By Matt Stefano
Dating back to the 1984-1985 hockey season, our Ontario Hockey League’s Soo Greyhounds ended off with a perfect home record, winning all thirty three home games on Sault Memorial Gardens ice. Now, thirty one years later, it was the affiliate franchise Soo Thunderbirds turn to make history, as they entered Wednesday night’s game with a home record of 26-0.
Wednesday night marked the final home game of the 2015-2016 season for the Soo Thunderbirds at the John Rhodes Community Centre as they took on the Elliot Lake Wildcats.
The T-Birds blanked the Wildcats 4-0 and have finished off with a perfect home record of 27-0. It also marked the first time in franchise history that the T-Birds went perfect at home in their seventeen years in the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
T-Birds rookie forward Mark Tassone had his second career two goal game while overage forwards Matt Pinder and Brett Jeffries also had two point night’s with a pair of assists each. Ryan Mulligan and Izaak Del Mastro had the other goals for the Soo while Aiden Salerno and Caleb Boman recorded one assist each.
T-Birds goaltender Connor Ryckman made nineteen saves for his third shutout in a T-Birds uniform.
Wildcats goaltender Al Rogers gave up four goals on thirty six shots.
The T-Birds, who have also picked up their forty seventh victory of the season, will now look to tie the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League record for most wins in a regular season as they will be in Elliot Lake on Saturday, March 12th at 7:30 p.m. in their final game of the 2015-2016 regular season.
The current record for most wins in a Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League regular season is held by the Soo Thunderbirds, who finished off the 2013-2014 season with forty eight.
(Photo credit to James Egan’s Sports Photography)
