Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
With both teams already securing spots in the upcoming 2026 NOJHL postseason, the fifth-place Soo Thunderbirds (31-15-3-2) hosted their cross-border rivals, the seventh-place Soo Eagles (23-26-2-1), on March 14th at the John Rhodes Centre in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. In a fast-paced and physical rivalry matchup, the Thunderbirds held off a late push from the Eagles to earn a 4–3 victory in their second-to-last game of the 2025–2026 regular season.
The Thunderbirds opened the scoring midway through the first period. At 9:41, Gianmarco Mastroianni scored his fourth goal of the season, giving Soo a 1–0 lead. Owen Murphy and Rhys Bonvie picked up the assists on the play.
Just over a minute later, the Thunderbirds struck again. At 10:52, Deven Jones-McDonald scored his 24th goal of the season on an unassisted effort, doubling the Soo lead to 2–0.
The Eagles responded early in the second period. At 1:29, Jacob Peterson scored his 14th goal of the season to cut the Thunderbirds’ lead to 2–1. Anden Marceau assisted on the goal.
Soo regained their two-goal advantage midway through the period with a power-play marker. At 9:52, Owen Murphy scored his seventh goal of the season with the man advantage, extending the Thunderbirds’ lead to 3–1. Deven Jones-McDonald and James Legler were credited with the assists.
The Eagles answered late in the frame on the power play. At 17:15, Ethan Hoff scored his 16th goal of the season, making it 3–2. Anden Marceau and Liam Watson assisted on the goal.
The Thunderbirds added some insurance in the third period. At 6:57, Drew Christian scored his ninth goal of the season, pushing the Soo lead to 4–2. Adam Pszeniczny and Gavin Killoran picked up the assists.
The Eagles kept things close with a late tally. At 11:22, Gabriel Clark scored his third goal of the season, cutting the deficit to 4–3. Lucas Caulfield and Alex Povorozniouk recorded the assists, but the Eagles could not find the equalizer.
In goal, Nathan Maguire made 24 saves on 27 shots to earn his 13th win of the season for the Thunderbirds. At the other end, Jett Loechler turned aside 33 of 37 shots, suffering his first loss of the season for the Eagles.
Visit Freeze Frame Photos by Bob Davies photo gallery of the Eagles versus Thunderbirds in NOJHL action.
The March 14th contest marked the final regular season game for the Soo Eagles. Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds will close out their 2025–2026 regular season with one more home game when they host the Blind River Beavers on Sunday, March 15th at the John Rhodes Centre. Puck drop for the afternoon matinee is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. as Soo looks to build momentum heading into the NOJHL playoffs.
