Pinder strikes again for Thunderbirds

It's been quite the start to he Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League season for Soo Thunderbirds forward Matt Pinder.

The veteran forward scored his ninth goal of the season on Sunday afternoon as the Thunderbirds ended the weekend with a 5-2 victory over the Timmins Rock in Timmins.

Pinder had a goal and an assist to lead the Thunderbirds offensively and now has nine goals and 13 points in eight games, which includes at least one goal in all eight Thunderbirds games this season.

His nine goals are second in the NOJHL behind Cochrane’s Dustin Cordeiro, who has 12 in just six games.

Jake Behse, Jaren Bellini and Brett Jeffries also scored for the Thunderbirds on Sunday while goaltender Nathan Warren made 30 saves for his fourth win of the season.

Leading 1-0, the Thunderbirds scored three times in just under three minutes late in the second period to break the game open.

After Bellini made it 5-0 midway through the final period, Timmins scored a pair of goals in the second half of the period to complete the scoring.

Zachary Kercz and Devin Panzeca scored for Timmins who falls to 3-4 with the loss.

Logan Ferrington got the start in goal for Timmins, stopping 32 shots in two periods of action before being pulled after giving up four goals in two periods of work. Matthew Nixon stopped 15 of 16 shots for Timmins in the third period.

The Thunderbirds improve to 7-1 ahead of a pair of games against the Soo Eagles beginning on Friday night at Pullar Stadium in Soo, Mich. On Saturday night the teams wrap up the weekend at the Essar Centre. Both games are 7:30 p.m. starts.

(File Photo. Kenneth Armstrong/SooToday)