Baber scores two in showcase opener

The Soo Thunderbirds got a little bit of revenge on Tuesday as the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s showcase opened in Sudbury.

The Thunderbirds picked up a 3-2 victory over the Hearst Lumberjacks on Tuesday afternoon at Sudbury’s Countryside Sports Complex.

It was a slight measure of revenge for the Thunderbirds, who dropped a 2-0 decision in Hearst on the opening day of the regular season as the Hearst picked up it’s first NOJHL victory at the time.

Camaryn Baber paced the Thunderbirds with a pair of goals in the second period, the second of which was the eventual game-winner. Tyler Malpass picked up a goal and an assist for the Thunderbirds while goaltender Brandon Gordon made 20 saves.

Spencer Silver and Max Griffioen scored for the Lumberjacks. Hearst goaltender Artem Bortovskiy made 22 saves.

The win improves the Thunderbirds record to 9-3-1-0 while Hearst falls to 5-3-0-0.

The Thunderbirds wrap up the showcase on Wednesday afternoon against the Cochrane Crunch in a 1:45 p.m. start at Sudbury’s Countryside Arena.

The Thunderbirds and Crunch met on Sunday night at the John Rhodes Community Centre with the Thunderbirds picking up a 4-2 win thanks to three unanswered goals in the third period.

On Tuesday, Cochrane picked up a 3-0 win over the Blind River Beavers in the showcase.