Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos

On Friday, February 13th, the fifth-place Soo Thunderbirds (24-14-2) welcomed their cross-border rivals, the seventh-place Soo Eagles (20-19-1), to the John Rhodes Centre for a highly anticipated matchup. The Eagles entered the contest red hot, riding a nine-game unbeaten streak, with their most recent outing coming on January 23rd, a tie against the Espanola Paper Kings. Meanwhile, the Thunderbirds were coming off a strong 3–0 home victory on January 25th over the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners, giving both teams momentum heading into the showdown.

Home and road trends added another layer to the rivalry clash. The Eagles had posted a 6-11-1 record on the road, while the Thunderbirds had been dominant on home ice, compiling a 12-4 record at the John Rhodes Centre entering play. Despite that, the Eagles held a slim 3–2 edge in the 2025–2026 season series. In their most recent meeting on January 30th in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, the Eagles earned a convincing 7–4 win at Pullar Stadium, setting the stage for a tightly contested rematch north of the border.

The Soo Thunderbirds put together a strong, disciplined performance to earn a 3–0 victory, controlling the game from start to finish and getting a flawless showing between the pipes.

The Thunderbirds opened the scoring at 7:22 of the first period when Max DeCoff netted his sixth goal of the season, finishing a play set up by Gianmarco Mastroianni and Rhys Bonvie to make it 1–0. The home side doubled the lead later in the frame on the power play, as Aiden Atkinson scored his 19th goal of the season at 11:20 with an unassisted effort to give the Thunderbirds a 2–0 advantage after one.

Soo continued to build momentum early in the second period. At 2:41, Jayden Arnold extended the lead to 3–0, scoring his fourth goal of the campaign with Landon Hill picking up the assist. The Thunderbirds maintained their defensive structure for the remainder of the game, limiting chances and keeping the Eagles off the scoreboard through the final frame.

Nathan Maguire was sharp in goal for the Thunderbirds, stopping all 25 shots he faced to earn his second shutout of the season. At the other end, Eagles netminder Jace Knoerle turned aside 41 of 44 shots in a busy outing.

Thunderbird coach Adrian O’Dell told Saultsports that “we played a strong game stuck to the game plan and played within the whistles. We were really strong in the d zone and adapted well. I thought Nate played unreal tonight and has been great all season. The culture in the room is unreal right now fun to be around the rink everyday. We’re gonna enjoy the win tonight and get back to work tomorrow for another big game.”

“It was a good run and we played pretty consistent. Tonight we were inconsistent and don’t compete the way we should be competing. Every game is competitive and if you don’t show up, every team can win on any give night. We can’t just show up and expect the win. We have to work to earn the wins. Tonight, the Thunderbirds competed harder. Conversely, our guys have short-term memory and we will be back to business tomorrow,” said Eagles coach Jeremy Rebek.

The Thunderbirds now shift their focus to Saturday, February 14th, when they return home to host the Blind River Beavers at the John Rhodes Centre in a 7:00 p.m. puck drop. Meanwhile, the Eagles will hit the road to face the Espanola Paper Kings in a 7:00 p.m. start.