SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – Caleb Wood and Riley Jensen both collected a pair of goals to help send the Soo Eagles on their way to a 7-3 triumph over the Blind River Beavers Friday evening in their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League home opener at Pullar Stadium in front of over 700 spectators.
After playing their first five contests on the road, the Eagles returned to the friendly confines of home ice and came out flying and picked up early markers’ courtesy of Wood and Brendan Blair to go up by a pair.
Regrouping, Blind River got one back via the power play at 10:50 as Justin Mauro potted his third of the season.
However, the Soo kept coming and went back up by two before the frame was complete with Brett Morich adding his second as a member of the club.
The Eagles continued to soar in the middle stanza with Jake Lamberty extending the home side’s cushion early.
Down a man later in the second, it was Blind River that would connect as Sam Harris had one shorthanded to bring the visitors to within two.
Coming right back, the Soo answered will still on the power play with Wood picking up his second of the night to make it 5-2.
The Eagles kept coming and tacked on another at 12:03 with Jensen getting in on the goal barrage.
Ethan Graham did get one back for the Beavers in the third, but Jensen tacked on another in the late going before time expired as the Eagles secured the home-opening win.
Morich had two assists to go with his goal for a three-point night while Kyle Quinn also had a couple of helpers for the Soo.
Joseph Benedetto started in net for the Eagles and picked up the win making 23 saves along the way.
Maxim Sidelnik started for Blind River and allowed four against on 11 attempts while Andrew Ushenko stopped 14 of 17 in lengthy relief.
