By Matt Stefano
In my previous story, Michael Chaffay said he was just going to continue to play his game on Saturday night and see what happens.
And on Saturday night, he did, and the Birds got the victory!
On Saturday night, Soo Thunderbirds forward Michael Chaffay recorded his second straight multi-goal game, scoring a pair of goals, including one on the power play, as he helped lead the Soo Thunderbirds to a 5-2 victory over the Soo Eagles in game 4 of the NOJHL West Division final series at the Pullar Stadium in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
The Thunderbirds, who picked up a 5-2 win over the Eagles in game 4, also swept the NOJHL West Division final series four-games-to-none and have also advanced to the NOJHL final.
“It felt great to help my team get the victory tonight,” Chaffay said. “I also give alot of credit to my teammates, because they worked hard too tonight and we’re excited to be heading to the final.”
Chaffay, who was coming off his first career playoff hat trick on Friday night in game 3, ended up scoring two goals, including the game-winning goal on Saturday night in game 4, good for his second straight multi-goal game.
Chaffay scored his first goal of the game and 8th goal of the playoffs at the 19:00 mark of the first period, which put the Thunderbirds up by a score of 2-1.
The Thunderbirds alternate captain would then get his second goal of the game and 9th goal of the playoffs on the power play at the 13:04 mark of the second period, which gave the Thunderbirds a 3-2 lead.
Chaffay, who recorded his second straight multi-goal game on Saturday night, also became the first Thunderbird player to record back-to-back multi-goal games during a playoff season since Matt Caruso did back in 2015.
“Matt Caruso was a great player for the Soo Thunderbirds franchise, so it’s an honour to have my name there too,” Chaffay said.
On Saturday night, the Thunderbirds also saw the return of veteran forward Cole Delarosbil, who was back in the Thunderbirds lineup after missing the last 9 games, including 7 in the playoffs, due to an injury.
Delarosbil, who returned to the Thunderbirds lineup for game 4 of the NOJHL West Division final, scored his first career playoff goal at the 16:52 mark of the second period, which put the Thunderbirds up 4-2 after forty minutes of play.
“It felt great to score in that barn (Pullar Stadium) tonight and the atmosphere was electric,” Delarosbil said. “I was also happy to be back in the lineup tonight to help the guys close out the series. I thought I played well for my first game back and I hope to build on that.”
During Saturday night’s game, the Thunderbirds also saw another multi-point performance from rookie forward and Ottawa 67’s prospect Cooper Foster, who finished the night with a goal and an assist, good for his third straight multi-point game.
Foster scored his 6th goal of the postseason into an empty net at the 19:44 mark of the third period, which at that time made the score 5-2 for his hometown Thunderbirds.
The Ottawa 67’s prospect also drew an assist on Michael Chaffay’s second goal of the game at the 13:04 mark of the second period, which turned out to be the game-winner.
“We had a great team effort tonight, everyone was really working hard and I felt like I did the same,” Foster said. “The hard work for me also paid off when I scored the empty net goal and set up Chaffay’s game-winner.”
Rookie forward Youssef Chaouachi also had a goal (shorthanded) for the Thunderbirds on Saturday night while rookie defenceman Zane Burleigh and captain Brock Santa Maria both chipped in with one assist each.
Chaouachi, who had a shorthanded goal on Saturday night in game 4, also became the first Thunderbird player to score a shorthanded tally this postseason.
Marc LaFrance and Brian Fiddes had the goals for the Eagles while Carson Van Tighem, Jack Mortson and Gabe Rosek all had one assist each.
Eagles goaltender Gabe Rosek gave up 4 goals on 39 shots in the loss while Thunderbirds rookie netminder Noah Metiver made 38 saves for the victory.
The Thunderbirds, who have now punched their ticket into the NOJHL final, will now await to play the winner of the NOJHL East Division final series between the Timmins Rock and the Hearst Lumberjacks.
The Lumberjacks currently lead that best-of-seven series two-games-to-one.
MR. 38 SAVES
Make it back-to-back 38 save performances for Noah Metivier!
On Saturday night, Thunderbirds rookie goaltender Noah Metivier recorded his second straight 38-save game to help lead his hometown Thunderbirds to a 5-2 win over the Soo Eagles in game 4 of the NOJHL West Division Final.
Metivier, who made 38 saves on Saturday night in game 4, also made 38 saves in his last start in net back on Wednesday night at the John Rhodes, helping the Thunderbirds to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Soo Eagles in game 2.
HOW SWEEP IT IS
So far in this 2022 postseason, the Soo Thunderbirds have swept the first two rounds of their playoffs, thanks to a four-game sweep against the Blind River Beavers in the NOJHL West Division semifinal, followed by a four-games-to-none series win against their cross-border rivals, the Soo Eagles in the NOJHL West Division final.
The last time the Soo Thunderbirds began a playoff season with back-to-back series sweeps, was back in 2013, when they swept the Abitibi Eskimos in four straight in the NOJHL Quarterfinal series, before going on to sweep the Sudbury Nickel Barons four-games-to-none in the NOJHL Semifinal series
That year (2013), the NOJHL was also just a 7-team league.
SAVVY ON SATURDAY NIGHT
While the Soo Thunderbirds were across the border in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan on Saturday night for game 4 of the NOJHL West Division final, one of their alumni players ended up having a memorable night with the Soo Greyhounds in game 2 of the Ontario Hockey League Western Conference Quarterfinal series in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.
On Saturday night, former Soo Thunderbird and current Soo Greyhounds forward Tyler “Savvy” Savard scored his first career Ontario Hockey League playoff goal in the Greyhounds 4–1 victory over the Guelph Storm.
Savard and the Hounds now lead that Ontario Hockey League Western Conference Quarterfinal series two-games-to-none.
(Photo credit to Bob Davies)
