Thunderbirds end road trip with a split

The Soo Thunderbirds returned home on Sunday night with four of a possible six points during a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League road swing.

After defeating the North Bay Skyhawks 4-3 to open the trip on Friday, the Thunderbirds defeated the Abitibi Eskimos 6-4 on Saturday before falling to the Sudbury Junior Wolves 5-3 on Sunday night.

The Thunderbirds now hold a 27-13-1 record for 55 points and a second place standing in the NOJHL. The locals are eight points behind first place Sudbury, one point ahead of third place Northern Michigan and three ahead of the fourth place Skyhawks.

In Sudbury, the Wolves scored three third period goals to erase a Thunderbirds lead and skate to the win. Chris Towell scored once and set up another for the Soo while Tyler Gendron and Drew Jarrett added singles. Ryan Maunu picked up a pair of assists.

League scoring leader Brain McGarry scored three goals and added two assists for Sudbury while Jordan Prevost and Scott Lavigne scored once each.

On Saturday in Iroquois Falls, Maunu scored the game's first two goals and assisted on three others in the victory over the Eskimos. Towell scored once and set up another while Gendron, Jarrett and Aaron Assinewei also scored. Mike McMillan picked up a pair of assists.

Sault product Adam Combs scored twice for Abitibi while singles went to Mathew Ayotte and Jacie Gagne.

Travis O'Brien kicked aside 30 of 34 shots in goal for the win while the Thunderbirds peppered the Eskimos with 51 shots.

Michael Maulucci took the loss against Sudbury.

The Thunderbirds will be back in action on Friday when they travel to Little Current to face the Manitoulin Islanders. Next home action is Sunday against the Abitibi Eskimos at 7 p.m. at the John Rhodes Community Centre.