SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – An Edan Etheridge goal nearly five and a half minutes into the second overtime was the difference as the Timmins Rock edged the Soo Thunderbirds 3-2 Wednesday night in Game 4 of their Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League quarter-final at John Rhodes Community Centre.
That knots the best-of-seven series at 2-2 heading into Game 5 Friday night at McIntyre Arena in Timmins, which features a 7 p.m. start.
Game 6 will go Sunday in the Soo at 7 p.m.
An evenly played opening frame saw the session go scoreless as the clubs went to their respective dressing rooms, still in search of a tally.
In the second stanza, Timmins broke the deadlock at 4:37 when Nolan Masson benefitted from a turnover in the Sault Ste. Marie zone and wired a shot off the post and in from a sharp angle that eluded goalkeeper Nathan Maguire for an unassisted effort.
Still 1-0 Rock into the third, the Thunderbirds tied it early on when Aiden Atkinson took a feed from James Legler and went in and wired one upstairs on netminder Frédéric Cousineau.
Answering that moments later, Victor Hourtouat put the visitors back on top as he lifted one in from along the goal line, off a Maxfeld Shin chance.
Notching an equalizer with 5:18 remaining in regulation, Deven Jones-McDonald clicked on the power play as he snagged a loose puck in front and snapped it in through a crowd.
Heading to OT, a spirited initial 20 minutes went without a goal, so the game went to a second extra frame.
In the second OT, it was the Rock who prevailed when Etheridge connected as he went in and collected his own rebound off an initial shot and tucked in the game-winner to end it.
No. 4 Timmins Rock vs. No. 5 Soo Thunderbirds
Game 1: Thunderbirds 4, Rock 3 (OT)
Game 2: Rock 6, Thunderbirds 1
Game 3: Thunderbirds 3, Rock 2
Game 4: Rock 3, Thunderbirds 2 (2OT)
Game 5: Friday, March 27 @ Timmins 7 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
Game 6: Sunday, March 29 @ Soo 7 p.m. (John Rhodes Community Centre)
Game 7*: Tuesday, March 31 @ Timmins 7 p.m. (McIntyre Arena)
*-if necessary
Best-of-seven series tied 2-2
