By Matt Stefano
As the Soo Thunderbirds get set to begin their NOJHL postseason on Thursday night in Blind River, we’ve decided to take this time to look back at what the Soo Thunderbirds have done during the 2022-2023 regular season.
Here is the Soo Thunderbirds 2022-2023 regular season review: By the numbers:
1. Thunderbirds forward Dharan Cap finished No. 1 in team scoring this season with 30 goals and 68 points in 55 games played.
Cap, who finished first in team scoring this season, also led the Thunderbirds this season in power play goals with 13, power play assists with 13 and opening goals of a game with 7.
2. That’s the number of hat tricks Thunderbirds forward Wyatt Marlow had during the 2022-2023 regular season.
Marlow, who had two hat tricks this season, became the first T-Bird player to have two hat tricks in a single season since Nick Smith did back in 2019-2020.
3. This season, the Thunderbirds finished No. 3 in the NOJHL’s West Division standings with 78 points.
The Birds also finished as the third highest scoring team in the West with 229 goals.
4. This season, the Soo Thunderbirds had four players on their team that have recorded 30 assists or more.
Those four players are forwards Dharan Cap (38), Jackson Truchan (31), Brock Santa Maria (30) and Youssef Chaouachi (30).
5. In the Thunderbirds 15-1 victory over the Cochrane Crunch back on February 18, forward Daniel Beaupre recorded five assists, which tied the franchise record for most assists by a T-Bird player in one game.
Beaupre also became the first T-Bird player to record five assists in one game since Joey Miller (Now the Soo Thunderbirds Assistant Coach) did back on November 29, 2014.
6. Six is the number of overtime wins the Soo Thunderbirds had during the 2022-2023 season.
Their six overtime wins this season was also the most out of any team in the NOJHL.
7. This season, the Soo Thunderbirds have only lost a total of seven games in regulation time on home ice.
8. After wearing No. 18 on the back of his jersey through his first 14 games played with the Soo, Thunderbirds forward Daniel Beaupre then decided to switch from No. 18 to No. 8 for the remainder of the season.
9. Nine is the number of shorthanded goals the Soo Thunderbirds have scored during the regular season.
Their nine shorthanded goals this season, was the third most out of all the teams in the NOJHL.
10. This season, Thunderbirds defenceman Ranon Joseph had a ten-game point-scoring streak, which lasted from January 6 – February 3.
Joseph, who had a ten-game point-scoring streak this season, also became the first T-Bird defenceman to have a ten-game point-scoring streak during a regular season since David Radke did back in 2013-2014.
11. This season, Thunderbirds forward Justin Mauro had a total of eleven multi-point games.
Mauro, who had eleven multi-point games this season, finished the season with 37 points through 33 games played.
12. The Soo Thunderbirds, who are entering this year’s postseason as the defending NOJHL champions, are now only twelve wins away from hopefully winning their second straight Copeland Cup McNamara Trophy!
(Photo credit to Bob Davies)
