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At the Blind River Community Centre on Thursday, March 20th, the third-ranked Blind River Beavers faced off against the sixth-ranked Soo Thunderbirds in the first game of their best-of-seven quarter-final series in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) playoffs. With a strong record of four wins in six meetings during the regular season, the Beavers entered the contest with high expectations against their rivals from the Soo.
The game was a defensive battle from the very start, with both teams showing off their goaltending strength. The breakthrough came at 12:20 of the opening period when Blind River’s Owen Van de Ven fired a shot from the left blueline. The puck made its way through traffic and was expertly tipped by Owen King, redirecting it past Soo Thunderbirds’ veteran netminder Noah Metivier. The shot found the back of Metivier’s net, just underneath his glove, giving the Beavers a 1-0 win.
Caleb Walker was credited with the secondary assist on King’s first goal of the postseason, helping to set up the key play that would prove to be the difference in the game.
From there, the contest remained tight, with both teams showing resilience in their respective defensive zones. Metivier ended with an impressive 27 saves on 28 shots, but was ultimately bested by the Beavers’ precise scoring.
Meanwhile, Connor Dunham-Fox, the Beavers’ goaltender, was flawless in net. He turned away every shot he faced, earning a 32-save shutout in the 1-0 victory. Dunham-Fox’s outstanding performance helped Blind River take a 1-0 series lead and gave the Beavers a critical edge as they head into the second game of the series.
“We need to be a lot better, but it’s nice to win game one. Connor Dunham Fox was absolutely ELITE, he was the difference tonight,” added Beaver coach Kyle Brick.
Thunderbird coach Jamie Henderson told Saultsports that “we knew it would be a tight series, and it certainly was that tonight. We didn’t take advantage of our opportunities, but give credit to their netminder he was solid tonight.”
With the shutout victory, Blind River showed why they’ve been a formidable opponent all season. Both teams will now look ahead to game two on Saturday, March 22nd, where the Soo Thunderbirds head to Blind River for a 7:00 p.m start and the Soo will look to even the series, while the Beavers aim to build on their strong start to the postseason.
As the series unfolds, all eyes will be on both teams’ goaltenders, who have proven to be key factors in this tightly contested quarter-final matchup. The next game promises to deliver more intense action as these two Northern Ontario rivals battle for a spot in the NOJHL semifinals.
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