After a start that saw them fall behind by a pair of goals in game one, the Soo Thunderbirds got off to a strong start in game two against the Elliot Lake Wildcats on Saturday.
The Thunderbirds scored four times in the opening period as they beat the Wildcats 5-2, taking a 2-0 series lead over Elliot Lake in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s West Division final.
The four-goal outburst in the opening period came in a span of just under three minutes late in the period as Matt Caruso, Joey Miller, Boris Katchouk and Nicolas Tassone gave the Thunderbirds a lead they would never relinquish.
Brett Jeffries had the other Thunderbirds goal in the win while goaltender Brian Kment stopped 37 shots.
Nathan Campbell and Spencer MacLean scored for Elliot Lake while Adam Baxter assisted on both goals.
Elliot Lake goaltender A.J. Smith stopped 44 shots.
The series shifts back to Sault Ste. Marie on Monday night as the two teams face off at the Essar Centre for game three.
In the East Division final, Daniel Stagg scored three times to lead the Cochrane Crunch to a 6-2 win over the Powassan Voodoos in game two of that series on Saturday night. The Crunch have a 2-0 series lead as they head to Powassan for game three on Tuesday.