Thunderbirds skate past Express

The Soo Thunderbirds broke open a tight contest on Sunday afternoon on the road with a strong finish.

Trailing 2-1 through 40 minutes, the Thunderbirds scored four times in a 6-3 win over the Espanola Express Sunday afternoon in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League action.

The frame included the visiting team scoring twice in 44 seconds early on to take the lead.

Gage Stephney paced the Thunderbirds offensively with two goals and an assist while Noah Boman also had a three-point night with a goal and two assists.

Steven Bellini and Nick Smith also scored for the Thunderbirds.

Kaidan McDonald assisted on two Sault goals.

Thunderbirds goaltender William Anderson made 24 saves.

Lukas Lyszyk and Bret McInall had a goal and two assists each for Espanola. Diego Pasula had a goal and an assist for the Express.

Goaltender Andrew Rocha made 36 saves for the home club.

With the win, the Thunderbirds improve to 31-9-0-1 while Espanola falls to 7-35-0-2.

The Thunderbirds return to action on Tuesday night on home ice against the Elliot Lake Wildcats. Puck drop at the John Rhodes Community Centre is set for 7 p.m.