Coming off a convincing 9-2 victory over the French River Rapids in Noelville on October 3, the first-place Soo Thunderbirds continued their strong start to the 2026-27 NOJHL season Tuesday, October 10th in Sudbury, earning a 4-1 victory over the Powassan Voodoos in their opening game of two at the 2026 NOJHL Showcase.

The win improved the Thunderbirds to 8-2-0-1 on the season and gave Sault Ste. Marie its eighth victory of the campaign. For Powassan, the loss dropped the Voodoos to 4-1-0-1 and marked their first regulation loss of the season.

The Thunderbirds entered the matchup looking to avenge a 3-2 shootout loss to Powassan on October 2, while the Voodoos were coming off a 4-3 shootout loss to the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners on October 3.

This time around, the Thunderbirds left little doubt about the outcome.

Thunderbirds Strike Twice in Opening Period
Sault Ste. Marie wasted little time establishing control.

At 6:30 of the opening period, the Thunderbirds opened the scoring when Owen Murphy buried his second goal of the season, giving the Soo a 1-0 advantage.

The goal also marked the ninth time this season the Thunderbirds had scored the opening goal of a game, continuing a trend that has helped put the team in position to control games early.

Gavin Killoran picked up the lone assist on the power-play goal.

The Thunderbirds then doubled their advantage with just 52 seconds remaining in the opening period.

At 19:08, Powassan turned the puck over, allowing Adam Pszeniczny to capitalize. Pszeniczny scored his sixth goal of the season, with Jackson Mead picking up the assist.

Sault Ste. Marie headed into the first intermission holding a 2-0 lead.

Pszeniczny Adds Another in the Second
The Thunderbirds continued to apply pressure in the second period and extended their lead to three at 13:22.

Pszeniczny found the back of the net for the second time in the game, giving him his seventh goal of the season and his second multi-goal game of the campaign.

The goal was also the sixth multiple-goal game of Pszeniczny’s NOJHL career.

Landon Hill picked up the assist as the Thunderbirds took a commanding 3-0 lead.

Sault Ste. Marie carried that three-goal advantage into the second intermission.

Voodoos Answer Early, But Killoran Restores Three-Goal Lead
Powassan finally solved Thunderbirds goaltender Cam Boville just 34 seconds into the third period.

At 0:34, Caleb Dawson scored his fifth goal of the season to cut the Soo’s lead to 3-1.

The goal was a milestone for Dawson, who recorded his 50th career NOJHL goal.

Caden Dubreuil and Owen Head earned the assists.

The Voodoos had an opportunity to make the game interesting, but the Thunderbirds responded with a key insurance marker midway through the period.

At 13:26, Gavin Killoran took the puck at his own blueline and carried it the length of the ice untouched before finishing the play himself.

The unassisted goal was Killoran’s second of the season and gave him his second point of the afternoon, restoring the Thunderbirds’ three-goal advantage at 4-1.

Sault Ste. Marie would hold on from there, securing the 4-1 victory.

Boville Strong Again Between the Pipes
The Thunderbirds received another strong performance from goaltender Cam Boville.

Boville turned aside 24 of 25 shots to record his third victory of the season and help the Thunderbirds improve to 8-2-0-1.

Entering the contest, Boville had appeared in five games, posting a 3-1-1 record, an impressive 1.58 goals-against average, and a .946 save percentage, along with one shutout.

He has now continued to provide the Thunderbirds with a reliable option in the crease as the club battles to remain at the top of the NOJHL standings.

Powassan goaltender Declan McNamara was also busy, making 27 saves on 31 shots.

McNamara entered the contest having appeared in two games and won both, while allowing just one goal. He carried a remarkable .500 goals-against average and .981 save percentage, along with one shutout and 52 shots against.

Despite another strong performance, McNamara suffered his first regulation loss of the season.

Special Teams Continue to Be a Thunderbirds Strength

The matchup also featured two of the NOJHL’s top special-teams units.

Powassan entered the game ranked second in the league on the power play at 35.0 per cent, while the Thunderbirds were third at 21.8 per cent.

On the penalty kill, however, Sault Ste. Marie came in as the league’s top unit.

The Thunderbirds were killing penalties at an outstanding 97.8 per cent, while Powassan ranked fifth at 83.3 per cent.

The Soo’s ability to limit Powassan’s opportunities with the man advantage was once again an important part of the victory.

Thunderbirds Continue to Get Contributions Throughout Lineup
The Thunderbirds also received contributions from several of their top offensive players.

Entering the Showcase matchup, Sean Gresko ranked fourth in NOJHL scoring with 13 points in 10 games, including six goals and seven assists.

Jackson Mead was seventh with 11 points, recording four goals and seven assists in 10 games.

Felix Sapay was eighth with 11 points, scoring three goals while adding eight assists.

Mead added another point against Powassan with his assist on Pszeniczny’s first-period goal, while Killoran finished with a goal and an assist.

Pszeniczny’s two-goal performance was another major offensive contribution for the Thunderbirds.

Thunderbirds Continue to Set the Pace
With the victory, the Thunderbirds moved to 8-2-0-1 and continued to establish themselves as one of the teams to beat in the NOJHL’s 2026-27 campaign.

After dropping their previous meeting with Powassan in a shootout, Sault Ste. Marie responded with a convincing regulation victory when the two clubs met again at the Showcase.

The Thunderbirds will now turn their attention to another Showcase matchup and regular-season contest on Wednesday, October 7.

Sault Ste. Marie will face the Timmins Rock at 4:15 p.m, while the Powassan Voodoos will meet the Prep Hockey Conference’s St. Andrew’s College Saints of Aurora, Ontario, at 1:40 p.m.

For the Thunderbirds, the 4-1 win provides another important two points and keeps Sault Ste. Marie firmly near the top of the NOJHL standings as the club continues its 2026-27 campaign.