Thunderbirds season ends at national championship

It was a tough way to finish what was ultimately a memorable season.

The Soo Thunderbirds season came to an end on Wednesday with a 6-1 loss to the Manitoba Junior Hockey League’s Dauphin Kings at the 2022 Centennial Cup in Estevan, Sask.

With the loss, the Thunderbirds wrap up the 11-day event with an 0-4 record.

Thunderbirds coach Cole Jarrett said the game was similar to the earlier outings in the event for the Sault club.

“I did like our effort,” Jarrett said. “At this level, any mistake can be costly. All week, it was the mistakes that we made that ended up in the back of our net. That’s the frustrating part.”

“That’s what got us in trouble,” Jarrett added.

Dauphin opened the scoring 4:21 into the opening period when Brayden Dube beat Thunderbirds goaltender Noah Zeppa on a wraparound.

Midway through the period, Dube picked up his second of the night when he beat Zeppa with a shot stick side on a partial break.

The Kings took a 3-0 lead when Nick Braun grabbed a loose puck in the slot on a broken play and beat Zeppa with a shot from the slot glove side at 2:32 of the second period.

Klim Georgiev extended the lead to 4-0 at 16:14 when he beat Zeppa with a shot from the high slot high glove side.

Colby Jaquet made it 5-0 in the final minute of the second period, beating Zeppa with a point shot glove side through traffic.

The Thunderbirds got on the board 27 seconds into the third period when Kelsey Ouellet scored on a rebound at the edge of the crease after Kings goaltender Carson Chrerepak stopped a shot from the top of the left circle by Michael Chaffay initially.

Dube capped off the scoring for the Kings with his third of the night, beating Zeppa with a shot from the slot glove side at 11:14 of the final period.

In addition to the three-goal performance from Dube, Matthew Rathbone also had a three-point night with three assists. Georgiev had one of each for Dauphin.

Cherepak stopped 17 shots in the victory.

Zeppa made 20 saves for the Thunderbirds in the loss.

“Zeps was solid,” Jarrett said. “Through the first half of the game, he gave us a chance to stay in it.”

Jarrett added that, despite the results, both Zeppa and Noah Metivier were solid between the pipes for the Thunderbirds.

“Both of them had a good week,” Jarrett said. “They were forced to make some tough saves and have some big games. We’re really happy with how they responded.”

Jarrett said there was “no question” that their opponents in the tournament – the Flin Flon Bombers (Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League), Summerside Western Capitals (Maritime Hockey League), Ottawa Jr. Senators (Central Canada Hockey League), and Dauphin – were the best teams they faced all season.

“Seeing that competition and that level (of play) day in and day out, no doubt it prepares you,” Jarrett said. “We have to find a way to make it back so when we do get back, we’ll be in a better position to compete.”

“When you talk about a Hockey Canada event, they put it on on another level,” Jarrett said. “A lot of these kids haven’t seen that. Just that experience and the experience of playing against these clubs that are well-oiled machines. For a lot of them, this will be the best hockey they’ll see and I’m happy the got to experience it. It’s a fun atmosphere to be a part of.”