Soo Thunderbirds win big, continuing hot start to season

IROQUOIS FALLS – Continuing their torrid start to the season, the Soo Thunderbirds skated to a 6-2 road victory over the Iroquois Falls Storm Saturday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play at Jus Jordan Arena.

Sault Ste. Marie began the scoring just over seven minutes into the match-up, according to an NOJHL release, when they kept the play in the Iroquois Falls zone which led to Lucas DiBeradino steering in a Rex Rhodes backhand past Storm starter Connor Hatfield.

Drawing even on a five-on-three and Thunderbirds’ netminder Lincoln Mellenthin without his goal stick, Max Jugnauth teed up Lucas Peever on the right side where he hammered home a one-timer at 16:01.

However, the Soo answered right back with tallies 20 seconds apart to go up 3-1.

Nolan Nemecek wheeled down the right side and ripped a shot upstairs on Hatfield after Jonathan Sonedecker picked off a play in the neutral zone.

Moments later Keegan Fox picked up his initial league tally as he took a feed inside the blueline then cruised in to the high slot where he whipped it in to put the guests up by two after one.

Going up by three early in the second stanza, Griffen Albert promptly buried a nice feed from behind the net from James Elliott.

Moving to the final frame, Mellenthin thwarted a Storm skater on a breakaway and the Soo countered just after that with Colin Chesnut lifting one in for the T-Birds from the left point.

Adding to their edge, Rhodes made it 6-1 at 8:16 as he snagged a loose puck in close, then spun and fired it in.

Iroquois Falls got one back in the late going with Andrew Scott converting after he swiped a bouncing disk off a defender and finishing off a sharp snap shot, to cap off the evening’s scoring.