.
At 12:15, Jackson Mead scored his seventh goal of the season with Gavin Killoran picking up the assist to even the game at 1-1.
Less than two minutes later, the Thunderbirds took their first lead of the night. At 14:04, Makks Demidovich scored his fourth goal of the season, with Grady Jalbert earning the assist, giving the home side a 2-1 advantage heading into the third period.
Third Period
With a one-goal lead to protect, the Thunderbirds continued to apply pressure and eventually added some insurance.
At 5:15, Drew Christian found the back of the net for his ninth goal of the season. Karsten Barbeau and Jaden van de Ven collected the assists as the Thunderbirds extended their lead to 3-1.
Soo would maintain that two-goal advantage through the remainder of the contest, completing the comeback and securing their 14th victory of the season.
Goaltending
Nathan Maguire delivered another strong performance between the pipes for the Thunderbirds, stopping 20 of the 21 shots he faced to earn the victory.
At the other end, Kennan Connely faced a busy evening for the Storm, turning aside 51 of 54 shots as the Thunderbirds generated considerable offensive pressure throughout the contest.
The loss marked the ninth consecutive defeat for Iroquois Falls, while the Thunderbirds improved their season record to 14-4-0-2 and continued their push near the top of the NOJHL standings.
Up Next
The Soo Thunderbirds won’t have to wait long before returning to the ice.
The Thunderbirds will welcome the Timmins Rock to the John Rhodes Centre on Saturday, November 14, for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop.
With Timmins sitting just one point ahead of the Soo entering Friday’s action, Saturday’s matchup provides the Thunderbirds with an important opportunity to make a move in the NOJHL standings.
