Thunderbirds winning streak snapped

With teams playing in a cohort, regular season games in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League have taken on more of a playoff feel and that’s exactly what Soo Thunderbirds coach Denny Lambert felt on Saturday against the Espanola Express.

The Thunderbirds had their three-game winning streak snapped Saturday afternoon in a 4-3 loss to the Express at the Espanola Regional Recreation Complex.

After winning a pair of games in Sault Ste. Marie during the week, Lambert felt the Thunderbirds didn’t match Espanola’s desperation on Saturday after victories in the opening two games between the two clubs.

“We worked hard, but we didn’t get to matching how desperate they were,” Lambert said. “They came at us pretty good. They were playing desperate hockey. They were down two games and I’m sure they feel the same way that it’s kind of a playoff series. You get into these cohorts and that’s what it feels like.”

“That was a legit playoff game,” Lambert added. “The intensity was there. The speed was there and whatever team was going to make the other team break, they’re going to win.”

The Express picked up the win Sunday thanks to a power play goal in the final minute of regulation time off the stick of Cameron Walker.

His third goal of the day, Walker got in behind the Thunderbirds defencemen, took a feed from James Eng and beat Sault netminder Scott Young in close.

Walker had tied the game midway through the third period when he beat Young glove side on a shot from the top of the left circle at 11:48 of the period.

Walker opened the scoring in the game with a power play goal in the first period. Colton Wiacek had the other goal for the Express in the game, beating Young stick side on a shot from the right faceoff circle with just over four minutes to go in the opening period.

Express goaltender Luke Beally stopped 42 shots in the win.

Tyson Doucette, Cameron Dutkiewicz, and Parker Morgan had a goal and an assist each for the Thunderbirds.

Doucette got the Thunderbirds on the board in the final minute of the opening period, beating Beally in close after a point shot by Dutkiewicz was blocked in traffic in the slot.

With Espanola leading 2-1, Morgan pulled the Thunderbirds even in the opening minute of the third period, taking a pass from Doucette and splitting the Espanola defence before beating Beally 19 seconds into the period shorthanded

Dutkiewicz then gave the Thunderbirds the league at 2:27 of the period with a power play goal.

Young made 39 saves for the Thunderbirds.

The teams are facing a short turnaround as they return to action Sunday afternoon to complete the weekend set in Espanola and Lambert called the quick turnaround a good thing.

“Through the season, you learn with every scenario,” Lambert said. “That’s a good hockey team over there. We’ve got to be ready to go tomorrow. You have to expect the same thing (from Espanola).”

“They like to push the pace,” Lambert added. “They like to come at you. They came at us today and I didn’t expect anything less.”

The Thunderbirds will take a 3-3-0-1 (win-loss-shootout win-shootout loss) record into Sunday’s contest while Espanola will enter the game with a 4-3-0-1 mark.