Over the weekend of Saturday, November 23rd and Sunday, November 24th, the Soo Thunderbirds travelled north to the Claude Larose Recreation Centre for a two-game set against the Hearst Lumberjacks in NOJHL action. The Thunderbirds claimed the opener Saturday night before the Lumberjacks pushed back in a high-scoring Sunday matinee but couldn’t outlast the Thunderbirds.
Thunderbirds hold off late push to win in the Saturday night weekend opener with the Thunderbirds opening the weekend with a disciplined, structured effort, securing a 4–2 victory in the Saturday evening matchup.
At 11:12 of the first, the Thunderbirds struck first when Callum McAuley recorded his ninth of the season, assisted by Jaden van de Ven and Brayden Gosselin.
The Soo extended their lead at 5:09 of the second as captain Callum McAuley added his second of the night—and 10th of the season—on a setup from Shea Chornley and James Legler.
The Thunderbirds made it 3–0 at 8:21 when Adam Pszeniczny, an Owen Sound Attack prospect, scored his seventh of the year on the power play, assisted by Chornley and McAuley.
Hearst cut into the lead at 10:58 with Ty McKay scoring his 16th, assisted by Chase Thompson.
In the third period, Hearst applied heavy pressure late and pulled within one at 19:47 when Chase Thompson scored his 15th from Mathieu Comeau and Cole Miller.
But the Thunderbirds sealed it seconds later at 19:59, when Wyatt Groth scored his third of the season into the empty net, assisted by Aiden Atkinson and Max DeCoff, securing the 4–2 win.
Sunday’s afternoon matchup featured a much higher pace, offensive surges from both teams, and multiple momentum swings. Despite a strong Lumberjack effort, the Thunderbirds prevailed 8–5 in a wild contest.
The Soo Thunderbirds and Hearst Lumberjacks delivered a high-octane, back-and-forth offensive showcase on Sunday afternoon as the teams met for the second time in two days at the Claude Larose Recreation Centre. In a contest featuring momentum swings, specialty-teams scoring, and standout individual performances, the Thunderbirds skated away with a victory in the weekend matinee.
The Lumberjacks opened the scoring early at 4:33 of the first when Mavrik Chan-Miguel netted his fourth of the season, converting on a setup from Cole Shepherdso and William Pâquet.
The Thunderbirds answered back with a strong special-teams performance.
At 11:41, Gianmarco Mastroianni tied the game with his third of the year on the power play, assisted by Gavin Killoran.
Just over two minutes later at 13:36, the Soo struck again with another power-play marker—this time Killoran’s seventh of the season—set up by Shea Chornley and Mastroianni.
The Thunderbirds weren’t done in the first.
At 19:14, Landon Hill extended the lead to 3–1 with his sixth goal of the season, with Killoran adding his second assist of the period and Jaden van de Ven also drawing a helper.
In the second period the Lumberjacks pushed back, but Soo responded late.
The Lumberjacks clawed back to within one at 15:22 when Ty McKay scored his 17th of the season, finishing a pass from Theo Bourdon-Lemoyne.
But the Thunderbirds restored their two-goal cushion before intermission.
At 18:49, Adam Pszeniczny tallied his eighth of the season, assisted by Deven Jones-McDonald and Aiden Atkinson, sending the Soo into the third period up 5–2.
The Thunderbirds built a lead and Hearst rallies late, but the Soo secures a victory.
The Thunderbirds came out firing in the third.
At 1:36, Shea Chornley scored his fifth of the year from James Legler and Atkinson.
At 3:22, Wyatt Groth added his fourth of the season, with Rhys Bonvie providing the assist.
At 10:58, the Soo extended the lead even further when Hill buried his second of the game and seventh of the season, assisted by Jones-McDonald and Jaxon Turnbull, giving the Thunderbirds what looked like a comfortable advantage.
But Hearst mounted a determined late-game surge.
At 13:59, McKay scored his 18th from Pâquet and Chase Thompson, cutting the deficit.
McKay then completed the hat trick at 16:08, scoring his 19th of the season—this time on the power play—off feeds from Mathieu Comeau and Thompson.
With Hearst pressing and the Soo pulling Wiliam Stonehouse for an extra attacker to maintain puck control, the Thunderbirds added critical insurance at 16:55.
James Legler scored his 12th of the season into the empty net, assisted by Callum McAuley and Bonvie, restoring a multi-goal lead.
Hearst rounded out the scoring at 19:13 when Hunter Kelso netted his third of the year, assisted by Chan-Miguel, but the Thunderbirds ultimately held firm to secure the 8–5 victory.
Thunderbird coach Jamie Henderson added “I’m really proud of the entire group. We had a great week of preparations back home and really stuck with the game plan both games. It’s a well deserved four points!”
Looking Ahead with the weekend in Hearst wrapped up, the Soo Thunderbirds now shift their focus to Friday, November 28th, when they return home to host the Espanola Paper Kings at the John Rhodes Community Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
