saultsports 
On Friday, February 28th, the fourth-place Soo Eagles hosted the tenth-place French River Rapids in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League (NOJHL) matchup at Pullar Stadium in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Despite a delayed start, the Eagles soared to a dominant 4-1 victory in front of a lively crowd of over 650 fans.
The action started quickly with the Eagles seizing an early lead just 75 seconds into the game. Cooper Fredericks netted his 30th goal of the season, with Tyler Fortson and Gabriel Clark providing the assists to give the Soo a 1-0 advantage. The Eagles continued their strong offensive play as the period progressed.
At the 9:06 mark, Ilain Danilov extended the lead to 2-0 with his eighth goal of the season. Lucas Caufield and Fredericks earned the assists, helping the Eagles firmly establish control early in the game. With just under a minute remaining in the first period, Tyler Fortson fired home his 11th goal of the season, assisted by Nolan Nemecek, to make it 3-0 in favor of the Eagles.
However, with just three seconds left in the first period, French River’s Bryson Villeneuve managed to cut the deficit to 3-1, scoring behind Soo goaltender Jace Knoerle. Danil Grishachev assisted on Villeneuve’s sixth goal of the season, providing a glimmer of hope for the Rapids as the teams headed into the first intermission.
The second period saw strong defensive play from both teams, with neither side finding the back of the net. The Rapids, trailing by two, could not close the gap, while the Eagles maintained their solid lead throughout the middle frame.
With 4:37 remaining in the game, Lucas Caufield sealed the win for the Soo with his 25th goal of the season. Caufield’s marker, assisted by Coulson Bell and Trent Hoppe, brought the Eagles’ lead to 4-1, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Rapids.
The French River Rapids will now take their 4-1 loss to Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, where they will face the sixth-place Soo Thunderbirds at 7:00 p.m. on March 2nd at the John Rhodes Centre. Meanwhile, the Eagles will turn their attention to a tough matchup against the first-place Sudbury Cubs at home in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. The Eagles and Cubs will square off at 7:00 p.m. on March 2nd at Pullar Stadium, as both teams look to continue their push for the playoffs.
About The Author
