NORTHERN ONTARIO JUNIOR HOCKEY LEAGUE
NOJHL NETWORK MEDIA UPDATE
Release Date: Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016
Thunderbirds edge Beavers in 2 OT thriller
BLIND RIVER, Ont. – A Zach Senecal power play goal 1:50 into the second overtime proved to be the only tally of the night as the Soo Thunderbirds edged the Blind River Beavers 1-0 in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League West Division action Wednesday at the Blind River Community Centre.
The tightly-contested match-up saw each of the goaltenders in the game steal the show with Brandon Gordon stopping all 30 shots he faced to record his third shutout of the season, which moved him into a tie for the league-lead in that category with Powassan’s Nate McDonald.
Myles Hektor was equally solid between the pipes for Blind River on the night as he saved all but one of the 38 attempts he saw in the game.
Both sides battled through 60 minutes of regulation going scoreless earning themselves at least a point.
Following that was a five-minute first OT that also failed to produce a result.
An early man advantage in the second extra session allowed the Thunderbirds to go up four skaters to three and that’s where Senecal won it for Sault Ste. Marie as he ended the contest in dramatic fashion with his 16th tally of the season.
With the victory the T-Birds extended a winning streak to seven in succession improving to 22-7-1-0 overall.
With the OT setback the Beavers slipped to 17-12-1-0 on the year.
