Game Photo: Rob Horn
SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Soo Eagles forward Seth Ferguson supplied the lone goal in the shootout Saturday to help send the Soo Eagles to a narrow 3-2 decision over the rival Soo Thunderbirds Saturday in Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League play at Pullar Stadium.
Picking up a late power play in the first frame helped the Eagles open the scoring as a nice forecheck by Chase Tallaire allowed Marc LaFrance to send a crisp cross-ice pass over to Jack Mortson, who promptly buried his ninth marker of the season at 19:41.
Going to the middle session, the Thunderbirds tied it at 14:55 after Tyson Doucette was foiled on an opportunity, but Alfred Rotiroti was there to collect the rebound and deposit his first NOJHL marker.
Then a minute later, a surging Brock Santa Maria scored for a fourth straight outing, as he drove down the ice, powered his way to the middle before cutting left and lifting a backhand over top Eagles’ goalkeeper Gabe Rosek.
The Eagles’ special teams provided the equalizer 5:17 into the third with Tallaire finishing from the slot off some more nice passing while on the power play.
After a scoreless five-minute overtime failed to provide a result, it went to extra attempts to determine a winner.
There, following two misses apiece, the Eagles’ Ferguson skated in, made a couple of head fakes, then zipped a shot past Thunderbirds’ netminder Noah Metivier to give the hosts the edge.
Rosek then foiled the T-Birds Andrew Gibson on one final opportunity to secure the home ice victory.
The contest saw the Eagles hold the edge in shots by a 37-28 margin with Rosek picking up the win while Metivier suffered the setback, but helped his team earn a point.
