Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos

Coming off a 5 – 4 win in a day one matchup at the 2023 Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League Showcase in Sudbury, Ontario over the east division Powassan Voodoos, the fifth place west division (4-3-2-1) Soo Thunderbirds took to the ice on Tuesday, October 4th to meet the second place east division (5-3-0-1) Hearst Lumberjacks.

At 11:25 of the first, Thunderbird rookie Lucas DiBerardino slides a loose puck through the left side of Lumberjack goaltender Russ DeCoste crease for his first career NOJHL goal to give the Soo a 1 – 0 lead. Rookies Declan Gallivan and Evan Roach added the assists on DiBerardino’s goal. On a powerplay, 53 seconds into the second period, Grayson Ebrahim fires a shot on to the Hearst net to be tipped by Jacob Smith past Lumberjack goaltender Russ DeCoste to give the Soo a 2 – 0 lead. Kaden Dundas drew the other helper on Smith’s fifth of the 2023 season. With the Soo shorthanded with 4:10 remaining in the third and DeCosta on the Lumberjack bench for an extra attacker, Daniel Beaupre fires a shot into a Hearst empty net unassisted from just outside the left blueline to give the Thunderbirds a 3 – 0 win. Lumberjack goaltender Russ DeCosta stopped 29 of 31 shots in Hearst 3 – 0 loss while Thunderbird netminder Connor Hatfield turned away 23 of 23 shots in the Soo’s 3 – 0 win.

The Thunderbirds return to Sault Ste Marie for a Saturday, October 7th contest at the John Rhodes Centre to host the east division Kirkland Lake Gold Miners in a 7:00 p.m puck drop.