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Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
With both teams tied at forty-five points heading into their Friday, February 7th matchup in Sault Ste. Marie, the visiting (20-14-0-5-1) Powassan Voodoos sit in sixth place while the (21-10-1-2-3) Soo Thunderbirds hold down seventh in the NOJHL standings. Despite being tied on points, the Voodoos hold a significant advantage with five games in hand heading into Friday’s contest. This extra leverage gives Powassan an opportunity to make up ground and potentially strengthen their position in the standings.
Ryan Saginaw opened the scoring for the Thunderbirds at 7:02 of the opening period after Caden Dubreuil picking a turnover to feed Saginaw with a pass to break in on Thunderbird netminder Noah Metivier to give the Voodoos a 1 – 0 with Dubreuil adding the lone assist on Saginaw’s second of the season. From the top of the left faceoff circle, Soo Greyhound prospect James Elliott rifles his twelfth of the season over Powassan goaltender Austin Seibel’s catcher to even the game 1 – 1. Callum McAuley and Aiden Atkinson drew the helpers on Elliott’s power play goal at 13:53. With 63 seconds remaining in the first, Callum McAuley all alone in the right faceoff circle, the Thunderbird forward lifted the go-ahead goal past Austin Seibel to give the Soo a 2 – 1 lead. Tyler Neveau and Jonathan Sonedecker registered the contributors on McAuley’s thirteenth of the season.
1:38 into the second period, Jacob Smith picks up a cross crease pass from Nate Dugwell to slide the Thunderbirds third goal past Austin Seibel for Smith’s sixteenth of the season to bring the Soo’s lead to 3 – 1. With a scrum in front of Seibel’s crease, Jame McDowell slid his third of the season under the Powassan goaltender to increase the Soo’s lead to 4 – 1 at 6:47 of the second. Dugwell had the only assists on McDowall’s goal. In only his sixth game in a Thunderbird jersey, Matteo Moretta fired a wrist shot from the right faceoff past Voodoo goaltender Tyson Wilcox at 14:34 of the second to give Soo a 5 – 1 lead. Cooper Labelle and Aiden Atkinson notched the helpers on Moretta’s first of the season. Just 93 seconds into the third period and all alone from between the top of the faceoff circles unassisted, Thunderbird Deven Jones-McDonald fires a shot along the ice to find the back of Wilcox’s net to give the Soo a 6 – 1 lead.
Scoring his second of the game at 8:59, Deven Jones-McDonald catches a pass in the right faceoff circle to rifle a shot into the back Wilcox’s net for the Soo’s seventh of the game and giving the Thunderbirds a 7 – 1 lead. Matteo Moretta and netminder Noah Metivier drew the assists on Jones-McDonald’s power play goal. With the Thunderbirds shorthanded, James Elliott skates across the front of the Voodoo’s crease to backhand his second of the contest to give the Soo a 8 – 1 lead. Defenseman Bryan Fenlon added the lone helper on Elliott’s goal. At 17:02, Owen Kahl slides Powssan’s second of the game with his ninth of the season behind Soo netminder Noah Metivier. Dawson Coleman and Mason Rotondo registered the contributors on Kahl’s power play goal. Powassan goaltenders Austin Seibel and Tyson Wilcox combined to stop 32 of 40 shots in the Voodoos’ 8 – 2 loss while Thunderbird netminder Noah Metivier earned his seventh win of the season with turning away 33 of 35 shots in the Soo’s twenty-first win of the 2024 – 2025 season.
Thunderbird coach Jamie Henderson told Saultsports that “tonight was probably as much of a complete team effort as we have seen. I thought we really put in the work all week, and tonight, they were rewarded.”
The Thunderbirds are back in action on on Saturday, February 15th when they play host to the Sudbury Cubs at the John Rhodes Centre in Sault Ste Marie with a 7:00 p.m puck drop
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