HOCKEY NOTEBOOK: Soo Thunder forced to the limit

The Soo Thunder AAA Bantam Majors' season will come down to a fifth and deciding game on Wednesday night.

After returning home from Timmins with a split on the weekend, the Thunder sits deadlocked with the Timmins Technosub Rangers at 2-2 in the best-of-five Northern Ontario Bantam Hockey League semi-final series.

Game five is scheduled for Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Rankin Arena.

In the other NOBHL semi-final series, Sudbury Lockerby Confectionery and the Onaping Falls Huskies will also play a fifth and deciding game on Wednesday in Sudbury.

In Timmins, the Thunder grabbed a 2-1 series lead on Saturday with a 3-2 win before Timmins remained alive with a 3-2 overtime win in game four on Sunday.

Adam Pyymaki scored two goals 23 seconds apart late in the third period to secure the Thunder victory on Saturday. Dan Vernelli also scored for the Soo.

On Sunday, Ryan Labrosse scored 44 seconds into overtime to lift Timmins to the win. Jeff McAllister and Pyymaki, who also added an assist, on the power play scored for the Thunder. Sheldon St. Louis added a pair of assists.

*** SOO NORTH STARS:

The Soo North Stars will open the Great North Midget League championship series this weekend at the John Rhodes Community Centre.

The North Stars are coming off back-to-back playoff sweeps of Valley East and Kirkland Lake in the quarterfinal and semi-final rounds, respectively, and now face the New Liskeard Cubs in the best-of-five championship series.

The series opens on Friday at 8:30 p.m. with game two scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday.

The series will then shift to New Liskeard for game three on Friday, March 17 and game four, if necessary, on Saturday March 18. If a fifth game is needed, the North Stars will host the Cubs on Tuesday, March 23 at 7 p.m. at Memorial Gardens.

*** WILDCATS AT THE GRETZKY:

The AOE Bantam Wildcats returned home with a win and two losses at the Walter Gretzky Tournament in Brantford last weekend.

In the opener, the Wildcats were shutout 1-0 by Ilderton as Wildcats' goaltender Dana Desaulnier received the game MVP. A late empty net goal gave Ancaster a 2-0 win over the Wildcats in the second game.

The Wildcats concluded the tournament with a 3-0 win over Kitchener as Jordana Sacco, Laura Duguay and Stephanie Leask scored for the locals.

*** MARTONE AN ALL-STAR:

Sault Ste. Marie product Mike Martone has been selected as a first team all-star on defense for the St. Francis Xavier X-Men.

Martone, who recorded eight points in 27 games, is in his fifth year with the regular season champion X-Men in the Atlantic University Sport division of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) hockey league.

A former member of the Ontario Hockey League's Peterborough Petes, Martone was a fourth round draft pick of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres.

*** BOSSIO CALLS IT QUITS:

John Bossio is ready to hang up the blades from pro hockey and return to his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie.

For the past five seasons, Bossio has spent his time in Texas as a top offensive weapon for the Odessa Jackalopes of the Central Hockey League. Bossio will retire at the end of the season as the team's all-time leader in goals, points and games played.

To read more about Bossio's career and plans to return home from a story in the Odessa American, click here.

*** FRANCIS TO STAY PUT:

With a flurry of trades expected as the NHL's trade deadline approaches on Tuesday afternoon, don't expect Sault native Ron Francis to be included.

With the Carolina Hurricanes in no position to contend this season, Francis would made a perfect fit for any team in the hunt for the Stanley Cup. But Francis will have no part of any trade and will stay put in Carolina.

To read an article about Francis' decision to utilize the no-trade clause in his contract for family reasons, click here.

*** GAGNON SUITING UP IN FLINT:

Sault native and former Soo Greyhound Sean Gagnon has found himself a new home with the Flint Generals of the United Hockey League.

The Toronto Maple Leafs assigned the rugged defenseman to the Generals from Leafs' American Hockey League farm team in St. John's on Friday.

In nine seasons of pro hockey, Gagnon has escalated up and down the ranks having spent time in the NHL for 12 games with Phoenix and Ottawa, the East Coast Hockey League, the AHL and the now defunct International Hockey League.