Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
After a 4 – 1 win in a physical affair in Kirkland Lake in game two for their three game road trip over the Gold Miners on Saturday, March 16th, the Soo Thunderbirds boarded their bus for a Sunday, March 17th puck drop for a 4:00 p.m in Hearst against the Lumberjacks.
Just 2:09 into the afternoon matinee, Donheaven Veilleux picks up a loose puck on a turnover at the Hearst blueline after a Thunderbird defenseman loses a skate edge to break in on Soo netminder Maverick Fletcher to slide the opening goal unassisted through Fletcher’s five hole to give the Lumberjacks a 1 – 0 lead for his 17th of the season. From between the faceoff circles, Weslee Crosswell picks up a rebound off of Fletcher to push the Lumberjacks second past the Thunderbird netminder to bring the lead to 2 – 0 at 2:49 of the first. Noah Janicki had the lone assist on Crosswell’s first of the season. 24 seconds past the midway mark of the first, Jacob Smith cuts across the front of Hearst’s crease to pick up a Kelsey Ouellet rebound and find the back of the Lumberjack net behind Russ DeCoste to pull the visitors within one. Jackson Truchan drew the other helper on Smith’s 29th of the season.
With a Lumberjack defenseman lying on top of goaltender Russ DeCoste, rookie Callum McAuley picks up a turnover in front of the Lumberjacks net to lift the tying goal over Decoste. Silas Crawford notched the only contributor on McAuley’s 18th of the season at 17:54 of the second. From the left faceoff circle Alex McDonald rifles the go-ahead goal past Maverick Fletcher to give Hearst a 3 – 2 lead at 18:01. Janicki and Bronson Babyak registered the assists on McDonlad’s eighth of the season. With 1.5 seconds remaining in the period, Damien Bourdon-Lemoyne skated down the right boards to beat a Soo defenseman for his 13th of the season for the Lumberjacks fourth of the game to send Hearst into the second intermission up 4 – 2 unassisted. At 6:44 of the third from the right faceoff circle, Aiden Kalin fires a wrist shot over Fletcher’s catcher to increase Hearst’s lead to 5 – 2. Damien Bourdon-Lemoyne and Max Gorzelnik added the assists on Kalin’s 24th of the season. With 3:38 remaining in the game and all alone to the right of the Thunderbirds net, Hearst affiliate forward Lex Lamontagne sinks his first career NOJHL goal behind Maverick Fletcher off a Bronson Babyak shot to give the Lumberjacks a 6 – 2 win. Cooper Moore drew the other helper on Lamontagne’s goal at 16:38. Hearst goaltender Russ Decoste turned away 20 of 22 shots in the win while Thunderbird rookie netminder Maverick Fletcher stopped 18 of 20 shots in the Soo’s only loss of the final weekend of regular season for the Thunderbirds.
The Lumberjacks and Thunderbirds will now head into the post season with the Lumberjacks facing the Powassan Voodoos in a east division semi final while the Thunderbirds travel to Sudbury to take on the Cubs in a west division semi final. Both games will be on Thursday, March 21st. TruHous Sports Radio will cover the game three and four live (audio) live starting at 7:00 p.m on March 25th and 26th.
