Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
Facing elimination on home ice, the Soo Thunderbirds delivered when it mattered most, defeating the Timmins Rock 4-1 on Sunday, March 29th to even their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League quarter-final series at 3-3.
Coming off a tough 6-1 loss in Game Five at the McIntyre Arena in Timmins, the Thunderbirds returned home determined to extend their season—and did so with a complete team effort at the John Rhodes Community Centre.
Soo got off to a perfect start in the opening period. At 2:55, Aiden Atkinson opened the scoring with his fourth goal of the series, finishing a play set up by Gianmarco Mastroianni and James Legler to give the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead. The home side struck again later in the frame at 15:44, when Vincent Bondy netted his first of the quarter-finals, with assists from Deven Jones-McDonald and Adam Pszeniczny, extending the lead to 2-0.
Timmins responded before the end of the period. At 17:04, Maxx Hamelin scored his sixth of the series, finishing a play from Kaeden McArthur and Lucas Lowe to cut the deficit to 2-1 heading into the intermission.
The second period remained scoreless, but the Thunderbirds maintained control, limiting the Rock’s chances while continuing to generate pressure offensively.
In the third period, Soo added some insurance. At 12:50, Owen Murphy scored his second of the series, finishing a play from Adam Pszeniczny and Deven Jones-McDonald to make it 3-1. With Timmins pressing late and their net empty, Drew Christian sealed the victory at 19:57 with his second of the playoffs, assisted by Vincent Bondy, giving the Thunderbirds a 4-1 win.
In goal, Nathan Maguire was outstanding for Soo, stopping 31 of 32 shots to backstop the victory. At the other end, Frédéric Cousineau turned aside 46 of 49 shots in a busy night despite taking the loss.
With the win, the Thunderbirds force a decisive Game Seven. The series now shifts back to Timmins, where the Thunderbirds and Rock will meet on Tuesday, March 31st at 7:00 p.m. for a winner-take-all showdown with a trip to the next round on the line.
