Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
Coming off a 6 – 3 west division semi-final game one win in Blind River on Thursday, March 23rd over the Blind River Beavers, the Soo Thunderbirds took to the ice back in Blind River on Saturday, March 25 holding a 1 – 0 lead in the best of seven series. Thunderbird Jackson Truchan and Beaver Caleb Minns led their programs with Truchan scoring a hat trick and adding an assist for the Soo in game one while Blind River’s Minns sank two and contributed on one other in the game one loss for the Beavers.
Thunderbird Dharan Cap picks ups a Beaver turnover to rifle an unassisted snapshot over Blind River goaltender Charlie Burns’ left shoulder to give the Soo a 1 – 0 lead on Cap’s second of the postseason 8:36 into the opening period. At 13:55 of period on a Soo powerplay from behind the net to the right of Burns’, Thunderbird captain Brock Santa Maria bounces the puck off of the Beavers’ goaltender’s right skate to find the back of Blind River’s net. Ranon Joseph and Truchan added the helpers on Santa Maria’s first of the 2023 playoffs. With the Thunderbirds on a five minute powerplay 29 seconds into the Soo’s five on four, Truchan fires a pass from the left corner to Justin Mauro in front of the Beavers’ net, the former Beaver forward gives the visitors a 3 – 0 lead with lifting Soo’s third goal over Burns’ catcher. Daniel Vasic finds the back of Thunderbird netminder Landon Miller’s net 3:48 of the second period to pull Blind River within two. Jacob Kovacs and Andrey Manov added the contributors on Vasic’s first of the postseason. Unassisted 34 seconds from the right faceoff circle, Gavin Rocha fires a wrist shot over Miller’s right shoulder to close the gap to one for the Beavers.
With the Thunderbirds on a two on one, Michael Chaffay fires a cross ice pass to Youssef Chaouachi at 13:42 of the period for Chaouchi lifting the Soo’s fourth goal past Burn’s to bring the visitors lead to 4 – 2. Brock Santa Maria drew the other assist on Chaouchi’s first of the playoffs. Scoring their powerplay goal of the game 17:40 into the period, Kaden Dundas sends the Soo into the second intermission up 5 -2 with with a pass from Truchan for his second of the postseason. Justin Mauro contributed on Dundas powerplay marker. At 16:46 of the third, Sault Ste Marie’s forward Jacob Kovacs fires a snapshot from between the faceoff circles shorthanded to find the back of Landon Miller’s five hole to close the gap to two for the Beavers. Jack Robinson had the lone helper on Kovacs’s first of the postseason. With Charlie Burns on Blind River’s bench for an extra attacker with 52 seconds remaining in game two, Daniel Vasic all alone in the left faceoff cirlce lifts the Beavers fourth over Miller’s left shoulder to bring the game to 5 – 4. Gavin Rocha added the contributor on Vasic’s second of the game. Blind River goaltender Chalrie Burns stopped 22 of 27 shots in the Beavers game two 5 – 4 loss while Thunderbird netminder Landon Miller turned away 22 of 26 shots in the Thunderbirds second straight semi – final division win.
The best of seven series will now return to Sault Ste Marie for game three and four on Monday, March 27 and Wednesday, March 29 with puck drops at 7:00 p.m at the John Rhodes Centre and the Thunderbirds leading the series 2 – 0 against the Beavers.
