Rotiroti scores three in Thunderbirds win

A two-goal lead through 20 minutes and a second period that saw them scored three times in a span of 4:22 helped the Soo Thunderbirds to a road win on Thursday night.

The Thunderbirds scored the first six goals of the game en route to a 6-2 Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League win over the Greater Sudbury Cubs at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury..

The Thunderbirds opened the scoring just 2:52 into the game as Alfred Rotiroti jumped on a loose puck in the right faceoff circle and beat Sudbury goaltender Joel Rainville stick side on the power play.

With just under five minutes to go in the opening period, the Thunderbirds went up by two goals after Cole Delarosbil’s shot from in close beat Rainville, but dropped on the goalline before Sudbury defenceman Carter Geoffroy knocked the puck over the line.

Rookie defenceman Andrew Gibson made it 3-0 Thunderbirds at 6:52 of the second period when he took a short pass from Kelsey Ouellet and beat Rainville high stick side.

The visitors went up 4-0 at 12:24 when Colby Arbour got behind the Greater Sudbury defencemen, took a pass from Dharan Cap and beat Rainville with a deke, chasing the Cubs netminder from the goal.

Just 2:03 later, Rotiroti got his second of the night when he cut in from the left wing and beat new Sudbury netminder Sasha Gaumond high stick side to make it 5-0.

Rotiroti capped off the hat trick at 16:46 of the second when he one-timed a pass from Youssef Chaouachi on the power play past Gaumond.

Sudbury got on the board 15 seconds later after Jaxon Bedard stepped over the Sault blueline and beat Thunderbirds goaltender Noah Metivier high stick side through a defenceman to make it 6-1.

Cole Crowder capped off the scoring midway through the third period as he took a pass in the slot from Pineshish Whiteduck and beat Metivier glove side at 9:11.

Gibson had a goal and an assist for the Thunderbirds in the win while Chaouachi also had a two-point night with a pair of assists.

Metivier made 21 saves for the Thunderbirds.

Rainville finished the night with eight saves on 12 shots while Gaumond stopped eight of the 10 Thunderbirds shots he faced in relief.

The Thunderbirds return to action on Dec. 3 as the team opens a home-and-home series with the Espanola Express. The two clubs meet in Espanola in the opener before shifting to the John Rhodes Community Centre in the Sault the following night.