SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – A Trevor Zimmer goal with under a minute to go in overtime gave the Blind River Beavers a 3-2 victory over the Soo Eagles Saturday evening at Pullar Stadium in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League match-up.
Needing just a few shifts to strike first, visiting Blind River saw Jesse Dupuis neatly redirect a Caleb Minns feed past a partially screened Logan Raffaele in the Sault Ste. Marie net.
Staying 1-0 Beavers into the middle stanza, the Eagles would tie it late in the frame as the Eagles’ defenceman Joey Woldt fired a shot from the high slot that got through a partially screened Gavin Disano in the Blind River net.
Going in front with just over nine minutes remaining in regulation, the Soo’s Nolan Hendry picked off a pass near his own blueline and darted down the ice in along and neatly picked the bottom right corner for a shorthanded effort.
Answering with a tying tally at 13:50, Blind River drew level as Ethan Pegg took a Caleb Minns back pass at the right point, then spun around and got situated before snapping a rising shot that sailed through a screen in front.
In the latter stages of extra time, the Beavers controlled a face off deep in their own zone and came out with Zimmer darting down the left wing where he cruised in and while using a Soo defender as a partial screen zipped the game-winner into the top right-hand corner to give the guests the additional point on the evening.
The result also helped Blind River put an end to a four-game winless streak while improving to 11-3-0-2 overall.
With a point in defeat, the Eagles dropped to 6-5-2-0 on the campaign.
