Soo Thunderbirds take 1st place in NOJHL

NEWS RELEASE

SOO THUNDERBIRDS

*************************** Thunderbirds soar past Eagles; Take 1st place in NOJHL

SAULT STE. MARIE - Following a hard-fought battle last night against their cross-border rival, the Soo Thunderbirds have a lot to smile about.

For starters, they beat their Western Division nemesis Soo Eagles 4-2 in a road game at Pullar Stadium.

Secondly, they overtook first place in the Northern Ontario Jr. Hockey League and now sit two points ahead of the Sault, Michigan club.

Finally - and perhaps most impressively - the Thunderbirds won their 11th straight game, a streak that led to them earning the No. 10 spot in the national ranking from the Canadian Jr. Hockey League earlier this week.

Head coach Preston Mizzi couldn’t be happier with his team’s effort last night, particularly from its fourth line: Darcy Casola, Stephen Flood and Kurtis Giommi. Shortly after the Eagles drew first blood with a goal early in the first period, the line stepped up.

“They blocked shots and made some big hits, which really turned the game around,” he said following the win. “The rest of the team fed off that energy.”

Later in the period, Casola buried an unassisted goal to tie it up.

Forward Matt Amadio put the Thunderbirds ahead with 48 seconds left in the first, scoring short handed on a pass from Micky Sartoretto, who buried the game-winning goal the following period.

Amadio added an assist of his own in the second.

The 20-year-old veteran has been red hot as of late, with 15 points in his last five games.

He and Sartoretto, who spent the last three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League, are tied for club point leader with 21 each.

For Mizzi, in his second year with the Thunderbirds, it’s great to have such depth and consistency in his roster.

“I couldn't have asked for a better situation to come into,” he said.

The coach also chalked up the win last night - and the team’s success in general - to a defensive system they have been working all year on.

“We were able to take away neutral zone speed (from the Eagles) most of the game,” he said. “They were then forced to dump the puck in, or we caused a turnover. All four of our lines were very disciplined, and it showed.”

Flood also scored for the Thunderbirds, and Kleinhans, a former Soo Eagle, made 38 saves against his old club.

While his team was ridding high following the win, Mizzi and company won’t be celebrating for too long.

“We’re going to get back to work tomorrow and concentrate on getting better,” he said Wednesday night. “We need to get better, because we know that the Eagles (and other teams in the league) will be getting better, too.”

The Border Battle continues on Saturday afternoon at the Essar Centre, when the Thunderbirds and Eagles face off again.

Game time is 2:30 p.m.

For full schedule and other information, visit www.tbirdhockey.ca.

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