Thunderbirds drop weekend games

It was a tough weekend for the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League’s Soo Thunderbirds.

The Thunderbirds dropped a pair of games on home ice at the John Rhodes Community Centre.

On Sunday evening, the Thunderbirds led 4-2 through two periods before surrendering four goals in the final 20 minutes in a 6-4 loss to the Cochrane Crunch.

Cochrane’s offensive outburst included the game-tying and go-ahead goals by Hunter Buzzi and Austin Whelan scored 31 seconds apart.

Zach Hayes paced Cochrane with a goal and three assists while Nicolas Flanders had two goals and an assist. Ethan Emanuel also had a goal for the Crunch.

Zach Wickson stopped 27 shots for Cochrane.

Nolan Ford had a goal and an assist for the Thunderbirds. 

Tanner Mayne, Avery Rebek, and Steven Bellini also scored for the locals while goalender William Anderson stopped 32 shots.

On Saturday night, Brady Maltais scored off a faceoff with 12 seconds to go in regulation time as the Rayside-Balfour Canadians picked up a 3-2 win over the Thunderbirds. 

Jett Leishman won a faceoff in the Thunderbirds zone, putting the puck directing on net and creating a rebound for Maltais, who also set up a pair of goals.

Leishman scored a pair of goals for the Canadians, who got 33 saves from goaltender David Bowen in the victory.

Kaidan McDonald and Tyler Malpass scored for the Thunderbirds.

Thunderbirds goaltender Colin Ahern made 36 saves against Rayside.

The Thunderbirds will take a 10-3-0-0 record into action on Oct. 25 in Chelmsford against Rayside before returning home for a pair of games to end off the month of October.